Elizabeth Line - BElizabeth Line - B The Elizabeth line is a high-frequency hybrid urban–suburban rail service in London and its suburbs. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington station to Abbey Wood and via Whitechapel to the Great Eastern Main Line near Stratford, along the Great Western Main Line to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west and along the Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield in the east. The service is named after Queen Elizabeth II, who officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022. Under the project name of Crossrail, the system was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including for several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2015, existing commuter 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 some local services on the Paddington to Reading line in December 2019. These services were augmented by a new central section in May 2022, and rebranded as the Elizabeth line. The outer services were connected to the central section in November 2022. Since May 2023, the central section has up to 24 nine-carriage Class 345 trains per hour in each direction. Elizabeth line services are operated by MTR Elizabeth line. Elizabeth Line History In 2001, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), a 50/50 joint-venture between Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT), was formed to develop and promote the Crossrail scheme, and also a Wimbledon–Hackney scheme, Crossrail 2. In 2003 and 2004, over 50 days of exhibitions were held to explain the proposals at over 30 different locations. Elizabeth Line 2005 Route Development In 2005, ahead of Crossrail's hybrid bill submission, a number of feeder routes were considered by CLRL west of Paddington and east of Liverpool Street. It was viewed, given the 24 trains-per-hour (tph) core frequency, that two feeder routes, each of 12 tph, could be taken forward. In the west, a route to Maidenhead (later extended to Reading) and Heathrow Airport was selected. In the east, routes to Abbey Wood (curtailed from Ebbsfleet to avoid conflicts with the North Kent lines) and Shenfield were selected. Elizabeth Line Approval The Crossrail Act 2008 authorising the construction project received royal assent on 22 July 2008. In December 2008, TfL and the DfT announced that they had signed the "Crossrail Sponsors' Agreement". This committed them to financing the project, then projected to cost £15.9 billion, with further contributions from Network Rail, BAA, and the City of London. Elizabeth Line Construction
Elizabeth Line Timeline
Elizabeth Line Route
The Elizabeth line runs on an east–west axis across the London region, with branches terminating at Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east, and at Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading in the west. There are 41 stations. In the central section, there are interchanges with London Underground, National Rail and Docklands Light Railway lines. Elizabeth Line Design and infrastructure Elizabeth Line Name and Identity Crossrail is the name of the construction project and of the limited company, wholly owned by TfL, that was formed to carry out construction works. The Elizabeth line is the name of the new service that is on signage throughout the stations. It is named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. The Elizabeth line roundel is coloured purple, with a superimposed blue bearing white text in the same style as for Underground lines. However, unlike Underground lines, the Elizabeth line roundel includes the word "line". TfL Rail was an intermediate brand name which was introduced in May 2015 and discontinued in May 2022. It was used by TfL on services between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading, as well as trains between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Stations Ten new stations have been built in the central and south east sections of the line, and 31 existing stations were upgraded and refurbished. Nine of the ten new-build stations opened for revenue service on 24 May 2022; the remaining station – Bond Street – required additional finishing works before commissioning could proceed. Trains passed through its platforms non-stop until it opened five months later on 24 October. All stations are equipped with CCTV and because of the length of trains, central stations have train indicators above the platform-edge doors. All 41 stations are step-free, with 13 of these (the central and Heathrow stations) having level access between trains and platforms. Although the trains are 200 metres (660 feet) long, platforms at the new stations in the central core are built to enable 240-metre-long (790 ft) trains in case of possible future need. In the eastern section, Maryland and Manor Park have not had platform extensions, so trains use selective door opening instead. At Maryland this is because of the prohibitive cost of extensions and the poor business case, and at Manor Park it is due to the presence of a freight loop that would otherwise be cut off. Future Stations
Elizabeth Line Rolling Stock Services on the Elizabeth line are operated exclusively by a fleet of nine-car Class 345 trains that was procured especially for this purpose. The service specifications called for approximately 60 trains, each 200 metres (660 feet) long and capable of carrying up to 1,500 passengers, of which 57 would be in service at any one time. In March 2011, Crossrail indicated that five bidders had been shortlisted as potential suppliers of both the new fleet and its depot facilities; Alstom, CAF, Siemens Mobility, Hitachi Rail, and Bombardier Transportation – although Alstom withdrew four months later. Crossrail issued invitations to negotiate to the remaining bidders in March 2012, with submission of tenders expected between June and August. It was stipulated that bidders should offer a fleet based on technology that was "already developed", with the expectation that an "evolutionary, not revolutionary" product would help to ensure "value for money" and " the utmost reliability from day one". Siemens withdrew their rolling stock bid in July 2013, citing an increase in other business and a need to protect their "ability to deliver... current customer commitments", which included the £1.6 billion Class 700 order for Thameslink. Their contract to supply Crossrail's signalling and control systems was unaffected. In December 2013, the European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed to provide TfL loans of up to £500 million to fund the rolling stock procurement, following TfL's decision in March of that year to abandon plans to cover most of the cost with private financing. TfL and the Department for Transport announced in early February 2014 that Bombardier's bid had been successful. The 32-year contract for the supply and maintenance of the trains and depot was valued at £1 billion. It included a firm order for 65 units from Bombardier's new Aventra family, plus an option for a further 18. The trains have air-conditioning and are designed to be as accessible as possible, including wide aisles and gangways, dedicated areas for wheelchairs, audio and visual announcements, CCTV, and passenger intercoms connected to the driver for use in the event of emergency. They will run at up to 90 mph (140 km/h) on certain parts of the route. Due to limited platform lengths at both Liverpool Street and Paddington National Rail stations, most Class 345 units were initially delivered as seven-car formations, then later extended to the intended nine. The first unit entered service on 22 June 2017, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. TfL exercised an option to acquire a further five units in July 2017, bringing the total number on order to 70. A number of Class 315 units that had been operating with TfL Rail remained in use on Elizabeth line services between Liverpool Street's terminal platforms and Shenfield alongside Class 345 units while the introduction of the new fleet – including the extension to nine-car formations – was completed. The Class 315 units, which had been built for British Rail in 1980–1981, could not be used in the line's core section. The final four were withdrawn from service on 9 December 2022. Elizabeth Line Electrification and Train Protection The Elizabeth line uses 25 kV, 50 Hz AC overhead lines, already in use on the Great Eastern and Great Western Main Lines. The Heathrow branch started using the European Train Control System (ETCS) in 2020. The Automatic Warning System (AWS) and Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) are used on the Great Western and Great Eastern Main Lines, with possible later upgrades to ETCS. Communications-based train control (CBTC) is installed in the central section and the Abbey Wood branch. Elizabeth Line Depots The Elizabeth line has depots in west London at Old Oak Common TMD, in south-east London at Plumstead Depot, and in east London at Ilford EMU Depot. Elizabeth Line Service Pattern Elizabeth Line Previous Service
Elizabeth Line Passenger Numbers
Elizabeth Line Further Proposals New stations have been proposed to serve London City Airport, and extensions have been put forward to Ebbsfleet in the south east, Milton Keynes in the north west, Staines in the south west, and Southend Airport in the east. Elizabeth Line Overview Elizabeth Line Service Type: Hybrid urban-suburban rail Elizabeth Line System: National Rail Elizabeth Line Locale: Greater London Berkshire Buckinghamshire Essex Elizabeth Line First Service: 24 May 2022; 13 months ago Elizabeth Line Current Operator(s): MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd Elizabeth Line Termini West: Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading Elizabeth Line Termini East: Abbey Wood and Shenfield Elizabeth Line Stops: 41 Elizabeth Line Rolling Stock: Class 345 Elizabeth Line Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Elizabeth Line Electrification: 25 kV 50 Hz AC (overhead lines) Elizabeth Line Operating Speed: Crossrail: 60 mph (95 km/h) GWML, Heathrow and GEML: 90 mph (145 km/h) Elizabeth Line Track Owner(s): Transport for London (Old Oak Common to Abbey Wood and Stratford) Network Rail (Pudding Mill Lane to Shenfield and Old Oak Common to Reading) Heathrow Airport Holdings (Heathrow branch) Elizabeth line Route Legend Reading Twyford Maidenhead River Thames Taplow Burnham Slough Heathrow T5 Langley Heathrow T4 Iver M25 motorway Heathrow T2&3 Greater London boundary West Drayton Heathrow Rail Link Great Western Main Line Hayes & Harlington Southall River Brent Hanwell West Ealing Ealing Broadway Acton Main Line Old Oak Common Old Oak Common Depot (under construction) Crossrail Great Western Main Line Royal Oak portal Paddington London Paddington Bond Street Tottenham Ct Rd Farringdon Barbican Moorgate Liverpool St Whitechapel Crossrail Great Eastern Main Line Pudding Mill Lane Canary Wharf Stratford Victoria Dock portal Maryland DocklandsCustom House Forest Gate Connaught tunnel Manor Park under Royal Docks River Thames Ilford Woolwich Seven Kings Abbey Wood Goodmayes Safeguarded route to Gravesend Chadwell Heath Romford Control Centre and depot Romford Gidea Park Harold Wood Greater London boundary M25 motorway Brentwood Shenfield | |||||
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