To commemorate the launch of the new Elizabeth Line, thirty prominent London sites will be lit up in purple starting tonight.
On Tuesday, the Elizabeth line, better known as Crossrail, will begin operation with a westbound train from Abbey Wood station at 6.30 a.m. and an eastbound train from Paddington at 6.33 a.m.
The London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Gherkin, and the London Stadium will all be lit up in a regal purple to commemorate the opening of the capital’s newest Tube line, which is expected to’revolutionize travel’.
It will take just 29 minutes to travel from Paddington to Abbey Wood on the new line that cost £14.8billion.
There will be trains every five minutes until around 11pm with the service operating six days a week, with Sunday set aside for engineering.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘The opening of the Elizabeth line tomorrow is a once in a generation moment for the capital and it is fantastic to see so many famous landmarks across our city lit up in purple in celebration of this historic day.
‘The new line will revolutionise travel in our city and across the south east and bring significant economic benefits to the whole country.’
Transport for London chief Andy Byford said: ‘Tomorrow will be a truly historic moment for London and beyond and I can’t wait to welcome customers onboard this magnificent addition to our public transport network.’
The Elizabeth line is named in honour of the Queen in her Jubilee year.
Crossrail, the project to build the new east-west railway, was delayed and over budget due to numerous issues including construction difficulties and complications installing signalling systems.
It was due to be completed in December 2018 and was set a budget of £14.8 billion in 2010.
The total cost has been estimated at £18.9 billion, including £5.1 billion from the Government.
The Elizabeth line will boost capacity and cut journey times for travel across the capital.
It will stretch from Reading, Berkshire, and Heathrow Airport, west London, to Shenfield, Essex, and Abbey Wood, southeast London.
The Elizabeth line will initially operate as three separate railways, with a change of trains required at Paddington and Liverpool Street.
It expected to be integrated in the autumn, with the line completely open in spring.
At the moment many passengers travel by Tube on the Central line for east-west journeys across the capital. These trains are often crowded and get hot in the summer due to not having air-conditioning.
Trains on the Elizabeth Line should be much more comfortable, featuring walk-through carriages, wi-fi, travel information screens and air-conditioning.
Ten new Elizabeth line stations will open in central London. They will be lighter, brighter and larger spaces than the vast majority of London Underground stations.
Many journeys within London will be quicker by the Elizabeth line than by Tube. According to travel app Citymapper, platform-to-platform journeys between Liverpool Street and Paddington will be cut from 18 minutes to 10 minutes.
For longer journeys, Elizabeth line trains will stop at many stations so journeys will be slower compared with the fastest mainline services between locations such as Reading and Paddington, or Shenfield and Liverpool Street.
However, once the three sections are integrated, many passengers will benefit by not having to change between trains and Tube services.
The line is set to boost rail capacity in central London by 10 per cent.
Elizabeth line journeys in central London will cost the same as equivalent Tube fares, while prices on services currently operated by TfL Rail will be unchanged.