Lots of fuss has been made over the Elizabeth line this year – after all, we did wait a while for it, so when the lovely purple carriages took to the tracks on May 24 it was quite the hoot.
In its first guise, we were missing a key station that linked us to the busiest shopping district in London, but now we have the newest addition to the Lizzie line, with trains now stopping at Bond Street from today (October 24).
With two entrances on Hanover Square and Davies Street, the brand new station will not only provide a new central London stop-off that’s easily accessible, but it’ll also relieve the pressure on other lines in the area that carry shoppers and commuters. The new station also offers accessible step-free access with two lifts tot the street.
Bond Street’s platform is a whopping 255-metres long, and was handed over to London Underground today to allow passengers to pass through in a breeze. It’s sandwiched in between Paddington and Tottenham Court Road, and its opening comes ahead of the next big expansion to the Elizabeth line on November 6.
From this day, passengers travelling from Heathrow and Reading will no longer need to change trains when heading into central London, with routes going directly to Abbey Wood.
From the first day of service today (October 24), there will be service from Bond Street every five minutes, and after the November 6 expansion there will be a train every 3-4 minutes.
Over 45 million journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line, and access to Bond Street, in conjunction with the further expansion to the line, is sure to see this number jump even faster as we head into the busy festive period.
Speaking at the opening of the station, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I’m delighted to be here today as the spectacular new Elizabeth line station at Bond Street opens to passengers for the first time.
“The spacious, stylish and step-free station at Bond Street is a huge boost for our retail and hospitality businesses and will radically improve travel across London and the South East by providing a new link to one of the busiest shopping districts in Europe ahead of the festive period.
“ I can’t wait for Londoners and visitors to our capital to experience this beautiful new station for themselves.”
Bond Street station is now open on the Elizabeth line.