Crossrail ‘on track’ to begin passenger services in first half of 2022

The railway will initially operate between Abbey Wood and Paddington through new tunnels under central London.
Passenger services on London’s delayed and overbudget Crossrail project are on track to begin by the end of June, Transport for London has announced (TfL/PA)
Neil Lancefield18 January 2022

Passenger services on London’s delayed and over budget Crossrail project are on track to begin by the end of June, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.

The railway will initially operate between Abbey Wood and Paddington through new tunnels under central London.

It will be known as the Elizabeth line once services begin.

It will be known as the Elizabeth line once services begin (TfL/PA)

Crossrail was planned to open in full from Reading, Berkshire, to Shenfield, Essex, in December 2018, and was set a budget of £14.8 billion in 2010.

But it has been hit by numerous problems including construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East, benefitting millions and supporting hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs.

“Its brand new trains and step-free stations will help us deliver a modern, truly world-class transport system that allows us to support the growth in London’s population over the coming decades.

Sadiq Khan (Victoria Jones/PA)
PA Wire

“That’s why I’m delighted it is on track to open in the first half of 2022, in what will be a landmark moment for the capital.”

It was announced in August 2020 that trains will begin running on the central section in the first half of 2022.

The full timetable is scheduled to launch by May 2023.

The total cost of the project has been estimated to be £18.9 billion, including £5.1 billion from the Government.

Elizabeth line trains have been running through the tunnels for tests since May 2021 (TfL/PA)

TfL said London will “ultimately fund the majority of the cost”.

Elizabeth line trains have been running through the tunnels for tests since May 2021.

The final phase of testing involving trials to ensure the safety and reliability of the railway began in November last year.

Thousands of staff from TfL, Network Rail and other partner organisations will soon take part in exercises to test timetables and simulate scenarios such as evacuations from trains and stations.

The emergency services will be involved, meaning police, fire and ambulance vehicles could be seen near stations.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in