The Office of Rail and Road has issued approvals for all stations on the Elizabeth Line apart from Bond Street – paving the way for its opening on 24 May.
Nine of the 10 stations on the central section – Abbey Wood, Canary Wharf, Custom House, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Tottenham Court Road, Whitechapel and Woolwich – have been authorised. Bond Street, meanwhile, has been given clearance to be used for evacuation procedures if needed.
The track and tunnel infrastructure have also been approved for use in revenue-earning service.
Elizabeth Line director Howard Smith said: ‘With final preparations underway ahead of opening the Elizabeth line on Tuesday 24 May, we have been working closely with ORR on getting the final authorisations for our stations, trains and other infrastructure that will mean we can operate the new railway safely and reliably for all our future customers’
ORR Deputy Director of Engineering and Asset Management Steve Fletcher added: ‘Delivery of the Elizabeth line is in its very final complex stages, but we’ve been working closely with the Crossrail project and Transport for London for some time to ensure smooth progress of authorisations. This co-operation means we’ve been able to provide these approvals in a timely manner and ensure this state-of-the-art railway can enter into service safely and reliably for passengers, and meet the schedule opening date of 24 May.’
