First public journey on the new Elizabeth line train

Rail passengers have travelled on a train built for London's £14.8 billion Elizabeth Line for the first time.

The inaugural service left London Liverpool Street for Shenfield, Essex, on the existing TfL Rail route on Thursday morning.

A fleet of 66 trains featuring walk-through carriages, air conditioning and free wi-fi will run along the Elizabeth Line - known as Crossrail during its development - when it opens in stages from December next year.

The trains, which are being built at Bombardier's factory in Derby, will be up to 656ft long to enable them to carry as many as 1,500 passengers.

The Elizabeth Line project features 26 miles (42km) of tunnels and will connect Shenfield with Reading through central London, including a link with Heathrow Airport.