The London Paddington main line will be transferred to the new Elizabeth Line platforms. Credit: Geof Sheppard / commons.wikimedia.org.

UK-based Transport for London (TfL) announced that the Elizabeth line, developed to improve travel across London and the South East, is set to open on 24 May 2022.

Initially, the line will be managed as three separate railways with services from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield that link to the central tunnels from autumn this year.

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Elizabeth line signage will continue to be opened across the network in the coming weeks, as part of the preparation for the commencement of customer service.

The new line, which awaits final safety approvals, provides additional capacity and improves accessibility with large new stations and walk-through trains. It is anticipated to add around £42bn to the UK economy.

TfL will also unveil the updated tube and rail map to reveal the new central section stations that will connect with its remaining network.

According to TfL, the Elizabeth line will run 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

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It will also rebrand all services between Reading and Heathrow to Paddington and Shenfield to Liverpool Street from TfL Rail to the Elizabeth line.

TfL Go app and Journey Planner and Journey Planner can be used by passengers to plan their journeys on the Elizabeth line.

TfL commissioner Andy Byford said: “We are using these final few weeks to continue to build up reliability on the railway and get the Elizabeth line ready to welcome customers.

“The opening day is set to be a truly historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network.”

The new railway is projected to link stations such as Paddington to Canary Wharf within 17 minutes.

Additionally, TfL plans to make changes to 14 bus routes for the improvement of links to Elizabeth line stations in east and south-east London.