shawmat
Member
The Elizabeth Line opened to the public yesterday. I travelled the line, exited and entered every station entrance, and here are my first impressions and a small selection of snaps here.
Lots of visitors had the same idea. A whole cross-section of Londoners was out with their camera phones, selfie-sticks, and back-packs. The staff helped to create a positive vibe, being obviously proud of the new line, happy to chat, and take those group photos.
The stations are spacious and airy - and deep. There are usually two escalator rides to reach the surface, and the lifts rise in parallel up the slope at the same speed. There is not much stylistic variation between stations – Canary Wharf has yellow-lit escalators and Farringdon its own artworks, but that’s about it.
Most stations have entrances at each end, and the platforms are long. People are likely to be walking through the trains to position themselves for the exit. The latest tube map misses important connections at Moorgate, and Farringdon has a Barbican exit separate from the City Widened Lines station – but very close. It might have been better named the Smithfield exit. Whitechapel is an intricate station, connecting as it does with the District and East London lines.
Trains are every five minutes between Paddington and Abbey Wood. The line goes onto the surface around Custom House and at Abbey Wood; at Paddington the trains are turned on the surface at Westbourne Park. The regularity was perfectly maintained. Trains appear to trundle along but are moving quickly because the track is so smooth. Bond Street station has yet to open, but is lit, and “Station Closed” appears in the purple roundels. The Paddington – Tottenham Court Road section is thus non-stop but seems to take little time.
Connections with the “other” legs of the Elizabeth Line towards Reading from Paddington and towards Shenfield at Liverpool Street are not simple and take at least five minutes. But we know that’s a temporary situation.
The images are:
1 "It's Here" poster
2 Paddington
3 Farringdon
4 Farringdon artwork
5 Farringdon escalator
6 Farringdon and Barbican exits
11 Canary escalators at Canary Wharf
12 Canary Wharf
15 Me at Whitechapel
Map: TfL map with my additions. The new map misses Moorgate as an exit and connection station from Liverpool Street.
Lots of visitors had the same idea. A whole cross-section of Londoners was out with their camera phones, selfie-sticks, and back-packs. The staff helped to create a positive vibe, being obviously proud of the new line, happy to chat, and take those group photos.
The stations are spacious and airy - and deep. There are usually two escalator rides to reach the surface, and the lifts rise in parallel up the slope at the same speed. There is not much stylistic variation between stations – Canary Wharf has yellow-lit escalators and Farringdon its own artworks, but that’s about it.
Most stations have entrances at each end, and the platforms are long. People are likely to be walking through the trains to position themselves for the exit. The latest tube map misses important connections at Moorgate, and Farringdon has a Barbican exit separate from the City Widened Lines station – but very close. It might have been better named the Smithfield exit. Whitechapel is an intricate station, connecting as it does with the District and East London lines.
Trains are every five minutes between Paddington and Abbey Wood. The line goes onto the surface around Custom House and at Abbey Wood; at Paddington the trains are turned on the surface at Westbourne Park. The regularity was perfectly maintained. Trains appear to trundle along but are moving quickly because the track is so smooth. Bond Street station has yet to open, but is lit, and “Station Closed” appears in the purple roundels. The Paddington – Tottenham Court Road section is thus non-stop but seems to take little time.
Connections with the “other” legs of the Elizabeth Line towards Reading from Paddington and towards Shenfield at Liverpool Street are not simple and take at least five minutes. But we know that’s a temporary situation.
The images are:
1 "It's Here" poster
2 Paddington
3 Farringdon
4 Farringdon artwork
5 Farringdon escalator
6 Farringdon and Barbican exits
11 Canary escalators at Canary Wharf
12 Canary Wharf
15 Me at Whitechapel
Map: TfL map with my additions. The new map misses Moorgate as an exit and connection station from Liverpool Street.
