Londoners – and indeed people across the UK – have waited a long time for the opening of the Elizabeth Line. The negativity surrounding the delays and cost overruns has been a theme of the past few years – but that is now giving way to excitement. Transport for London has been inviting guests and the media to sample the new service, and combined with the Trial Operations exercises through February and March, more and more people are getting a taste of what the Elizabeth Line is like.
Modern Railways was privileged to take a trip from Paddington to Liverpool Street and back on Monday 7 March. While it has been possible to explore some of the stations at varying states of completion, this was a first chance to experience the operational railway in full.
Crossrail Chief Executive Mark Wild and TfL Chief Operating Officer Andy Lord were our enthusiastic guides. The box station at Paddington features artwork which pays tribute to Brunel’s main line station – just the start of the attention to detail throughout the Elizabeth Line. Before heading down to platform level, we were shown the Bakerloo Line link, a later addition to the programme. As well as i…
