London’s newest train line is now also its busiest
The startling success of the Elizabeth line
John Betjeman would have been disappointed. The poet suggested bombing Slough. The town contained “bogus-Tudor bars”, “air-conditioned, bright canteens” and (a final horror) people who “often go to Maidenhead”. Instead, it has become easier to get there. The Elizabeth line, a train line which runs across London on its way from Essex to Reading, stopping at Slough on the way, opened a year ago this month. Britons have been travelling on it in vast numbers: almost one in six of all rail journeys are, according to data from the Office of Rail and Road, now made on this line. Some people, it is said, even get off at Maidenhead.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Have you come far?”
Britain May 13th 2023
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