The long-awaited Elizabeth line finally opens on Tuesday (23 May), cutting journey times for east-west travel across London.
The new £18.9 billion railway, which should have been completed in December 2018, stretches from Reading and Heathrow Airport in west London to Abbey Wood in south-east London and Shenfield in Essex. The line is named in honour of the Queen, who visited Paddington station last week to celebrate its eventual completion.
Services will begin in new tunnels under the centre of the city at 6.30am and large numbers of transport enthusiasts are expected to be on the first departures. It will begin operating in three separate sections, which are expected to be integrated in the autumn.
