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This is not a drill! Okay, it might be a drill, but the odds that it’s not a dress rehearsal this time have increased dramatically. There is now a firm(ish) date for the Elizabeth Line, aka Crossrail, to open. If that’s not enough to get hearts a-racing, then the fact it’s expected to be this month might get the old adrenaline going.
Launch day is primed to be Tuesday May 24 – an auspicious date as Harry Styles is playing a special one-off gig at the O2 Academy Brixton that evening. Now, you’ll already know through our news posts that the Crossrail has been a long, long time coming. Many winters have passed and snows have come and gone since the project plans first got off the ground back in the ‘90s and building began back in 2009. As is tradition with all big engineering schemes, there have been multiple delays and costs have soared – originally we had our Oyster cards ready at the end of 2018. When it does open, however, it’ll be just the ticket as all stations will be staffed from first to the last train, plus there’s a ‘turn up and go’ service for anyone who needs assistance. Step-free access from the street to the train is also in place across all Elizabeth line stations between Paddington and Abbey Wood (and at Heathrow), while the rest of the line has step-free access to the platform.
The May 24 launch date is not quite access all areas, as running times will be restricted to 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood on Monday to Saturday from 6.30am to 11pm. Work will continue on Sundays in prep for increased services from the autumn and Bond Street will stay closed for the time being, as it’s still a work in progress.
TfL Commissioner Andy Byford said: ‘I am delighted that we can now announce a date for the opening of the Elizabeth line in May. We are using these final few weeks to continue to build up reliability on the railway and get the line ready to welcome customers. The opening day is set to be an historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network.’
You’ll get no gripes from us: finally we’ll get to traverse the city from Woolwich to Paddington without increasing our step count through endless foot tunnels and tube changes.
You can use Citymapper to plan your Elizabeth Line journey
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