24 May Crossrail’s Elizabeth line opens to the public

After more than a decade and three London Mayors, Crossrail’s Elizabeth line has officially opened to passengers, cutting journey times and providing additional capacity to London’s rail network.

Last week, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth visited the new rail link, named in her honour, to mark its £20billion completion. Andy Byford, Transport for London’s Commissioner, said that the Queen described the new railway as “spectacular”.

The Elizabeth line will service 41 stations across London, connecting Reading, Heathrow, Abbey Wood, and Shenfield to the capital, including 10 new stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House, Woolwich and Abbey Wood.

Passengers in Ealing can now enjoy speedy connections to the City and East London, while other journey times will be noticeably reduced.

The trains themselves are big; 200m long with nine fully interconnected, walk-through carriages capable of carrying up to 1,500 passengers. And, to the delight of commuters, they have temperature-controlled air conditioning.

There’s also space for wheelchairs, buggies and luggage, LED lighting with an ambient dimming feature, on-board Wi-Fi, and CCTV for passenger safety and security.

It’s estimated the Elizabeth line will be used by 200 million passengers each year and add around £42bn to the UK economy.

The Elizabeth line will also support London’s recovery by encouraging fewer car journeys and supporting regeneration.

For more than three years, eight giant boring machines tunnelled under the capital, excavating more than 3m tonnes of materials, to create the network, 98% of which was beneficially reused.

In fact, the whole line was built with sustainability in mind. Energy-efficient management systems on board the trains include regenerative braking which uses up to 30% less energy, and the carriages are insulated to mitigate heat loss.

And they’re fast, too. Capable of running up to 90mph on outer sections.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “The opening of the Elizabeth line, with nearly 70% of the total funding paid for by London, is a landmark monument for our capital and our whole country, particularly in this special platinum jubilee year.

“The Elizabeth line is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades and this new line will revolutionise travel across the capital and the South-East and bring economic benefits to the whole country.”