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. And, 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 is open however, it sounds just the ticket as all stations will be staffed from first to the last train, and there’s a ‘turn up and go’ service for anyone needing assistance. Step-free access is also in place across all Elizabeth line stations between Paddington and Woolwich making it fit for the 21st century.
The May 24 launch date is not quite access all areas, as train running times will be restricted to 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood from Monday to Saturday 06:30 to 23:00. Work will continue on Sundays in preparation for increased services from the autumn, and Bond Street will stay closed for the time being. It’s still a work in progress.
Andy Byford, Transport for London's Commissioner, 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 Elizabeth line ready to welcome customers. The opening day is set to be a truly historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network.’
We are not going to gripe as finally we’ll get to traverse the city from Woolwich to Paddington without increasing our step count through endless foot tunnels changing tubes.
You can use Citymapper to plan your Elizabeth Line journey
Get an Uber boat to Barking, East London
0 Comments