The Elizabeth line in London has reached a landmark achievement, with over 500 million passenger journeys having been made in the .

It is now the single busiest railway service in the UK, and new reports published by Transport for London (TfL) and Arup show that its opening has been the trigger for creating jobs and homes across the line, particularly in the Abbey Wood area.

Highlighted by the reports are the key outcomes, benefits, and insights brought by the line’s opening. It provides an overview of its performance, and also reinforces the confidence that future investment in transport will bring to London and across the UK.

The reports cover the period from May 2022 to October 2023. They include a benefits report from Transport for London, Evidencing the value of the Elizabeth line, and Elizabeth line post-opening evaluation: transport outcomes, an evaluation study interim findings report developed by Arup in association with Transport for London and the Department for Transport.

Over 90 per cent of customers surveyed said that the Elizabeth line has had a positive impact in their area, and many welcomed better connectivity to London suburbs and improved access to Heathrow Airport.

One of the findings of the evaluation study interim findings report showed improved cross-river connections were a particularly benefit around the Abbey Wood branch, where there has been an 11 per cent increase in access to employment.

Along the Heathrow terminals branch there has been a six per cent increase in job accessibility, whilst 62 per cent of those surveyed agreed that access to the Elizabeth line has had a positive impact on employment opportunities.

According to analysis in the new benefits report, between 2017 and 2022 within one kilometre of an Elizabeth line station there was an upsurge in housing growth with an increase of 14 per cent in east London and eight per cent in west London. Abbey Wood has seen a six per cent increase in new homes with further development expected over the next five years.

Further analysis by Transport for London shows that between 2015 and 2022, 378,000 jobs were created within one kilometre of Elizabeth line stations, with the highest job growth in central London being around Liverpool Street station.

In November 2024, GTS Rail Operations Limited, a joint venture between Go Ahead Group, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation, were awarded a seven-year contract to operate the Elizabeth line.

“The increased mobility afforded by the Elizabeth line’s arrival in 2022 gave London’s office market that all important post-Covid shot-in-the-arm, and no location more so than Paddington, which saw a 150 per cent increase in office deals. Two and a half years later Paddington is the UK’s second busiest station and demand for office space and confidence in the location continues to grow, with a renewed public realm and phenomenal visitor numbers boosting the local hotel sector.”

Kay Buxton, Chief Executive of The Paddington Partnership