Lizzie line's 140,000 daily trips boost

£20bn link attracts thousands from the Tube and bolsters cultural venues

- Ross Lydall

THE Elizabeth line is responsible for 140,000 “new” journeys in the capital each day, according to research by Transport for London.

The £20 billion line is also attracting thousands of passengers from the Tube —with more than a third of those switching from the Underground preferring it to the Central line.

The cross-London line has been used for almost 200 million journeys since it opened in May last year. Usage was initially below predictions but has ramped up with the arrival of seven-day services and the launch of “through running” from one end of the line to the other in May.

It set a new record on Thursday, July 6, when it carried 701,000 passengers in a single day. It typically carries about 600,000 a day between Tuesday and Thursday — with sections approaching maximum crowding levels during the morning rush hour. Cultural venues such as Outernet London, which shows free installations on vast digital screens beside Tottenham Court Road station, and the Museum of London Docklands, near Canary Wharf station, credit the “Lizzie line” with delivering more visitors to their doorsteps.