Crossrail opens – a big day for travellers to and workers in London

At CG Results Healthcare we execute transactions around the world, with active projects in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, so we see ourselves as a global organisation with offices and employees in London and New York, so a blog on transport in London might seem oddly parochial, but the opening of Crossrail, or the Elizabeth Line will be a highly significant transport addition both for our London employees and those of you who will want to visit London for business or pleasure.

The Elizabeth Line runs east to west through central London linking Reading to the West of London with Romford and Shenfield in the East, running through Canary Wharf, the City of London, Oxford St (near RESULTS’ London offices), Paddington, Heathrow and out to Berkshire.

London has the oldest and one of the most extensive underground metropolitan rail networks, and in many places it clearly operates with and displays its full heritage. The Elizabeth Line is the newest and one of the most impressive rail lines in the world which now links central London east to west, transforming travel times from the West End, to the City of London to Canary Wharf. The number of times I have struggled to get from Oxford Circus to the City of London, by cab and public transport and been late for meetings will, I hope, be a distant memory.

Of course it’s 3 years late (IT not engineering problems), at £24billion it’s £4billion over budget and for the next few weeks there will be a series of newspaper articles about delays and stoppages on the line (its what the UK press does!) but it adds a much needed 10% additional public transport capacity in London, transforms east west travel for the benefit of those who visit central London and is the successful conclusion of one of the biggest engineering projects in Europe.

Glad to have it up and running, finally!