LONDON'S new underground railway, which has been built as Crossrail, will have a new name when trains start running in 2018.
Her Majesty the Queen visited the station site at Bond Street today, where the Mayor of London announced that the route will be known as the Elizabeth Line.
The Queen, who is 90 this year, toured the site this morning with transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, London Mayor Boris Johnson, transport commissioner Mike Brown and Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme.
She was presented with a commemorative Elizabeth roundel, and met a number of people involved in the construction of Crossrail, including apprentices, engineers and future train drivers.
The Queen has made a number of visits to the Underground during her life, starting in the 1930s when she was taken for a ride as a young Princess on an Inner Circle train. After becoming the Sovereign in 1952, she travelled in the cab of a Victoria Line train to celebrate its opening in 1969 -- an event which was also notable because when she was invited to 'buy' a ticket, the machine rejected the Royal sixpence.
She opened the first Underground station at Heathrow -- originally Heathrow Central -- in 1977, and on a less happy occasion she unveiled a plaque to commemorate the victims of the 2005 London bombings at Aldgate station in 2010.
Most recently, she visited Baker Street station in 2013 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Underground.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Crossrail is already proving a huge success for the UK economy, and as we move closer to bringing this transformative new railway into service, I think it’s truly wonderful that such a significant line for our capital, will carry such a significant name from our country. As well as radically improving travel right across our city, the Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest serving monarch.”
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin added: “Given Her Majesty the Queen’s long association with UK transport, it is very fitting that this vital link across our capital will be named the Elizabeth Line in her honour. This is an example of British engineering at its best and will transform the way people travel across London and beyond from 2018, bringing better and faster journeys, while boosting jobs and driving economic growth.”