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Transport for London (TfL) has revealed that the Elizabeth line has completed more than 500 million passenger journeys in the two and a half years it has operated – making it the single busiest railway service in the UK.
A recent report from the London transport body and design company Arup says that 90 per cent of customers it surveyed say that the Elizabeth line has had a positive impact on their area, with many saying they also welcomed the increased connection in London suburbs and Heathrow Airport.
The report found that the Elizabeth line, which first opened its service in May 2022, has also created jobs, homes and other forms of regeneration.
On the Abbey Wood branch, there has been an 11 per cent increase in access to employment, while Abbey Wood also emerged as one of the largest regeneration areas in London, with a six per cent increase in new homes and expectations for even further growth in the next five years.
While the purple-themed line connects some of London’s most central and inner-city locations, job accessibility along the Heathrow terminals branch just outside of central London has been positively impacted, with a six per cent uplift.
TfL says that overall, 62 per cent of customers say that the opening of the new railway, which also extends as far out as Reading and Shenfield, has had a positive impact on their access to employment opportunities.
Additional findings by TfL also reveal that between 2015 and 2022, there were 378,000 jobs created within one kilometre of Elizabeth line stations.
The station with the highest growth was Liverpool Street, as it prepared to welcome a whole new onslaught of passengers when the line opened.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London said that the Elizabeth line has become a “game-changer” for the city by transforming travel as well as boosting the creation of jobs and houses.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “With its growing popularity, the Elizabeth line is proving itself to be essential to London and the UK’s transport network and helping to build a better, more prosperous London for everyone.
“The evidence from the success of the Elizabeth line is clear – when you invest in high-quality transport infrastructure it can provide huge benefits for increased jobs, growth and the new housing we need in London and across the country.”
Andy Lord, London’s transport commissioner, added: “The Elizabeth line has truly transformed life and travel in London and the South East by dramatically improving transport links, cutting journey times, providing additional capacity, and transforming accessibility.
“The findings from these reports confirm that the railway is powering important regeneration through new jobs and homes.
“As we look ahead to the next 500 million journeys, we will continue to focus on improving things for our customers, to ensure we remain London’s most popular railway.”
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Source: independent.co.uk
