Feb 8, 2026

Crossrail Reopens As Elizabeth Line

Crossrail, which closed on the first of February, has finally reopened as the Elizabeth line. The line has been upgraded to double-track, which will increase overall throughput and allow for the introduction of an announcement system, which will be deployed in the near future. Heathrow station has also been retrofitted with level boarding, which will make boarding and alighting easier and more accessible.

Regarding the rebrand, a TfL spokesperson said the following:

“While ‘Crossrail’ was initially the codename for the project, internal politics resulted in the original name, ‘Elizabeth line’, being discarded. In the background, the in-fighting has continued and it’s pretty clear that (a) the public would be receptive to a line name in line with the other routes on the network and that (b) the name had grown on those who initially disliked it.”