Crossrail may be billions of pounds over budget and three-and-a-half years late but it’s finally ready to roll.
The extraordinary feat of engineering will be in service Tuesday when the Elizabeth Line is given its proper title.
Surprise visit by the Queen to Paddington station, where she officially opened it.
Line: The Thames runs through Maidenhead. It will be connected to Central London via Crossrail Station.
Linking Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east with Heathrow and Reading to the west of the capital, it will bind together existing commuter railways, accelerating cross-city travel and relieving overcrowding on the London Underground — particularly the often hellish Central Line.
Commuters’ travel times will be cut; Reading to London Liverpool Street for instance will take just under an hour.
Fully operational, it will double London’s rail network capacity by 10%. This is the most significant single expansion to London’s transport network for more than 70-years.
There are some issues that still need to be resolved. Passengers travelling to Reading from the west will first need to transfer at Paddington or Liverpool Street stations.
Bond Street also has three months to go before it is on schedule. The trains will not arrive there until later this year. These delays are negligible when you think about how the Elizabeth Line is going to transform capital rail travel.
Cross-town: The Elizabeth Line will cross London from east to west, beginning in Berkshire then ending in Essex.
Paddington Station is the new size of three Wembley Football pitches. It has natural light up to the platform entry, thanks to a glass canopy that measures nearly 400ft in length.
More than £1 billion has been spent on upgrading 31 existing stations and tracks. These tunnels will connect to platforms 600 feet high with glass screens on the rails.
The service is accessible for wheelchair users because it allows them to move from one street to another without having to take a step.
Air-conditioned, nine-car trains with open interiors and colourful benches will feature full-width walkways between cars. The train’s interior will be vastly different from the cramped, messy carriages of today.
The Elizabeth Line is one of the few engineering projects that will change how we live. Already, people are flocking to new stations.
Savills research last year revealed that homes located within 0.66 miles of half the stations along the railway line have seen their prices rise by 25% or more over the past 5 years.
This means that we should expect an increase in migration to London’s west side when new sleek trains arrive, which will transport people quickly to their jobs.
The hotspots are listed below:
Reading revival
Outlay: More than £1bn has been spent on upgrading 31 existing stations and tracks
Not so long ago Reading was best known for its brewery and its biscuit factory — not any more.
There are many international companies that have relocated there, such as Virgin Media, Amazon UK and KPMG. The town has a low cost of living, which is why it’s favored by commuters.
‘I recently dealt with a young woman who sold her 750 sq ft flat in London for £600,000 and bought a 1,750 ft duplex in Reading for £650,000,’ says James Hathaway, of Winkworth estate agents.
There are many green spaces, riversides walks and the Grade II-listed Thames Lido. The city also has great shopping options, including in Broad Street or the Oracle Centre. The average price of a home sold in Reading was £384,000 last year.
Compare that to the £512,000 average price in, say, East London and you will see why an exodus from the capital is forecast when the Elizabeth Line makes commuting a doddle.
Maidenhead march on
The Berkshire community is eager to draw City bankers from elsewhere, as they have previously had to travel across the Capital’s underground network to reach work.
Dawn Carritt from Jackson-Stops agents says, “The Elizabeth Line is changing all that” and buyers inquiries are already booming.
“The idea of living close to the Maidenhead River or near nearby villages, such as Sonning or Bray, is appealing.”
Maidenhead, with Theresa May serving as its MP, is poised for a revival. The Nicholson Quarter is a chic mixed-use development that will transform the 1960’s shopping center.
The area by the river is being developed and trendy cocktail bars and restaurants such as Coppa Club are thriving — a sure sign of a town on the up.
Slough expansion
Ricky Gervais was not a friend when he opened The Office. It has much to offer. The town is conveniently located between M4 and M40, and it’s easy to reach Heathrow and M25 airports.
Share to Buy, the first-time buyer portal, claims Slough was one of the UK’s most desirable property areas over the past decade. There has been a 73% increase in home prices.
Berkeley Group plans to redevelop Horlicks Factory and Site in order to construct 1,300 Homes.
A small flat sells for £150,000 and a three-bed terrace house for £350,000. Things are improving in the center, and the Elizabeth Line will make things even better.
