Elizabeth line

The Elizabeth line is a railway line that runs across Greater London and nearby towns, operating similarly to the RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington station to Abbey Wood and via Whitechapel to the Great Eastern Main Line near Stratford; along the Great Western Main Line to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west; and along the Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield in the east.

Under the project name of Crossrail, the system was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including for several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service is now named after Queen Elizabeth II, who officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022.

Elizabeth line services are operated by GTS Rail Operations under a concession from Transport for London (TfL). TfL does not consider it to be part of its other rail services such as the London Underground. It is considered to be in a class of its own and TfL's Oyster card is not valid for journeys to outlying stations.

The line reached over 200 million trips annually in its second year of operation and carries one seventh of all trips by rail in the United Kingdom.