The new Elizabeth Line passenger trains have arrived for testing ahead of May launch
The time is drawing closer…
The Elizabeth Line has been quietly taking shape with a release of bird's eye images in January showing how the various stations are shaping up.
And this week, Transport for London (TfL) announced the first train to be used for passengers had arrived for testing in the capital.
The first @elizabethline train for passenger service arrives in London for training & testing – it will carry its first passengers from May! pic.twitter.com/ik3gNF0jlW
— TfL (@TfL) March 8, 2017
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It was hauled to Wembley from the Network Rail test track by a locomotive on Monday and then drove using its own power to Ilford. It will now be used for further testing and driver training before carrying its first customers on the TfL Rail route between Liverpool Street and Shenfield from May.
The Elizabeth Line opens from December 2018 when the central stations and tunnels under London open.
The route will pass through 40 stations from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21km tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The TfL-run railway will be named the Elizabeth Line when services start through central London in December next year.
And although the Line won't be fully functioning until the end of 2019, property prices are already shooting up along its route.
Read more: Here's how the Elizabeth Line is shaping up
The first trains are seven-carriages long; all trains will eventually be nine carriages. Another test train has also been trying out the route between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.
Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground, said on the release of the new stations' pictures: “It’s a testament to Crossrail Limited who have worked hard to construct the track, stations and ticket halls that our customers will be travelling through from December next year.”