Crossrail’s £14.8bn Construction Has Now Entered Its Final Stages, With Fit-Out Of The New Stations And Tunnels At an Advanced Stage Ahead Of December Launch

London's new Crossrail tube service, to be formally known as the Elizabeth Line, will provide a new way for travellers to zip between Heathrow Airport and the city – but problems with a new signalling system mean

Now new images by Crossrail Ltd show the progress made so far ahead of handing over the completed infrastructure to Transport for London (TfL) this summer. TfL will lead the railway’s testing and commissioning phase ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth Line at the end of the year.

The project team will begin handing over the completed infrastructure to Transport for London from this summer. TfL will lead the railway’s testing and commissioning phase ahead of the opening of the line in December this year.

Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme said: “After almost a decade of hard work from tens of thousands of men and women across the country, the construction of the Elizabeth line has entered its final stages.

“This fantastic set of new images shows the huge amount that has been achieved, and gives passengers a glimpse of their new railway ahead of its opening at the end of the year.”

Earlier this month, City A.M. reported that Crossrail Ltd has drawn up a revised delivery schedule for the £14.8bn project after facing rising cost and schedule pressures, and disruption from this month's severe weather troubles.

The rejigged plans have been developed as part of efforts to ensure the Elizabeth Line opens on time in December. TfL commissioner Mike Brown said the revised schedule sets out the programme "to achieve the opening of the Elizabeth Line in December 2018 and completion of the full service in December 2019".


The Elizabeth Line will serve 41 stations and stretch across more than 60 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west through tunnels in central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. Once it's up and running, it is expected to carry more than 200m passengers a year.

It will be known as the Elizabeth Line when the tunnels under central London open in December.

Howard Smith, Operations Director for the Elizabeth Line, said today:




Transport for London's original intent was for a section of the Crossrail between Paddington and Heathrow to open in May, providing some sharp competition for the airport-run Heathrow Express.

That journey would have taken 25 minutes, with only six stops between Paddington's underground station and Heathrow, where all trains will service Terminals 2 and 4 before branching off to either T4 or T5.