Elizabeth line: Bond Street station to open on 24 October
Bond Street’s Elizabeth line station will open on 24 October following a five-month delay, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.
The step-free station will accommodate 140,000 daily passengers, relieving congestion from Oxford Street and giving a boost to the capital’s fashion district.
Trains will initially run every five minutes, with no services taking place on Sunday 30 October.
But starting the following week, services will increase to three to four minutes, Monday to Sunday, as direct daily services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield open on 6 November.
TfL was forced to delay the opening by five months as works to make the station suitable to customers were behind schedule.
“When we opened the brilliant central section of the Elizabeth line earlier this year, I promised that Bond Street station would open this autumn and I am extremely pleased that Londoners and visitors will be able to use this magnificent station from 24 October,” said TfL’s commissioner Andy Byford.
Byford made the headlines last week when he announced he will step down at the end of October, after more than two years at the network’s helm.
“It is truly spectacular and will provide a highly significant new link to one of the busiest shopping districts in the UK, enabling even further connectivity to jobs and leisure for people across London and the South East,” Byford added.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said the opening would attract people “back on to our world-class public transport network,” supporting businesses across the city.
“As London continues to recover from the pandemic, it’s vital that we encourage people back on to public transport and out into our city in order to help build a cleaner, greener and more prosperous London for everyone,” Khan added.
According to Nick Bowes, chief executive of think tank Centre for London the station’s opening will boost the West End’s footfall amid a volatile market.
“With the cost-of-living crisis biting and increased economic uncertainty, it is vital for London businesses that journeys to and from the centre are made as effortless and straightforward as possible,” added Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce.