Tuesday 18 January 2022 11:35 am | Updated: Tuesday 18 January 2022 6:48 pm

Elizabeth Line on track to open in first half of 2022, says TFL

The Elizabeth Line has rapidly become one of London’s favourite routes.

Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line project is back on track with the new railway service set to open in the first half of the year.

In a boost for the UK’s capital commuters will soon gain access to a new service between Abbey Wood and Paddington Elizabeth line stations TFL announced today. While the line was initially supposed to open in December 2018, the long delayed £18.8bn Elizabeth Line is now expected to be up and running by June.

Commenting on the news, mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said “The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East, benefitting millions and supporting hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs.

“Its brand new trains and step-free stations will help us deliver a modern, truly world-class transport system that allows us to support the growth in London’s population over the coming decades. That’s why I’m delighted it is on track to open in the first half of 2022, in what will be a landmark moment for the capital,” Khan added.

A driver on the Elizabeth Line completes a trial journey ahead of the new line opening.

According to today’s announcement trains have been running through the tunnels since May 2021 to build up reliability ahead of the railway opening to passengers. When the Elizabeth line opens it will operate 12 trains per hour through the central section of the railway.

The latest TFL plans will ensure that Elizabeth line services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield can connect with the central tunnels from autumn 2022.

“Huge efforts have been made to get the project to this point and it’s exciting to see the next stages of testing get underway ahead of the line opening later this year,” said Transport Minister Baroness Vere.

TFL commissioner Andy Byford said the new addition to the transport network would be transformational for London’s transport network as well as the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Customers will experience a new way of travelling – with brand new, spacious step-free stations and new connections across the capital and beyond. There will be no better symbol of London’s renaissance from the pandemic,” Byford said.