London’s Elizabeth Line Rail Link Finally Opens

After years of delays, London’s Elizabeth line rail link finally opened to passengers on Tuesday.

This is with hopes it will speed up journeys across the British capital and provide an economic boost.

The Daily Sabah reports on Tuesday that the railway which was initially called Crossrail before it was renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth, offers faster journeys from Heathrow Airport and Berkshire in the west to Essex in the east through a series of new, long tunnels.

It is expected to carry 200 million people a year and will increase London's rail capacity by 10%, this is according to Transport for London (TfL).

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the opening historic and the most significant addition to the region's transport network in decades.

“The Elizabeth line is much more than just a new railway as it will provide a crucial economic boost to the whole country and help to turbo-charge our recovery from the pandemic.

“We should be incredibly proud of this fantastic new line, it is 22nd century fit, spacious, silent, comfortable; this is the game changer we need.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, also said the project is forecast to boost the U.K. economy by 42 billion pounds.

“Absolutely delighted that the Elizabeth Line has opened to the public today.

“Long-term investment in U.K. infrastructure pays off – with this project alone supporting 55,000 new jobs, 1,000 apprenticeships, and forecast to boost the U.K. economy by £42 billion."