London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 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
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×