Crossrail latest: New Elizabeth Line trains tested in tunnels under London as Europe’s largest infrastructure project wraps up

Crossrail has released the first footage of the new Elizabeth Line trains being tested in the tunnels under London, along with pictures showing construction progress of the £14.8bn project ahead of the December launch.

The new railway will serve 41 stations including 10 newly built ones, and run from Reading and Heathrow in the west through tunnels under London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

Europe’s largest infrastructure project is nearing the end of construction and it will be handed over to Transport for London (TfL) later this year. The capital’s transport body will lead the trial operations and commissioning phase ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth Line in December.

Read more: Key Elizabeth Line timeline milestone hit as TfL takes on Heathrow services

The new trains are currently being tested between Abbey Wood and Canary Wharf using the line’s new automatic train control system which operates in the central section of the route.

First footage of new Elizabeth Line train being tested under London:

Mark Wild, the managing director of the London Underground and the Elizabeth Line, said:

With just seven months to go until the opening of the Elizabeth Line, which will transform travel across the city, it’s great to see testing ramping up beneath the streets of London.

The brand new trains that will provide better, quicker and more comfortable journeys for hundreds of thousands of people each day are now running through the tunnels at speeds of up to 60mph.

Much more hard work is still to be done on completing stations, testing signalling and training staff. This is now underway to ensure that people can enjoy the Elizabeth line for the first time in December.

Simon Wright, Crossrail’s chief executive and programme director said: “Significant progress continues to made with station fit-out heading towards completion, installation of platform screen doors complete, electrical equipment being switched on and train testing in the tunnels underway.”

Read more: How London’s 10 new Crossrail stations for the Elizabeth Line will look