Is the Elizabeth Line open and is it the same as the Crossrail?
THE long-awaited Elizabeth Line is now open, with passengers flocking to Paddington to ride eastbound.
Connecting Reading to Essex via London, the Elizabeth Line should halve commute time.
What is the Elizabeth Line?
The Elizabeth Line is the name of the newly opened Transport for London service.
It was born out of the highly ambitious Crossrail construction project and renamed after Her Majesty, who came to open the line ahead of her Platinum Jubilee.
Connecting towns in Berkshire right through to Essex and South East London.
When fully opened, it will give those in the surrounding counties fast access to the capital.
Demands on the Tube services such as the Central and District lines have grown and the new Elizabeth Line hopes to ease that burden.
Hopefully, it will also ease pressure on the Jubilee link to Heathrow and other Underground services.
The costly project has caused heavy disruption in central London, particularly around Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.
This has coincided with some heavy work on the Northern line between Kennington and Moorgate in the first quarter of 2022, putting strain on many other services.
The Elizabeth Line is the second line to be dedicated to Her Majesty - the Jubilee line was named after the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 to commemorate her 25th year on the throne.
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Is the Elizabeth Line open?
Transport for London opened the new line on May 24, 2022.
The line was overwhelmed on opening day with commuters eager to try it, creating massive queues outside Paddington.
This is only the start as it is a small section of the line, running from Paddington to Abbey Wood.
More sections will gradually open - including Bond Street.
Bond Street Station was not ready for opening day so Elizabeth Line trains will pass through until later in 2022.
TfL commissioner Andy Byford, said the service was "so far so good" and "on time".
He added: "The customer reaction has been amazing, just as predicted. The universal reaction is 'wow'."
Mayor Sadiq Khan travelled on the new line during the opening morning, he said: "It's a landmark day.
"I'm excited. I'm like the little boy before Christmas."
TfL says the project will bring an additional 10 per cent capacity, slash travel times, and revolutionise transport links.
With a fleet of 70 nine-carriage trains, TfL estimates the new line could add £42billion to the economy.
Is the Elizabeth Line the same as the Crossrail?
The Elizabeth line and Crossrail are one and the same.
In honour of Her Majesty and her lengthy reign, Crossrail was renamed the Elizabeth Line.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the name change back in 2016, when he was Mayor of London.
Mr Johnson revealed the name and the line's purple logo during a visit to Bond Street station with the Queen.
He said at the time: "The Elizabeth Line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest-serving monarch".
When will the Elizabeth line run?
From Monday to Saturday, 6.30am to 11pm, commuters will see 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood.
During engineering hours and Sundays, work will continue on the line, with software updates and testing to prepare for more intense passenger loads in the autumn.
Special services will run on the Jubilee Sunday (June 5, 2022).
There is no news on whether the new line will operate night tube services.
According to TFL, it will halve the travel time from Paddington to Canary Wharf, a journey that currently takes around half an hour on the Tube.
The service is run by London Underground, but the trains are modern, spacious and air-conditioned, similar to new Thameslink and Overground trains.
Most of the line will run above ground, but a 13-mile stretch runs under central London.