Thousands travelled on London’s £18.9 billion Elizabeth line railway in the first few hours of operation this morning (May 24).

As hundreds of transport enthusiasts gathered at stations in Paddington, west London and Abbey Wood, south-east London to be on the first trains. 

Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Andy Byford said the service was running “so far so good” and “on time”.

However, Paddington station was closed for around half an hour due to a fire alarm being activated but was quickly resolved. 

Tottenham Independent: Thousands travel on Elizabeth line for the first morning of passenger service. (PA)Thousands travel on Elizabeth line for the first morning of passenger service. (PA)

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who travelled on the first departure from Paddington spoke to PA news agency and told them: “It’s been fantastic to see these amazing stations being used by members of the public.

“It’s one of those pinch-me moments.

“We’re experiencing an expansion of public transport in London we’ve not seen in more than 50 years.”

Adding: “We know now they are fit for a Queen and, as importantly, fit for Londoners.”

Clare Cenci, 43, from Maidenhead, Berkshire travelled on an early morning Elizabeth line service from Paddington on her commute to Liverpool Street.

She said there is “a lot more space” compared with Tube trains.

She went on: “The air-conditioning makes it a lot better.

“The Central line in the summer isn’t good.”

Tottenham Independent: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who travelled on the first departure from Paddington. (PA)Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who travelled on the first departure from Paddington. (PA)

The Elizabeth line stretches from Reading in Berkshire and Heathrow Airport in west London to Abbey Wood in south-east London and Shenfield in Essex.

It initially operates in three separate sections, which are expected to be integrated in the autumn.

TfL estimates that annual passenger numbers will reach 170 million by 2026.

The new central section, built by the Crossrail project, runs through tunnels from Paddington to Abbey Wood.

It will initially be closed on Sundays, apart from during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, to allow further testing and software updates to take place.