The ‘purple line’ is due to open to the public THIS MONTH, and it will be one of the most significant updates to the London Underground map in many years. The service will be introduced in stages, with 10 central London stations opening on May 24.
When it’s all completed, the line will connect Heathrow Airport and Reading in the west, all the way to Shenfield in the east, passing through central London stations such as Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and Liverpool Street. This new means of transport will provide the city with faster, easier and more accessible journeys, and is expected to boost the economy by approximately £42 billion pounds.
When the Elizabeth line opens, passengers needing to access central London will need to change at Liverpool Street or Paddington, but fare caps will mean double charges will not occur. TfL hopes to connect the western and eastern sections to the central tunnels by autumn, by which time 22 trains per hour will run at peaks times between Paddington and Whitechapel. By May 2023, that number is planned to increase to 24.