A Quick Guide to Crossrail
For those living in London, Crossrail is a railway project, currently under construction through the centre of the city.
Connecting the city from its east through to its west, Crossrail aims to connect the Great Eastern Main Line with the Great Western mainline, granting a smooth and quick journey for both commuters and regular travellers alike. It's set to bring a great deal of time-saving convenience for everyone involved.
Being such a large construction project, the Crossrail route has taken a good few years to come to fruition - but there's a lot to look forward to when it does open. Find out more with our guide:
What is the Crossrail route?
Crossrail is a London-based railway that connects the Great Western Main Line with the Great Eastern Main Line.
The Elizabeth line is the name given to the route of the Crossrail project, running from Reading in the west through nearly 42km worth of tunnels across the capital to Shenfield and Abbey Wood. There are also connections through Heathrow airport to for air travel links.
You can find the full route map on the Crossrail website here.
What new Crossrail additions are there to the London transport system?
As part of the work, ten new stations are set to be built across London, at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House, Woolwich and Abbey Road. Another 41 stations are expected to be better linked in various ways to other parts of the city as an added benefit.
With brand new trains, waiting times are expected to be just two and half minutes on the line, reducing load on other lines and providing quicker access to spots across the city centre. The entire project is expected to increase capacity across London by 10%, an important increase to match the expected population growth in the city.
Once completed, the project is expected to give back £42 billion to the UK economy.
New Crossrail trains
As part of the new Elizabeth Line, Crossrail brought in a fleet of 70 200-metre long trains to operate on the new Elizabeth Line, designed to provide another level of capacity to ensure quicker run times on the line.
Each train includes dedicated wheelchair spaces, air-conditioning, intelligent lighting and more energy-efficient equipment as a step towards a more sustainable Underground network.
Additional features include real-time stop information and speeds of up to 90mph on the appropriate sections of tracks.
Accessibility on Crossrail
With a focus on making the Underground more accessible for everyone, the Crossrail project will feature step-free access on every platform, with a turn-up-and-go system in place to help those needing assistance with mobility.
This includes level boarding on all central section stations along with lifts at certain stops. All trains will have set aside priority seats, with four dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, along with spaces for bikes, buggies and other items.
The Berkeley Group Developments on the Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line will connect many parts of Greater London up to one of the quickest routes through the city, and we're excited to say that many stops, both in London and beyond, will be just a short distance from some of our most popular developments here at Berkeley Group.
Both Kennet Island, Huntley Wharf and Green Park Village, located in vibrant Reading will be located not far from the western destination of the Elizabeth Line, making them the ideal choice for commuters looking for a fast track into London for work. Over in Slough, in Berkshire, our trendy and contemporary Horlicks Quarter properties will be better connected to London with the planned Crossrail inclusion.
Within the city itself, the community-focused and cosmopolitan Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich will feature its own on-site Crossrail station. As well as this, The Green Quarter in Southall will be walking distance to the forthcoming station, getting you to Bond street in just 17 minutes.
Wherever our developments are in London, the benefits of the Crossrail project will be easily felt thanks to its connections with the wider Underground. Thanks to the Elizabeth Line, residents will be able to get to Heathrow Airport and out into the wider world more easily, and more quickly, than ever before.
Crossrail adds another entry to the growing list of reasons to choose London as your next home. You can learn more about the project and the coverage of the Crossrail network on the official Crossrail website.
Whether you're living in London currently and fancy a change, or if you're thinking of making the move from outside the city, we have a host of fashionable, trendy and well-appointed apartments in London just waiting for the right buyer.
Explore our complete range of London properties on our London listings page.