London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Elizabeth line: Queen makes surprise visit to Paddington Station

Elizabeth line: Queen makes surprise visit to Paddington Station

The Queen has made a surprise visit to Paddington Station to see the completed Elizabeth line.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced the delayed Crossrail project will open to the public on 24 May.

Ahead of the opening, the 96-year-old joined her youngest son the Earl of Wessex for the official visit.

The longest reigning head of state is just over two weeks away from her Platinum Jubilee celebratory weekend to celebrate 70 years as monarch.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "In a happy development, Her Majesty The Queen is attending today's event to mark the completion of the Elizabeth line.

"Her Majesty was aware of the engagement and the organisers were informed of the possibility she may attend."

The Queen and Earl of Wessex unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of London's Crossrail project

Buckingham Palace said the Queen's visit was a "happy development"


The Queen rallied to make a trip to the Windsor Horse Show on Friday and on Sunday was the guest of honour at the equestrian extravaganza A Gallop Through History near Windsor, the first major event of the Jubilee festivities.

But Tuesday's engagement is the Queen's first one outside of the Windsor area since she attended the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service in Westminster Abbey seven weeks ago.

Dressed in sunshine yellow, she arrived just after 11:30 BST stepping carefully from a transparent lift while holding a walking stick.

The Queen spoke to staff and was given an Oyster card

The Elizabeth line will finally open to the public on 24 May following delays


The Queen and Prince Edward were welcomed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and TfL commissioner Andy Byford.

They met staff who have been key to the project, formerly known as Crossrail, and those who will run the railway, including train drivers, station staff and apprentices.

The Queen was also given an Oyster card and shown how to use it on a ticket machine.

Unveiling a plaque stating she had "officially opened" the Elizabeth line, named in her honour, the monarch spent 10 minutes in the station before departing, escorted by Prince Edward.

The Queen officially opened London's new Elizabeth line - although the public will have to wait until 24 May


Afterwards, Mr Johnson said: "We're all incredibly touched and moved and grateful to Her Majesty for coming to open the Elizabeth line today.

"It was fantastic to see her."

The earl then returned to the concourse ahead of a return journey on the railway from Paddington to Tottenham Court Road.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled on the line


During the second leg, he was invited to stand in the driver's cab.

He chatted with driver Carinne Spinola as the train moved, telling her it was "brilliant".

After stepping off the train at Paddington, the earl added: "That was brilliant. I did enjoy that. It was good fun."


Even though it's not every day that you have a rail line named after you, there hadn't really been much expectation the Queen would attend today's Elizabeth line official opening.

It had only been a "possibility", with Prince Edward down for the ceremonial duties.

But Oyster card in hand, the Queen was there too, looking well and defying worries about her health.

Dressed in a Circle line yellow, she unveiled the plaque, in what seems to be a return to attending more of such public events, after a long gap during the autumn and winter.

If the new line will help the public get around, the Queen, stick in hand, seems to be tackling her own mobility problems.

It will also be seen as a positive sign about her ability to take part in the busy schedule of events next month for the Platinum Jubilee.

Prince Edward spoke to driver Carinne Spinola in the cab of a Elizabeth Line train at Paddington station


Crossrail was due to be completed in December 2018 and was set a budget of £14.8bn in 2010.

The total cost has been estimated at £18.9bn, including £5.1bn from the government.

TfL says the Elizabeth line will boost capacity and cut journey times for travel across the capital.

It stretches from Reading, in Berkshire, and Heathrow Airport, in west London, to Shenfield, in Essex, and Abbey Wood, in south-east London.

Once the route is open, services in the central London section will run every five minutes between 06:30 and 23:00, although a full timetable will not be in place until May 2023.


The new line is expected to slash journey times from Abbey Wood to Paddington by almost half, to 29 minutes.

Travel times between Liverpool Street and Woolwich are also set to be halved to 15 minutes.

A trip between Farringdon and Canary Wharf, which currently takes 24 minutes, will take 10.

Different architects worked on the various stations to give them their own distinctive character


However, passengers wishing to travel the length of the line will still need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street stations, depending on their destination, until next year.

Although a special service will be in place for the Platinum Jubilee weekend from 2-5 June, TfL said trains would not initially run on Sundays "to allow a series of testing and software updates".

Trains will initially operate in three sections, which are expected to be integrated in the autumn.

The Elizabeth line will connect Berkshire with Essex and south-east London when it is fully complete


London mayor Mr Khan said the line was the "most significant addition to our transport network in decades".

"There is now just one week to go until our world-class new railway will be open to passengers and I can't wait for everyone to experience it."

The prime minister added the government would back a Crossrail 2, a proposed north-south rail link across London, but the capital's businesses would need to develop a plan to pay for it.

Crossrail 2 is proposed to run between Hertfordshire and Surrey, via tunnels under central London and it is estimated it would cost £33bn.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×