New Elizabeth Line To Open In The First Half Of 2022

Set to open within the first half of 2022, the Elizabeth line will be a huge milestone for TFL (Transport for London); the new passenger service will be available between Paddington and Abbey Wood, through the new tunnels under Central London. This launch brings immediate benefits to travellers between these stations with 12 trains every hour in each direction all day long. Read on for further information about the new Elizabeth line.

According to the Crossrail website, “the transformational railway will reduce journey times, create additional transport capacity, improve accessibility, and provide a huge economic boost to the capital and beyond. With new stations and travel links, the Elizabeth line will support new housing and jobs across London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex.”

It is reported that nine out of 10 new stations have been completed, but concern remains about the reliability of the £1bn fleet of new trains. A problem had occurred on the “boundary” between two “signalling systems at Stratford, where electrical interference is believed to be the cause of the emergency braking system being applied automatically on the trains”. Trains needed to be reset and a meeting with the manufacturer Alstom was planned. 

The TFL commissioner, Andy Byford, said, “The train isn’t as reliable as I needed it to be.” He said a “number of weeks” running the trains “up and down, up and down” were required to be sure that all the glitches had been erased.

Andy Byford had also promised that the date for the start of the Elizabeth line services will be announced soon; it is expected to open before the 30^th of June, although an exact date has not yet been announced publicly.

He said, “I am very confident that we will be able to announce an opening date soon. I can confirm this morning we remain on track… to open the Elizabeth line… within the first half of this year, by June 30, 2022. That date has not and will not slip on my watch. We have a date that we are working towards but until I’m certain… that we can open on that particular date, I’m not going to commit to it or publicly opine on it. There are a lot of dates that have come and gone. I am determined to stick to my promises. It will open by June 30.”

Watch the latest update in March on the Crossrail Project: