It’s London’s biggest rail project in a long time, eclipsing the Overground upgrade and Jubilee Line extension.

We’re promised Crossrail will be up and running in the not-too-distant future this year...and although the powers-that-be are staying schtum over exactly when, there’s suggestion that May’s the month.

The central part of the new purple £19 billion Elizabeth Line is now being tested to eventually whizz commuters from Abbey Wood in south-east London into Paddington.

As offices grind back into post-Covid life, how busy will the Elizabeth Line be at rush hour, and how much does cash-strapped Transport for London hope to squeeze out of passengers?

The Standard’s City Hall editor Ross Lydall went on a test return trip between Paddington and Liverpool Street, and onboard he quizzed Mayor Sadiq Khan, Crossrail CEO Mark Wild and TfL boss Andy Byford.

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