AT LAST! CROSSRAIL TO OPEN IN 20 DAYS

MUCH-DELAYED £20BN ELIZABETH LINE TO ARRIVE ON MAY 24 AHEAD OF QUEEN'S JUBILEE | Hopes that Queen will open line - and it'll boost post-pandemic return

- Ross Lydall

CROSSRAIL will open in just 20 days' time, Transport for London announced today.

The long-awaited line, which fell years behind schedule and went billions over budget, will start running through central London on Tuesday, May 24. TfL said the “stunning" £20 billion project - which will be renamed the Elizabeth line - will transform the capital's public transport network, adding 10 per cent capacity and boosting the post-pandemic return to work.

Today's announcement, which is subject to final safety approvals, had been eagerly awaited but the chosen date is slightly earlier than many expected and will act as a precursor to the Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations. There are hopes that the 96-year-old monarch, after whom the line is named, will be able to be involved in the opening in some way, either on May 24 or at a later date.