Elizabeth line services will be introduced in phases, with the central London stations opening in December 2018 “The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East, with new state-of-the-art trains transporting millions of people quickly across London, providing a huge boost to the economy” Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of 
London New December 2018 Tube map featuring the Elizabeth line unveiled – images are available via Flickr Elizabeth line is expected to boost the economy by £42 billion overall The start of Elizabeth line services, which will transform transport in London with quicker, easier and more accessible journeys, is now just a year away. To mark the countdown, TfL has released a December 2018 Tube map with the Elizabeth line displayed. Its
inclusion will be among the most significant changes to the look of the Tube map in recent decades.
The construction of the Elizabeth line has now entered its final stages and will open to the public in phases from December next year, when ten new state-of-the-art stations will open. The new railway, jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and TfL, will connect stations such as Paddington to Canary Wharf in only 17 minutes, transforming how Londoners and visitors move quickly across the Capital.
From December 2018, the line will initially operate as three services:
- Paddington (Elizabeth line station) to Abbey Wood via central London
- Paddington (mainline station) to Heathrow (Terminals 2 & 3 and 4)
- Liverpool Street (mainline station) to Shenfield
Fifteen trains per hour will run through the new tunnels, increasing to 24 trains per hour through the central section by May 2019.
From December 2019, customers from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel all the way through central London to the West End and the City and beyond without needing to change trains. By linking Berkshire and Heathrow in the west, to east London and Essex in the east, the line will transform travel across the South East, carrying over 200 million passengers every year. It will increase rail capacity in central London by 10%, reduce congestion on the London Underground, and an extra 1.5 million people will be within 45 minutes commuting distance of London’s key employment districts.
The new stations and travel links are expected to boost the economy by £42 billion overall and support thousands of new jobs and homes in London and the South East.
Elizabeth line customers will benefit from brand new, longer trains with walk-through air-conditioned carriages, live travel information and free Wi-Fi. All 41 stations will be step-free from street to platform, in addition to the Mayor’s target for 40% of the London Underground network to be step-free by 2022.
Significant milestones have been met earlier in the year, including the completion of the 50-kilometre Elizabeth line track in September as well as the introduction of the first new Elizabeth line train in passenger service between Shenfield and Liverpool Street in June.
Ahead of the Elizabeth line opening next year, intensive works continue by Crossrail Limited and its contractors to complete the fit-out of the new stations and install the railway systems including power, signalling and communications equipment. Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road are nearing physical completion with work advancing at the other station sites. The installation of platform screen doors has now reached the half way mark and over two thirds of escalators have been installed.