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The Elizabeth line (Lizzie line??) is a bit of a quandary for me... Was so excited about it opening and I still get excited about riding it. Although the tunne

The Elizabeth line (Lizzie line??) is a bit of a quandary for me... Was so excited about it opening and I still get excited about riding it. Although the tunnels are already notably less pristine, so I'm glad to have seen them when they almost sparkled. That all said, at least according to google maps and citymapper the Eline seems to be a little situational. For example, if you're on the Met line and want to go to Canary Wharf, it seems to not be worth changing at Farringdon to catch the Eline or even Liverpool Street, or even a cheeky Jubilee Switch at Finchley Road/Baker St then jump on at Bond Street. Instead they recommend just doing the boring hop onto the Jubilee line and riding out on those numerous stops. I tried manually calculating it and it seemed roughly correct, the long change times and less frequent journeys seem to mean it's still generally better to take the old routes. But if you're already on the Eline it really is a blast across the city. EDIT I suppose really the game changer was the connection to Paddington. I remember when Amazon moved from Slough to Holborn/Farringdon the transit was shockingly slow for the Reading crowd... the experience was bad enough people would Boris bike or Brompton it instead... I imagine it's even better now for any of the old Reading crowd who now work at Principal Place by Shoreditch

clarkdave 3y ago
Indeed, the interchanges can be quite arduous, as it tends to be very deep, and usually quite a trek from the other lines in that station. This also means it can take a good chunk of time to even get to or from the platform. For example, if you wanted to go from Farringdon to Liverpool St, Google Maps would suggest using the Elizabeth line, but, in practice, it's usually better to use the sub-surface lines (Metropolitan etc). The time taken for the extra stops will be cancelled out because the Elizabeth line takes significantly longer to get into/out of of as it's so much deeper. Add another couple of minutes if you happen to get on the wrong end of the train, because those platforms are long! That being said, it's a joy to ride and is the only air-conditioned train that runs through the central section of London.
- benjaminwootton 3y ago
  It’s probably faster to walk from Farringdon to Liverpool Street!
  - djtango 3y ago
    Ha yes it does tickle me that the platform to "Farringdon" spans from Farringdon to Barbican!
- leoedin 3y ago
  > only air-conditioned train that runs through the central section of London. What about the district, metropolitan, Hammersmith and city and circle lines? And Thameslink of course!
namdnay 3y ago
it's amazing for getting in from heathrow too...
twic 3y ago
I think the main point of Crossrail was fast access to central London for people living in east London. It does that quite well, and in doing so relieves the Central line. Crossrail might not be very useful for short, interchangey trips, but the Central line is, so this is still a win.

clarkdave 3y ago

Indeed, the interchanges can be quite arduous, as it tends to be very deep, and usually quite a trek from the other lines in that station. This also means it can take a good chunk of time to even get to or from the platform. For example, if you wanted to go from Farringdon to Liverpool St, Google Maps would suggest using the Elizabeth line, but, in practice, it's usually better to use the sub-surface lines (Metropolitan etc). The time taken for the extra stops will be cancelled out because the Elizabeth line takes significantly longer to get into/out of of as it's so much deeper. Add another couple of minutes if you happen to get on the wrong end of the train, because those platforms are long! That being said, it's a joy to ride and is the only air-conditioned train that runs through the central section of London.

benjaminwootton 3y ago
It’s probably faster to walk from Farringdon to Liverpool Street!
- djtango 3y ago
  Ha yes it does tickle me that the platform to "Farringdon" spans from Farringdon to Barbican!
leoedin 3y ago
> only air-conditioned train that runs through the central section of London. What about the district, metropolitan, Hammersmith and city and circle lines? And Thameslink of course!

namdnay 3y ago

it's amazing for getting in from heathrow too...

twic 3y ago

I think the main point of Crossrail was fast access to central London for people living in east London. It does that quite well, and in doing so relieves the Central line. Crossrail might not be very useful for short, interchangey trips, but the Central line is, so this is still a win.