The
Elizabeth
Line


concession
has
been
awarded
by
Transport
for
London
to
a
new
operator,
less
than
three
years
since
the
line
was
opened
in
full.

The
line
had
been
operated
by
MTR
of
Hong
Kong
since
‘TfL
Rail’
was
launched
on
the
outer
sections
of
the
future
Elizabeth
Line
in
2015.
The
new
MTR
contract
had
been
awarded
the
year
before,
and
was
to
run
for
eight
years.
The
line
should
have
been
completed
through
central
London
in
2018
but
in
the
event
opening
was
delayed
until
2022,
partly
because
of
software
problems.

The
contract
changeover
date
will
be
May
next
year,
when
GTS
Rail
Operations
Limited
takes
charge.
GTS
is
a
joint
venture
between
Go
Ahead
Group,
Tokyo
Metro
and
Sumitomo
Corporation.
The
contract
will
run
seven
years
with
an
option
to
extend
it
for
up
to
two
years.

The
new
contractor
will
be
responsible
for
preparing
to
serve
the
new
Old
Oak
Common
HS2
station
in
2030,
when
the
number
of
services
will
increase.
It
will
also
be
expected
to
encourage
collaboration
with
Network
Rail,
which
manages
the
surface
infrastructure
on
both
sides
of
London,
and
have
a
‘relentless
focus’
on
safety
as
well
as
providing
more
than
500
apprenticeships,
along
with
funding
grants
to
community
groups.

Ten
more
Class
345
trains
now
being
built
by
Alstom
in
Derby
will
come
into
service.

TfL
chief
operating
officer
Claire
Mann
said:
‘The
Elizabeth
Line
has
had
a
transformational
impact
since
opening
in
2022
and
has
quickly
become
one
of
the
most
popular
and
reliable
railways
in
the
country.
The
railway
has
provided
new,
more
direct
journey
options
which
has
led
to
huge
numbers
of
customers
using
our
safe
and
accessible
trains
and
stations.

‘I
am
delighted
that
we
have
appointed
GTS
Rail
Operations
to
continue
to
build
on
the
success
of
the
line
and
I
look
forward
to
working
with
them.’