London's Elizabeth line has boosted jobs and housing after carrying 500m passengers since opening
More than 500 million passenger journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line in its first two and a half years, making it the single busiest railway service in the UK.
The line, which connects Reading and Heathrow Airport, has best satisfaction scores from users, with more than 90 per cent of customers saying the London Underground line has had a positive impact in their area.
A new report by Transport for London (TfL) and engineering firm Arup found shorter journey times and fewer interchanges were the top two reasons why customers used the line.
Customers also enjoyed the Elizabeth Line's transport links to London suburbs and Heathrow Airport.
On its busiest days, more than 800,000 journeys are made on London's newest Line.
Journeys made on the line have powered jobs, homes, and other forms of regeneration across the route.
Since it's opening in May 2022, 62 per cent of users say employment opportunities had increased, according to TfL's research.
About 378,000 additional jobs were created between 2015 and 2022, TfL added.
Around the Abbey Wood branch, there has been an 11 per cent increase in access to employment and, a six per cent rise in job accessibility along the Heathrow terminals branch.
The report also found an increase in housing growth within one kilometre (0.6 miles) of an Elizabeth line station between 2017 and 2022.
Prasing the line, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "The Elizabeth line has been a game-changer for the city, transforming travel in London and unlocking investment through the creation of new jobs and homes.
"It's proving itself to be essential to London and the UK’s transport network and helping to build a better, more prosperous London for everyone.
"The evidence from the success of the Elizabeth line is clear – when you invest in high-quality transport infrastructure it can provide huge benefits for increased jobs, growth and the new housing we need in London and across the country,” he added.
Andy Lord, London's Transport Commissioner, said: “The Elizabeth line has truly transformed life and travel in London and the South East by dramatically improving transport links, cutting journey times, providing additional capacity, and transforming accessibility.
“The findings from these reports confirm that the railway is powering important regeneration through new jobs and homes.
"As we look ahead to the next 500 million journeys, we will continue to focus on improving things for our customers, to ensure we remain London’s most popular railway.”
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