LONDON — The underground portion of London’s long-delayed Crossrail project is scheduled to open May 24, agency Transport for London has announced.
Initial plans for the route to offer 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Woods Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with continuing work in the off-hours and on Sundays to prepare for increased service this fall.
“I am delighted that we can now announce a date for the opening of the Elizabeth line in May,”: Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford, the former New York City Transit president, said in a press release. “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.”
The route, officially known as the Elizabeth Line, will bring a significant increase in transit capacity and cut travel times in London and southeast England. It is initially operating as three separate railways until the new segment opens and the existing portions can be fully integrated. The 73-mile, 41-station system was originally slated to open in 2018. Its cost has risen from £14.8 billion ($18.68 billion) to £18.9 billion ($23.85 billion) since it was approved in 2007. More information is available at the Crossrail website.
London’s newest railway, the Elizabeth line/Crossrail will operate new state-of-the-art “the Class 345” trains when services start in the in the last week of this May. These electric multiple unit passenger trains on the Elizabeth line will improve travel across London for hundreds of thousands of Londoners and visitors to the city.
Following extensive testing and preparation, the fleet of 70 new Class 345 trains are currently providing benefits to passengers on the west from Paddington to Reading and Heathrow, and to the east from Shenfield to Liverpool Street.
Working in conjunction with the team at Transport for London, Bombardier (now Alstom) led the design and build for the 205 metres long trains with 9 fully interconnected, walk-through carriages capable of carrying up to 1500 passengers will be a key element of the Elizabeth line. The relevant modern trains based on Alstom’s latest generation Aventra family were manufactured by the Alstom factory in Derby. Thay have a top speed capability of 90 mph (145 km/h).
The new trains built by Alstom for the new Elizabeth line helped to support 760 UK jobs and 80 apprenticeships.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
An awesome project, a wonderful addition to TFL, and a fitting 96th birthday present to the most competent, honest, and accomplished head of state this world has known in my lifetime. Well done!
Lots of money but unlike the way we throw away money in USA, good will come of it. Much like the Eurostar/ Thalys.
I wish we visionaries like TFL over here in the states, instead of costly fiascos like CalHSR.