Elizabeth line hits 500,000,000 passenger mark less than 36 months after opening

Londoners have a new favourite Underground line – at least judging by the number of passengers the Elizabeth line has carried since opening.

The Elizabeth line has recorded more than 500,000,000 passengers since it opened in May 2022.

The £20,000,000,000 line runs between Heathrow Airport terminals and Reading through Paddington to Abbey Wood and Shenfield.

On its busiest days, the Elizabeth line sees more than 800,000 journeys.

Transport bosses have celebrated the TfL network’s newest addition, saying it has helped to boost the creation of jobs and homes on the line.

TfL revealed the passenger figure today along with research into the impact the Elizabeth line has had as it became the UK’s most-used railway service.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, called the Elizabeth line a ‘game-changer’ for London.

The line has racked up the highest customer satisfaction on the entire network, according to research carried out by TfL together with Arup and the Department for Transport.

Overall passenger satisfaction stood at just over 80%, while more than 90% of surveyed customers said the Elizabeth line has had a positive impact in their area.

Abbey Wood in southeast London is said to have benefitted in particular, where the report found an 11% increase in access to jobs.

The South East London Chamber of Commerce said the arrival of the Elizabeth line has had a ‘very positive impact’ on businesses in and around Thamesmead and how they connect to customers across London.

Workers along the Heathrow branches have also benefited, according to the report, with a 6% rise in employment accessibility along the route.

Mr Khan said: ‘The Elizabeth line has been a game-changer for the city, transforming travel in London and unlocking investment through the creation of new jobs and homes.

‘With its growing popularity, the Elizabeth line is proving itself to be essential to London and the UK’s transport network and helping to build a better, more prosperous London for everyone.

‘The evidence from the success of the Elizabeth line is clear – when you invest in high-quality transport infrastructure it can provide huge benefits for increased jobs, growth and the new housing we need in London and across the country.’

One passenger quoted in the report said that while the London Overground and Elizabeth line ‘might be crowded at times’ they are ‘less noisy, more spacious and cleaner.’

However, there have been some hiccups along the way since the line opened, including occasional disruption caused by signalling or point failures.

In late November, the Elizabeth line was out of action for more than a day after a signalling system fault.

The new Elizabeth line figures were released as the London Underground turns 162 today.

On this day in 1863, the world’s first underground passenger railway – the Metropolitan Railway – was launched.

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