Elizabeth line services at Bond Street station are scheduled to finally begin in less than a month’s time after the project was hit by delays.
The new Crossrail trains are set to stop at the central London station from Monday 24 October.
Transport for London (TfL) announced the estimated opening date, which is subject to “final approval” of the upgraded station that also serves the Central and Jubilee lines.
The Elizabeth line first opened in May this year after initially being projected to be in operation from 2018.
Even though all other stations opened in the spring, works at Bond Street had yet to be completed.
The new station will have two lifts for complete step-free access, a new ticket hall, and 255m-long platforms.
It will open two weeks before direct services from the east and west of the capital begin on 6 November.
Currently, passengers have to change at Paddington for the line’s services towards Reading or Heathrow Airport, and at Liverpool Street for the other direction towards either Abbey Wood or Shenfield.
Andy Byford is set to leave his job as London’s transport commissioner one day before the Elizabeth line begins to call at Bond Street.
He said: “The new Elizabeth line station at Bond Street will be the jewel in the crown of the West End’s transport provision.
“It is truly spectacular and will provide a highly significant new link to one of the busiest shopping districts in the UK, enabling even further connectivity to jobs and leisure for people across London and the South East.
“I can’t wait to see people using this beautiful, spacious, step-free station. It will be yet another huge moment for transport in London and the bright future for the city that lies ahead.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he’s “delighted” that the station will be opening in October.
He added: “Millions have already travelled on the Elizabeth line, and the opening of a station at Bond Street will help draw people back on to our world-class public transport network, encourage people to make the most of the capital and support businesses across the city.”
Since the line opened in May, more than 45 million journeys have been made. It was named after, and opened by, Queen Elizabeth II – who died earlier this month aged 96.
The line’s final timetable, with full end-to-end journeys and up to 24 trains an hour during central London’s peak times, is expected to be in operation by May 2023.
