Opening date for Crossrail and Elizabeth Line is revealed as May 24
TfL’s troubled Elizabeth Line will FINALLY open this month from Abbey Wood to Paddington – but it’s £4BILLION over budget, nearly four years late, WON’T run on Sundays… and the full line doesn’t open until 2023
Crossrail is now three-and-a-half years late and £4bn over budget but first part is now due to open on May 24Trains will initially run from Reading to Paddington, Paddington to Abbey Wood and Liverpool St to ShenfieldSecond phase from autumn will see services from Reading or Heathrow run to Abbey Wood via Liverpool StFinal milestone will be ‘no later than May 2023’ when passengers can travel with no changes over whole line
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The opening date for the first section of Crossrail was finally revealed as May 24 today – but the project is now £4billion over budget, nearly four years late, won’t run on Sundays and is still one year away from opening in full.
Transport for London has revealed ‘Elizabeth line’ trains are initially set to run every five minutes from Monday to Saturday between Paddington in West London and Abbey Wood in South East London, from 6.30am until 11pm.
But the section will only have nine stops rather than ten because Bond Street is still not completed, so trains will go through without stopping at the station for now – and TfL said it is not expected open until ‘later this year’.
The capital’s new railway has suffered a series of delays having initially been planned to open in full – from Reading in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood – in December 2018. It was set a budget of £14.8billion in 2010.
But the east-west project’s total cost is now estimated to have ballooned to £18.9billion, including £5.1billion from the Government – meaning it is now already three years and five months late and £4billion over budget.
TfL’s announcement made shortly before 10am this morning comes on the eve of the local elections in London – and was today hailed by Mayor Sadiq Khan as ‘the most significant addition to our transport network in decades’.
The line has been hit by construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems, and so will now initially operate in three sections, with the central part between Paddington and Abbey Wood using new tunnels.
Transport bosses hope the Queen – whom the line is named after – will be involved in the opening, although this is unconfirmed due to her recent mobility and health problems that have caused her to miss a string of events.
TfL will also be keen to avoid comparisons to the botched launch of London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five, which saw hundreds of flights cancelled and tens of thousands of bags delayed when it opened in March 2008.
Now, when the ‘Elizabeth line’ opens on May 24, it will operate as three separate railways – from Reading or Heathrow to Paddington; Paddington to Abbey Wood via Liverpool Street; and Liverpool Street to Shenfield.
The second stage, for which Crossrail says the ‘earliest expected date’ is ‘autumn 2022’, will ensure the services from Reading or Heathrow towards Paddington can run all the way through to Abbey Wood via Liverpool Street. At this second stage, there will also be trains running direct from Paddington to Shenfield, also via Liverpool Street.
The final milestone will be ‘no later than May 2023’, when the full timetable will allow passengers to travel without changing across the entire line from Reading or Heathrow to Shenfield or Abbey Wood, via central London.
Transport for London released this new map this morning showing how the initial Crossrail services will operate from May 24
An Elizabeth line train near West Drayton station. The trains are already running on existing track in East and West London
Transport for London has revealed ‘Elizabeth line’ trains are initially set to run every five minutes from Monday to Saturday
Trains will be running between Paddington in West London and Abbey Wood in South East London, from 6.30am until 11pm
By this point, TfL hopes there will be one train every 150 seconds through central London – and it is hoped that the project will expand central London’s rail capacity by 10 per cent.
For now, the line will operate 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood from Monday to Saturday, 6.30am to 11pm – but Bond Street station has not yet been completed and will not open until ‘later this year’.
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 autumn.
But the Sunday closures will be lifted on June 5 to help people travelling in the capital during the Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrating the Queen’s milestone.
Elizabeth line trains have been running through the tunnels for tests since May 2021, and the stock for the line – the Class 345 Aventra – is already in service between Paddington and Reading, and Shenfield and Liverpool Street under the ‘TfL Rail’ brand.
These services will be rebranded from ‘TfL Rail’ to the ‘Elizabeth line’ from May 24, and they will continue to run seven days a week as at present.
Andy Byford, TfL’s commissioner, said today: ‘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.’
Thousands of staff from TfL, Network Rail and other partner organisations took part in exercises earlier this year to test timetables and simulate scenarios such as evacuations from trains and stations.
And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the Elizabeth line will make London ‘safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous’.
He went on: ‘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.
CURRENT SERVICE: ‘TfL Rail’ currently operates trains between Reading and Paddington, and Liverpool Street and Shenfield
STAGE 1: When the ‘Elizabeth line’ first opens on May 24, it will operate as three separate railways – from Reading or Heathrow to Paddington; Paddington to Abbey Wood via Liverpool Street; and Liverpool Street to Shenfield
STAGE 2: The second stage, for which Crossrail says the ‘earliest expected date’ is ‘autumn 2022’, will ensure the services from Reading or Heathrow towards Paddington can run all the way through to Abbey Wood via Liverpool Street. At this stage, there will also be trains running direct from Paddington to Shenfield, also via Liverpool Street
STAGE 3: The final milestone will be ‘no later than May 2023’, when the full timetable will allow passengers to travel without changing across the entire line from Reading to Shenfield or Abbey Wood
The Crossrail route is shown on a geographical map which displays how passengers will be able to travel through London
The Crossrail route map is displayed, with the complete line set to be operational in its full form by May 2023 at the latest
The Crossrail map is shown on top of the existing Transport for London map, showing how it interconnects with Tube lines
‘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.’
TfL said the opening would happen on May 24, which is a Tuesday, ‘subject to final safety approvals’, and that it estimates Crossrail will add £42billion to the UK economy.
It also gave an example of a reduced journey time, with Paddington to Canary Wharf now taking only 17 minutes from May 24 – compared to 30 minutes when using the Underground at the moment.
A TfL spokesman added: ‘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.’
Services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels in autumn, when frequencies will be increased to 22 trains per hour in the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel.
TfL also said that all Elizabeth line stations will also be staffed from first to the last train, and step-free access is in place from street to train across all Elizabeth line stations between Paddington and Woolwich.
Transport bosses are also making changes to 14 bus routes to improve links to Elizabeth line stations in East and South East London, which will take effect from May 14 to 21.
This includes the new route 304, which will operate between Manor Park and Custom House stations from May 21.
Nick Bowes, chief executive of the Centre for London think tank, told MailOnline today: ‘The Elizabeth Line’s opening in a few weeks is a major shot in the arm for the city after its toughest few years since the war.
‘Yes, it’s late, and yes, it’s over budget, but London is getting a magnificent piece of public transport infrastructure that will blow Londoners away and change the mental geography of east-west city travel forever.
‘The Elizabeth Line has been decades in the planning, 14 years in construction, and has brought huge supply chain benefits across the country, demonstrating how public transport investment in London doesn’t just boost the city but the whole UK.’
And former Chancellor George Osborne tweeted: ‘Crossrail Elizabeth Line to open almost exactly 12 years after the Coalition Government gave the go ahead.
Transport for London hopes there will be one train every 150 seconds through central London when the line is fully running
Work on the line will continue in engineering hours and on Sundays to allow a series of testing and software updates
Crossrail’s total cost is now estimated to have ballooned to £18.9billion, including £5.1billion from the Government
The central section of the line will only have nine stops rather than ten because Bond Street station has not been completed
The Elizabeth line in London has been hit by construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems
When the ‘Elizabeth line’ opens on May 24, it will operate as three separate railways – including Paddington to Abbey Wood
‘Big infrastructure is controversial, takes ages and brings few short term political benefits – but delivers huge improvements for generations to come and an enduring legacy.’
Meanwhile John Dickie, chief executive at business campaigning group London First, said: ‘The Elizabeth line will have a truly transformational effect on the capital, easing congestion, and speeding up journeys for Londoners and visitors alike.
‘We’re proud to have played our part in shaping the innovative funding package that saw London’s businesses and London’s taxpayers fund about two-thirds of this project.
‘And, with more than 60 per cent of the spend going outside of London, this has been a real boost to the whole UK economy.’
