The delayed and over-budget Crossrail project finally opens to passengers
The £18.8bn railway - known as the Elizabeth line - links Reading and Essex via central London
Transport for London says 130,000 journeys made on the line by midday
Paddington's Elizabeth line platforms were evacuated following a fire alarm but have now reopened
The line was meant to start running in December 2018 but the project has missed multiple targets
Passengers can now use the Abbey Wood to Paddington section, with journey times between the two cut by almost half
People wishing to travel the length of the line will need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street, depending on their destination, until next year
The Queen made a surprise visit to Paddington Station last week to see the completed line that bears her name
Image source, ReutersWe also have some reaction from the prime minister about the opening of the new line.
Boris Johnson said: "As the Elizabeth line opens to the public, we know it's not just Londoners that will reap the rewards, but the whole country - because better transport grows the economy, levels up opportunity and creates jobs."
Crossrail originally had a budget of £14.8bn back in 2010 and was meant to start running in December 2018, but has been hit by delays and rising costs.
Over time, the project's budget has increased considerably, to £18.8bn.
The head of Crossrail, Mark Wild, admitted back in November the project's "off the scale complexity" was one of the reasons it has been beset by delays and ballooning costs.Mr Wild told the London Assembly's transport committee the project was "the most complex engineering effort of this century in this country".
He also said that a fixation on a December 2018 launch date had "distorted everything".
The first passenger services on the Elizabeth line have begun.
The first train from Paddington through central London departed on time at 6.33am carrying hundreds of excited transport enthusiasts.
Image source, ReutersThe Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Today is an historic day as the Elizabeth line opens to passengers. This is a huge moment, not just for London, but the entire country - particularly in this special Jubilee year.
“This brand new line is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades. It will add billions to our economy and is set to serve up to 200 million passengers each year.
"I’m sure passengers will enjoy the modern trains, beautiful step-free stations and the reduced journey times across the capital and the South East.
Quote MessageThe Elizabeth line is much more than just a new railway - it will provide a crucial economic boost to the whole country and help to turbo-charge our recovery from the pandemic."
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Tom Edwards
Transport Correspondent, BBC London
Image source, Getty ImagesYou can almost hear the sighs of relief at Transport for London (TfL). After all the problems - and there have been many - Crossrail is finally opening.
The budget has grown from £14.8bn to £18.8bn and the opening date slipped so many times that it became hard to keep track.
Some doubted it would ever open. A new management team was brought in following delay after delay. It will now open nearly four years late.
A lot of the shenanigans, I suspect, will be forgotten when people see the stations and the trains. They are very impressive and big. And if it works, the trains will be very regular - the project will increase central London rail capacity by 10%.
Not only will this be a game changer for travel in London, it'll also bring in much needed revenue for TfL.
Don't forget 70% of Crossrail was paid for by London through TfL, the Greater London Authority and its businesses and fare payers.
Now TfL has to run a good, smooth service.
The Elizabeth line links Reading to the west with Essex to the east, via central London.
Passengers can use the Paddington to Abbey Wood section, with journey times between the two slashed by almost half.
But if you want to travel the whole length of the line, you’ll need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street, depending on your destination, until next year.
At first, trains won’t run on Sundays or call at Bond Street.
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Crossrail, or the Elizabeth line as it is now known, is a 73-mile (118km) railway line , externalin south-east England. It runs from Essex in the east to Berkshire in the west, cutting underground through central London.
There are two western branches, which terminate at Reading and Heathrow Airport, and two eastern branches, ending at Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood in south-east London.
Ten new stations have been built for the central London section, which connects Paddington, Bond Street, Liverpool St and Canary Wharf.
The line is expected to increase London's train capacity by 10%. It was first conceived in the 1980s, cancelled in the 1990s and approved in the 2000s. Work started in 2009 and 10,000 workers have been employed on the 13-year project.
Read more about the line here.
Chirag Trivedi
BBC News
Good Morning and welcome to our live page as London’s Elizabeth line finally opens to the public.
The first passenger service begins at 6.30am and we will bring you all the news, reaction and analysis throughout the day.