New Whitechapel station ticket hall opens — but Elizabeth line still under wraps

Commuters start using the new concourse to reach the District and Hammersmith and City lines and the Overground network from about 7am.

Getting ready for commuters on Monday morning at Whitechapel station (Image: Chris Bevan Lee)

But they won’t be able to use the Elizabeth line just yet — that is not set to run until next year, even though up to four trains an hour have been going through since May on test runs.

Getting to the new ticket hall is through the old Victorian station entrance in Whitechapel Road, opposite the old London Hospital, but now with step-free access to the Underground as well as the London Overground platforms.

Escalators down to Crossrail's deep-level Elizabeth line in 2017 (Image: Mike Brooke)

The deep-level Elizabeth line platforms and escalators are being formally handed over to Transport for London at the same time, ready for next year.

Construction of the Crossrail project has had a turbulent history since 2009.

The multi-billion pound line was originally scheduled to open in 2018 but has been hit by numerous delays and run over budget.

The tracks were completed in 2017 when the last bolt was hammered in at Whitechapel in a fanfare with VIPs from the government, London Assembly and Crossrail.

Finishing the tracks at Whitechapel in 2017 (Image: Mike Brooke)

The 60-mile line when it finally does open in 2022 will mean getting from Whitechapel directly to Heathrow Airport in just 34 minutes, or 39 minutes from Canary Wharf.

The route from Reading and Heathrow in the west will run through 30 miles of twin tunnels from Paddington under the West End and City to east London.

It branches in two at Whitechapel, one to Stratford and Shenfield, the other to Canary Wharf and under the Thames to Abbey Wood.

Crossrail says it expects the full timetable to be in place "no later than May 2023".