Crossrail Elizabeth Line London: new TfL tube map, date it opens to public, route and full list of stations

If the Elizabeth Line does officially open to the public later this month it will be more than 41 months after it was origingally projected to open.
Andrew Quinn
By Andrew Quinn
Published 4th May 2022, 15:32 GMT
Updated 4th May 2022, 15:42 GMT
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The wait is almost over - Crossrail has confirmed the much anticipated Elizabeth Line will open to the public towards the end of May.

Construction started on the central section of the line in 2009 and it’s this section that will open to the public on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

What is Crossrail’s new Elizabeth Line?

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The line, which was approved in 2007, aims to provide high-frequency suburban passenger service from West London to East.

When the line is complete it will link Essex with Reading via central London.

The Elizabeth Line is named after the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

The jewel in the line’s crown is perhaps the new underground route from near Paddington Station via central London and Liverpool Street Station to Stratford.

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The second branch will leave the main line at Whitechapel in east London. Opening in late May 2022, it will run to Canary Wharf, cross the Thames and connect with the North Kent Line at Abbey Wood in southeast London.

The Elizabeth line will operate 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood from Monday to Saturday 6:30am to 11:00pm.

Work will continue in engineering hours and on Sundays to allow a series of testing and software updates in preparation for more intensive services from the autumn.

When will it open to the public?

The Elizabeth Line was due to open to the public in December 2018 but with costs reaching almost £19b the operation was plagued with missed targets.

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However, after years of delay and increasing costs, the central section of the line will open to the public on May 24 2022.

Volunteer ‘passengers’ walk on the platform during a test run of a Transport for London (TfL) Elizabeth Line train between Paddington station and Woolwich station and back, at Paddington Station in London . (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP via Getty Images)Volunteer ‘passengers’ walk on the platform during a test run of a Transport for London (TfL) Elizabeth Line train between Paddington station and Woolwich station and back, at Paddington Station in London . (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP via Getty Images)
Volunteer ‘passengers’ walk on the platform during a test run of a Transport for London (TfL) Elizabeth Line train between Paddington station and Woolwich station and back, at Paddington Station in London . (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP via Getty Images)

Will I notice a change in journey times?

Yes. Here are some of the journey times that will change?

  • Paddington to Canary Wharf - currently takes 34 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to 17 minutes.
  • Paddington to Tottenham Court Road - currently takes 20 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to four minutes.
  • Bond Street to Paddington - currently takes 15 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to three minutes.
  • Bond Street to Whitechapel - currently takes 24 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to 10 minutes.
  • Canary Wharf to Liverpool Street - currently takes 21 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to six minutes.
  • Canary Wharf to Heathrow - currently takes 55 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to 39 minutes.
  • Whitechapel to Canary Wharf - currently takes 13 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to three minutes.
  • Abbey Wood to Heathrow - currently takes 93 minutes - Elizabeth Line will see time reduced to 52 minutes.

Full list of new stations:

  • Abbey Wood
  • Bond Street
  • Canary Wharf
  • Custom House
  • Farringdon
  • Liverpool Street
  • Paddington
  • Tottenham Court Road
  • Whitechapel
  • Woolwich

Existing stations:

  • Brentwood station
  • Chadwell Heath station
  • Forest Gate station
  • Gidea Park station
  • Goodmayes station
  • Harold Wood station
  • Ilford station
  • Manor Park station
  • Maryland station
  • Romford station
  • Seven Kings station
  • Shenfield station
  • Acton Main Line station
  • Burnham station
  • Ealing Broadway station
  • Hanwell station
  • Hayes & Harlington station
  • Iver station
  • Langley station
  • Maidenhead station
  • Reading station
  • Slough station
  • Southall station
  • Taplow station
  • Twyford station
  • West Drayton station
  • West Ealing station
Related topics:TfL