Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station has been officially transferred to London Underground, bringing immediate benefits to commuters at Moorgate. It is the fifth station to be transferred to Transport for London (TfL) and the third station which London Underground will take over as infrastructure manager.
A refurbished station entrance for Moorgate station on Moorfields, included in the work undertaken by Crossrail, is now open. Step-free access to the London Underground’s Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines is also now available, improving accessibility, with new lifts on the eastbound and westbound platforms.
The new entrance is 65 metres wide, with a longer gateline, six new ticket vending machines and customer information screens have been installed to improve customer experience, and the station will have a central concourse linking Liverpool Street and Moorgate stations.
Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, said: “I’m really pleased that passengers on three Tube lines will be able to benefit from step-free access at the new Moorgate station entrance from today, as the Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station is handed over to TfL. The Elizabeth line will transform our city’s transport network when it opens next year, and it is great that Londoners are already able to enjoy some of the advantages it will bring.”
The new Elizabeth line stations are much bigger in size, due to the new trains being more than 200 metres long, and rail passengers will have more than one station entrance to choose from when travelling, reducing crowding. Customers at Liverpool Street will be able to use Moorgate, as well as the new entrance at Broadgate, to access Elizabeth line services.
The Elizabeth line, being built by Crossrail Ltd, will stretch over 60 miles from Reading and Heathrow in the west through central tunnels across to Sheffield and Abbey Wood in the East. It will stop at 41 accessible stations, 10 newly built and 30 newly upgraded, and will serve 200 million people every year.
The line is also the deepest of the new central London stations, being 34 metres below the ground at platform level, and has a total of 15 escalators and 7 lifts, 2 of which are inclined lifts at the Broadgate entrance to take passengers from street to platform level.
Alastair Moss, Chair of the City of London Corporation's Planning and Transportation Committee, said: “Once open, the Elizabeth line will provide an enormous boost for the City by enhancing sustainable transport links to the rest of London and beyond which is why we made a substantial financial contribution of £200m towards the Crossrail project.”
Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station is now ready for the next stages in extensive commissioning, consequently preparing it for Trial Operations beginning later on this year. This is the final phase before the Elizabeth line officially opens, to ensure the reliability and safety of the railway for public use.
Eventually, the station will offer an interchange between Circle, Central, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern Lines. Passengers can also interchange with London Overground services and National Rail services to east London, Hertfordshire, East Anglia and Stansted and Southend Airports from the rail stations.
New forecourts and plazas around both entrances to Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station will provide pedestrian-friendly, accessible spaces with wider pavements.
The rest of the new Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station will open, with the start of cross-London Elizabeth line services, in the first half of 2022.
