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
Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News
The evacuation at Paddington's Elizabeth line stations has been triggered by a fire alarm going off, the London Fire Brigade has confirmed.
It doesn't look like anything serious, certainly no reports of an actual fire or any injuries.
TfL's evacuation procedures seem to be working well.
Anna O'Neill
BBC Radio London reporter
I'm outside Paddington station standing looking at some burly firefighters.
I can see a fire engine, a police vehicle and people are worried about what is going on.
It is quite embarrassing as there are loads of people here with cameras on their first journey of the Elizabeth line.
We don't know why at the moment, the fire officers obviously need to check it out.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Harry Low
BBC London News
Raphael Chiwandire
I spoke to 10-year-old Raphael who was one of those on board first on the Paddington-bound train.
"I’ve been really excited for it, " he said. "I didn’t know what to expect really.
"It’s very quick and cool, and you can sit back and relax as the train goes through the tunnel."
He added he would 100% be using the train again in the future.
Len Goody chose to wear the colour of the Elizabeth line - purple - for his first journey.
"You don’t get an opening of a new line very often so when something like this comes along you’ve got to have a go, try it out and see what it’s like.
"It’s nice to know you’re the first person to travel on the first service.
"It’s smooth and ever so quiet. There’s no screeching like the normal Tube lines. It obviously isn’t a Tube line but it’s lovely, really nice."
The Elizabeth line platforms at Paddington station are being evacuated.
We have contacted British Transport Police (BTP) for more information which we will bring you when we have it.
Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News
In central London, work is ongoing at Bond Street's Elizabeth line station, which means it has not opened alongside the other stations today.
In February, the mayor of London explained that Bond Street had always been the station that had faced the most challenges in terms of installation, construction and fit‑out works.
It was also uniquely affected by Covid pandemic.
Sadiq Khan said during a Mayor’s Question Time: "Due to the extent of the work remaining, and the number of people required onsite to complete the station during the pandemic, the work at Bond Street had had to be re-planned.
"Towards the end of last year, we commenced the first phase of trial operations on the new railway, in line with the earliest forecast dates.
"Bond Street has met its requirement to support trial operations.
"This means the station is ready for full‑scale passenger evacuation and emergency intervention. "Bond Street remains at a less advanced stage than the other Elizabeth line central London stations, but good progress continues to now be made."
TfL's latest line is that the Bond Street team are working hard to open the station to customers later this year.
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.
Harry Low
BBC London News
It’s probably the first time during the project that transport bosses have legitimately been able to claim they have delivered on time - as the first train from Abbey Wood in south-east London rolled into Paddington at 06:58 BST.
Arriving 28 minutes after its departure, that represents a cut in journey time of almost half.
Those arriving at Paddington have been greeted by staff sporting large purple Elizabeth Line fingers while lots of passengers on board were wearing all manner of purple clothing - socks, badges and even hair dyed purple in honour of the line named in honour of the current monarch.
The line isn’t operating from one end to the other yet - but those on board were celebrating the realisation of a long-held ambition for transport bosses: running a new east-west railway with paying customers without any hiccups.
The new line will slash journey times for many travellers.
Thomas Mackintosh
BBC London News
Image source, Getty ImagesThe trade union Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has praised the engineering feat of the new Elizabeth line but has described the ticketing as a “dog’s breakfast”.
The TSSA’s general secretary has criticised the complicated fares structure applied to the new line for those travelling beyond the TfL zones 1-6 structure.
Manuel Cortes has called on the fares system to be simplified.
“To make Crossrail the success it should be, the government must sort out the ticketing mess which makes fares a dog’s breakfast,” he says.
“The complicated combination of TfL fares, contactless and national rail fares structures makes the mind boggle and will undoubtedly create additional work for station and ticket office staff.“
Elizabeth line fares will be identical to those on the London Underground. Services currently operating as TfL Rail will remain unchanged, although there will be a £7.20 premium on journeys to and from Heathrow.
Peak single journeys to Heathrow airport from central London (weekdays between 06:30-09:30 and 16:00-19:00) will cost £12.70 and be £2 cheaper at other times (peak and off-peak Tube fares currently cost £5.50 and £3.50 respectively, while the Heathrow Express costs £25).
Contactless pay-as-you-go payments are accepted across the line while daily and weekly capping will also apply.
Freedom passes allowing free travel, including to Heathrow and Reading, will be accepted after 09:00 on weekdays and at weekends. Railcards attached to Oyster cards will also receive one-third off fares.
As with London Overground, folding bicycles are allowed at all times. Non-folding bikes are only allowed off-peak.
Read more about the line will operate here.
Harry Low
BBC London News
The train has arrived at Paddington on time - and the cheer that greeted those who made the maiden Elizabeth line journey from Abbey Wood was loud and hearty.
Yes Crossrail's late and cost more than it should have but, judging by the mood on board, this feels like a celebration of the near completion of a project which will not only help those along the Elizabeth Line itself, but relieve pressure for passengers on other lines.
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA MediaTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has reflected on the thousands of jobs created by this huge project, formerly known as Crossrail, over the last 14 years.
Mr Shapps said 96% of contracts for the project have been awarded to companies within Britain, with 60% of these going to businesses based outside of London.
He said:“As iconic as its namesake, the Elizabeth line is a beacon of British success, not just for this marvel of engineering but for the enormous benefits it brings to the entire nation with £42bn for the UK economy and 55,000 jobs just two of many.
“London’s transport network is its lifeblood and the £9bn we’ve contributed to make the Elizabeth line a reality is once again testament to our unwavering support for this marvellous city, its inspiring people and the millions of visitors it attracts every year.”
Katy Austin
Business Correspondent
There was a queue at Woolwich from before 6am. When the shutters were finally raised and people could enter the new station, the atmosphere was celebratory.
Some of the first passengers here told me they’d been waiting years for this moment, and their commute would be cut in half.
Others pointed out it would now be easier to travel to places like Bristol, due to the reduced time to Paddington station.
Today Programme
BBC Radio 4
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about what the opening of the line means for the city and why it should be a big day for people outside London.
"This line will help contribute £42bn towards our national economy. It's already created 70,000 jobs across the country.
"The trains were built in Derby, the station doors in Cheshire, the signage in the Isle of Wight, some of the steel comes from Dorset.
"Almost two-thirds of the contracts given for this fantastic new line were contracts given around the country - [have] already created tens of thousands of jobs and will be creating tens of thousands of new homes."
Image source, PA MediaLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan, who travelled on the first train, said: "It's a landmark day.
"I'm excited. I'm like the little boy before Christmas."
He said the Elizabeth line was a "game-changer" that would "transform our city".
He added the trains were "fit for a Queen" after her Majesty visited Paddington last week to mark the completion of the Crossrail project.
At Crossrail's opening, people donned royal family masks
Image source, ReutersTfL is dealing with financial pressures on several fronts. Bosses have agreed five successive bailout deals with the government in order to keep London’s transport moving.
The pandemic has been to blame as millions were told to stay at home when it swept through London in 2020. But, even before coronavirus, arguably the biggest issue around TfL’s finances was the Crossrail project, which is over-budget and late.
As sponsors of Crossrail, in October 2007 TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT) agreed funding of £15.9bn for the project.
However, more money was needed, and in 2009, in his first term as mayor, Boris Johnson announced he had "secured one of the largest loans ever for a transport project" - an extra £1bn from his "good, external friends at the European Investment Bank", external for "the unstoppable force that is Crossrail".
Fast forward to 2022 and Crossrail - the Elizabeth line as it is now - is only just running through central London, well beyond the initial intended opening date of 2018.
The escalating costs of Crossrail have been huge for TfL and the DfT. In 2018, TfL's then transport commissioner Mike Brown said Crossrail's initial delay would cost TfL about £20m in fare revenues.
Add another four years of lost income and it is easy to see the drain Crossrail continues to have on the accounts.
Tom Edwards
Transport Correspondent, BBC London
On social media, excited crowds on the first train made the opening of the Elizabeth line more like a carnival.
There will also be elation and relief at Transport for London after so many ups and downs in this project - even though this isn’t really a full opening - it starts as three separate railways.
But it needs to run well today.
The trains have actually been running for weeks, as one boss said to me: “No-one wants a repeat of T5” where the brand new terminal at Heathrow had a shocking opening.
Long-term lessons need to be learnt, governance was an issue and a grip on new digital signalling systems another, but today is about passengers for the first time seeing these cathedrals of transport and trying the new fast trains, and maybe taking in this incredible engineering achievement.
Perhaps the nearest modern transport equivalent is the opening of High Speed 1 but it doesn’t match Crossrail’s impact on travel within London. Is a better comparison the London 2012 Olympics ? There are those that think the Elizabeth line will have a bigger impact on London.
Of course the line isn’t finished yet there is still work to do to get to full end to end running.
But for today - the transport itself is the attraction, the spectacle and most definitely the main event.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Crossrail Services between Reading and Heathrow to Paddington mainline first ran back in 2019.
About 300 people had gathered outside Paddington Station to try and be one of the first to travel on the train.
Colin Kelso, 18, who travelled down from Glasgow for the opening, was wearing a hoody emblazoned with "Purple train" on the front, in a nod to the line's colour scheme.
"I want to get on the first train. I've always liked trains and have been keeping up to date with the project."
Danny McLaren, 21, from Edinburgh, arrived at Paddington at 01.30 BST.
He said: "It's an epic day to experience it when it's brand new."
Image source, EPAEmpty Crossrail train pictured on 11 May
Another passenger, Hakim Colclough, 24, from Chessington, Surrey, said: "This is a momentous occasion. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
Colin Farmer, 84, from Croydon, south-east London, arrived at 04.30. He said: "It's history. It's about time there were trains right through London without changing to the Underground.
"I'm very excited. We've been waiting long enough for it. It's a great achievement."
BBC Radio London
Speaking to BBC Radio London while on the first Crossrail train, YouTuber Geoff Marshall said: "I’m out of words.
"It’s beautiful to see so many people here, excited people, and it is exciting.
"I’m sure today there’ll be a lot of detractors going ‘it’s just a train’ but for many people, it’s more than that; it’s the anticipation and it’s the excitement that it brings and the absolute genuine opportunity that it brings for businesses and leisure travel."
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.