When will Crossrail open? Elizabeth Line route map in full
Crossrail: Khan has 'FAILED his duty' says assembly member
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London’s Elizabeth Line will finally open this month after two decades since the railway plan was developed. The long-awaited rail expansion will provide a much-needed boost to the capital’s travel infrastructure, cutting some journey times considerably and opening a number of new stations.
Crossrail has been under development since 2002 and originally due to open in 2018.
But the rail link has been mired by setbacks and no shortage of controversies throughout its development, having cost £18.9 billion to date – £4.1 billion over the budget set in 2010.
Still, the scheme is the biggest boost to transport for London in decades, creating ten new stations and 26 miles of new tunnels.
Opening just ahead of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, the Queen is expected to attending the grand opening in the coming weeks.
When will Crossrail open?
Crossrail will open on May 24, according to an announcement by Transport for London.
However, this is subject to final safety checks in the week leading up to the opening date.
All stations will open on May 24 aside from the Bond Street station, which is earmarked for completion by the end of the year.
The Elizabeth Line will initially operate as three separate railways, and will be joined together in the autumn.
For now, separate lines will run from Reading to Paddington and Stratford to Shenfield.
Passengers using the central London section of the line will need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street to access further destinations on the line.
This is due to complicated signalling, which puts three different systems together, still requiring full integration and testing.
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The new underground section within London will operate 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood in the southeast.
Services will intensify in the autumn once software has been fully tested in this interim period, according to TFL.
Later this year 22 trains an hour are planned to run at peak times in central London.
TfL commissioner Andy Byford said: “I am delighted that we can now announce a date for the opening of the Elizabeth line in May.
“We are using these final few weeks to continue to build up reliability on the railway and get the Elizabeth line ready to welcome customers.
“The opening day is set to be a truly historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “This is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades, and will revolutionise travel across the capital and the South East – as well as delivering a £42 billion boost to the whole UK economy and hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs.
“Green public transport is the future, and the opening of the Elizabeth line is a landmark moment for our capital and our whole country, particularly in this special Platinum Jubilee year.”
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