At last, Crossrail's Elizabeth line has an opening date

It has been 20 years in the making, is three and a half years late and billions of pounds over budget. It is also an engineering work of art that will wow tourists and commuters.

And finally . . . it is set to open. Crossrail, the name of the project, will officially become the Elizabeth Line on May 24, when the first of the new trains glides under the capital with paying passengers.

Until now the date has been a secret, although transport bosses had insisted that it would open prior to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next month.

The Crossrail project is in its final phase of testing. Trains are running, branded as TfL Rail, between Reading and Paddington in the west and Shenfield