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Railway in London, UK / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Elizabeth line is a planned high-frequency suburban passenger service in London and its environs. It runs from Reading and Heathrow Central in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east and was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. Central London will be crossed through tunnels which were constructed as part of the Crossrail project and run from Paddington on the Great Western Main Line to Stratford on the Great Eastern Main Line and Abbey Wood in southeast London. The service is scheduled to commence operation on 24 May 2022 with 12 trains per hour running on the section between Paddington and Abbey Wood.[needs update]
Elizabeth line | |
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Overview | |
Other name(s) | Crossrail (construction phase) |
Status | Scheduled to open 24 May 2022 |
Owner |
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Locale | |
Termini |
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Stations | 41 |
Service | |
Type | |
System | National Rail |
Operator(s) | MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd[2] |
Depot(s) |
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Rolling stock | Class 345 (9 carriages per train)[3] |
History | |
Opened |
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Technical | |
Line length | Approx. 117 km (73 mi) |
Number of tracks | 2 |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz AC (overhead lines) |
Operating speed | 90 mph (145 km/h) |
The Crossrail project was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including several months caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the line is fully operational in May 2023, the new nine-carriage Class 345 trains will run at frequencies in the central section of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction. At each end of its central core services, it will divide into two branches: in the west to Reading and to Heathrow Central; in the east to Abbey Wood and to Shenfield. In May 2015, services on a section of one of the eastern branches, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, were transferred to TfL Rail; this precursor service also took control of Heathrow Connect in May 2018 and the Paddington to Reading line in December 2019.
The Elizabeth line will be operated by MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd as a London Rail concession of Transport for London (TfL), in a similar manner to London Overground. TfL's annual revenues from the line were forecast in 2018 to be nearly £500 million in 2022/23 and over £1 billion from 2024–25.