London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

London's new Elizabeth Line to finally open on May 24

London's new Elizabeth Line to finally open on May 24

The long-awaited Elizabeth Line is officially opening on May 24, Transport for London has announced.

It will initially operate as three separate railways, with services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield connecting with the central tunnels from this autumn.

The Crossrail project had an original budget of £14.8billion, but the Government pledged an extra £4billion to help get it open.

The opening date kept on getting pushed back, and it will now open nearly four years later than intended.

For now there will be no end-to-end trains, meaning trains from Reading and Heathrow will go to Paddington, and Shenfield trains to Liverpool Street – so you’ll have to change at these stations.

A direct line from Heathrow/Reading to the eastern part of the line is expected to arrive by late 2022.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘I’m delighted that our world-class new Elizabeth line will be opening to passengers later this month, helping build a better London – one which is safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous city for all Londoners.

‘This is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades, and will revolutionise travel across the capital and the South East – as well as delivering a £42billion boost to the whole UK economy and hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs.



The Elizabeth line will connect Reading and Essex via central London


‘Green public transport is the future and the opening of the Elizabeth line is a landmark moment for our capital and our whole country, particularly in this special Platinum Jubilee year.

‘I’m so proud of this new line and can’t wait for millions of passengers to start riding on the Elizabeth Line from 24 May.’

This month, the line connecting Paddington and Abbey Wood will open, operating 12 trains per hour from Monday to Saturday, 6.30am to 11pm.

Initially trains will not run on Sundays to allow for testing and software updates.

Work is still ongoing at the Bond Street Elizabeth line station, meaning it won’t open on May 24.

Services currently running as TfL Rail in the east and west sections will be rebranded to the new Elizabeth line.

A full timetable won’t be ready until 2023 and the opening still depends on final safety approvals.

But once the service is fully up and running, it is expected to increase the capacity of London’s public transport by 10% – serving around 200million people each year.

TfL released this map this morning showing how the initial Crossrail services will operate from May 24


There will be a special service on Sunday, June 5 for the Platinum Jubilee weekend running from around 8am to 10pm.

More observant passengers noticed an odd inconsistency as new signs for the Elizabeth Line were unveiled at Tube stations.

The purple signs say ‘Elizabeth Line’, but travelling around the capital, which is a different style of labelling to other routes, like ‘Victoria’, ‘Piccadilly’ and ‘Northern’.

Economist Daniel Tomlinson tweeted a picture, writing: ‘Feeling very disappointed in TfL this morning.

‘Deciding to label it “Elizabeth line” rather than “Elizabeth” is a striking error. As
@ClioChris says, are we now to call it the Elizabeth Line Line? Change here for the Central, Circle, and Elizabeth Line Lines.’

Although it is technically a new ‘mode’ of transport, such as the Overground or DLR, rather than a new Tube line, this won’t mean much to the average commuter.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×