Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that, subject to final safety
approvals, the Elizabeth line will open on Tuesday 24 May 2022.
The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East by
dramatically improving transport links, cutting journey times, providing
additional capacity, and transforming accessibility with spacious new stations
and walk-through trains.
The Elizabeth line will initially operate as three separate railways, with
services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield connecting with the central
tunnels from autumn this year.
In the coming weeks, Elizabeth line signage will continue to be uncovered
across the network in preparation for the start of customer service. The
updated Tube and Rail map will also be released later showing the new central
section stations connected with the rest of the TfL network for the first
time.
The new line is set to be crucial to London’s recovery from the
pandemic, helping avoid a car-led recovery by providing new journey options,
supporting regeneration across the capital, and adding an estimated £42bn to
the UK economy.
The Elizabeth line will operate 12 trains per hour between Paddington and
Abbey Wood from Monday to Saturday 06:30 to 23:00. Work will continue in
engineering hours and on Sundays to allow a series of testing and software
updates in preparation for more intensive services from the autumn.
All services between Reading and Heathrow to Paddington and Shenfield to
Liverpool Street, currently operating as TfL Rail, will be rebranded to the
Elizabeth line. Customers travelling between Reading or Heathrow into London will
need to change at Paddington for services into the central section of the
route, and customers from Shenfield into London will need to change at
Liverpool Street. Services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield will connect
with the central tunnels in autumn when frequencies will also be increased to
22 trains per hour in the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel.
Customers will be able to plan their journeys on the Elizabeth line using
the TfL Go app and Journey Planner ahead of the railway opening. The new
railway will connect stations such as Paddington to Canary Wharf in only 17
minutes, transforming how Londoners and visitors navigate the capital. This
journey currently takes more than 30 minutes to complete using the Tube.
All Elizabeth line stations will be staffed from first to the last train,
with a ‘turn up and go’ service offered to anyone needing assistance. Step-free
access is in place from street to train across all Elizabeth line stations
between Paddington and Woolwich.
Andy Byford, Transport for London's
Commissioner, 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.”
“Work is ongoing at Bond Street Elizabeth line station, which means that it
will not open with the other stations on 24 May. The station continues to make
good progress and the team at Bond Street are working hard to open the station
to customers later this year.
“Changes will be made to 14 bus routes to improve links to Elizabeth line
stations in east and south-east London, where many customers will use buses to
get to and from stations. The changes will take effect from Saturday 14 and
Saturday 21 May. This includes the new route 304, which will operate between
Manor Park and Custom House stations from 21 May.”
