Delivery of the Elizabeth line is in its complex final stages and the railway remains on schedule to open between Paddington and Abbey Wood in the first half of this year.
Significant progress has been made in the first three months of 2022 including completion of the five large-scale trial exercises, some with as many as 2,000 staff volunteers. At the end of March the project began dedicated timetable running, closely mirroring the Elizabeth line service timetable. This will be the final stage before the railway opens and will continue as long as needed to demonstrate the highest levels of reliability before the Elizabeth line welcomes passengers.
Further planned commissioning work will take place over the Easter period for the signalling and trains software that will also help to improve reliability and support the opening of the Elizabeth line. |
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Your chance to visit Canary Wharf Elizabeth line station
We have an exclusive opportunity for our newsletter subscribers to get a sneak peek at Canary Wharf Elizabeth line station before we open the railway. On Sunday 24 April we will be opening the station for self-guided tours between 10 am and 2 pm offering you the chance to explore the station's eastern entrance, ticket hall and platform levels, and speak to staff from Crossrail and Transport for London.
You'll need a ticket to attend, please book using the below link and the password: CWEL22 (all in CAPS). Places are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. |
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Explore our new stations with the Design & Architecture video series
With capacity for millions of passengers per year, the Elizabeth line will cater for a variety of passengers including regular commuters, wheelchair users, day trippers, Oxford Street shoppers and those jetting off from the airport on holiday. It was vital therefore that the railway was designed to make everyone’s journeys as easy, comfortable and safe as possible.
Nearly 150,000 people have viewed our latest video series about the design and architecture of the Elizabeth line - why not join them?
Watch our playlist to learn more about the design principles for the Elizabeth line, and hear from architects about how each of the ten new stations have been designed. |
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Trial Operations
An important part of the testing and commissioning phase is Trial Operations. More than 150 scenarios have been carried out to ensure the readiness of the railway for passenger service. These trials include exercises to make sure that all systems and procedures work effectively and staff can respond to any incidents, including customers being unwell or signal failures.
This phase involved working with a range of organisations, including TfL and London Underground, MTR Elizabeth line (as the operator), and Network Rail, collaborating on the response to trial scenarios along with thousands of staff volunteers. Emergency services including the British Transport Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service have also taken part, demonstrating how they would respond to incidents on the network and in stations.
Five large-scale trial exercises were carried out trialling passenger evacuations to stations and the track, emergency escape shafts, and running a 24 trains per hour service, which will be the final frequency once the Elizabeth line is fully open. View the different types of trials in our video here. |
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Download 'London's Newest Railway'
Take a look at each of the ten new stations, improvements to surface stations and how the Elizabeth line will be operated and maintained. |
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Opening the Elizabeth line
In the first half of 2022, the Elizabeth line will launch with a new passenger service between Paddington and Abbey Wood, through new tunnels under central London. The launch will bring immediate benefits to passengers travelling between these stations with 12 trains per hour, in each direction, all day. Services in the east to Shenfield, and in the west to Heathrow and Reading will be re-branded from TfL Rail to the Elizabeth line at this time.
The opening of the Elizabeth line has always been planned to take place in stages to ensure the new central London stations, signalling and infrastructure can run safely and reliably before it fully links in with services to the east and west.
Following the opening of the central section between Paddington and Abbey and until the next phase of opening in Autumn 2022, the Elizabeth line will operate as three separate railways. The services on the east and west will continue to run into the mainline stations and passengers wishing to continue their journey to one of the new Elizabeth line central London stations will need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street.
Full Elizabeth line services
After the opening of the central section of the Elizabeth line, in the first half of this year, direct services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield are expected to connect with the central section in Autumn 2022.
When this phase launches, services from Reading and Heathrow will operate through to Abbey Wood. Services from Shenfield will operate through to Paddington. The service in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will be 24 trains per hour during the peak. Full end to end services are expected to start no later than May 2023.
You can read more about how we are opening the Elizabeth line on our Phased Opening page. |
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