Crossrail: Elizabeth line hailed as ‘fit for a queen’ as it opens

theguardian.com:

The first Elizabeth line trains to carry passengers through the new tunnels under London departed on time on Tuesday morning, marking the start of an era of greater speed, space and comfort – “fit for a queen, and Londoners”, the mayor, Sadiq Khan, said.

Hundreds of people braved the rain to queue outside for the first train from Paddington through central London on the line originally known as Crossrail – finally ready for service a week before the platinum jubilee celebrations for the Queen.

Cheers greeted the opening of the gates at 6.18am as Khan gave way to the rushing crowds.

Construction of the £19bn line (£20bn including trains) started in 2009, after decades of planning. The central section was originally due to open in 2018, before the overoptimistic schedule fell apart as engineers tried to produce an extraordinary complex railway and 10 new stations in central London.

Until autumn, the Elizabeth line will run as three separate railways, with passengers on the former TfL Rail services in the west or east having to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street stations to continue on the newly opened central section.

Transport for London bosses expect many more commuters to flood on to the line after September, when trains will run directly from Shenfield, Reading and Heathrow into stops across central London. Next May, through services will run the breadth of the Elizabeth line, with up to 24 trains an hour at peak times.