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It’s been three years since the first Elizabeth line train pulled in to the capital. Upon its arrival, Londoners were blown away by its walk-through carriages, air conditioning and pretty purple seats. Now it’s time for the Cadbury-coloured service to get even better, as TfL has announced that the Lizzie line is getting 10 brand-new trains.
Construction has begun on the first of 10 new trains that are going to be introduced to the network to help meet rising demand for the Lizzie line. Since opening in 2022, the Elizabeth line has become the UK’s single busiest railway line, with an average of 800,000 journeys now made on Lizzie each day. It’s thought that around 71,000 additional trips are now made per average weekday across London’s transport network thanks to the Elizabeth line.
The new Aventra Class 345 trains, being built at the Alston factory in the Derby, will allow TfL to increase the frequency of its service. It’s also hoped that a more frequent service will unlock thousands of new homes and jobs near the line’s stations. As of October 2024, 70,500 housing units were planned within one kilometre of Elizabeth line stations – with Canary Wharf, Stratford, Romford, Southall and Acton Main Line set to see the most new housing developments. Between 2022 and 2023, 125,000 new jobs were registered within one kilometre of an Elizabeth line station.
Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: ‘The start of production of 10 new trains in Derby is testament to the popularity and success of the Elizabeth line and shows how it is driving growth well beyond London, boosting employment and powering industry across the UK.
‘This new report also illustrates the extent to which the line is driving up public transport use in London, speeding up travel on the network and driving regeneration through homebuilding. It also indicates significant housing potential beyond the line – particularly at Thamesmead Waterfront, which our transformative plans to extend the DLR, via Beckton Riverside, would support.’
TfL has not yet revealed when the new trains would come into service.
Could the DLR be extended beyond Thamesmead and even further into southeast London?
London is set for a new £700 million Overground line.
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