The Elizabeth line’s Bond Street station has finally opened, five months after other stations on the line’s central stretch went into service.
TfL said the new station would relieve congestion at other busy stations serving the West End and make central London more accessible.
The first services at the station arrived at 5.47am on Monday, with commuters being welcomed by a delegation led by Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport Commissioner Andy Byford.
Visitors to the station were treated to a live performance by Rosie Graham, who performed a song from the National Theatre’s new musical version of Sleeping Beauty, Hex.
A service will run from the station every five minutes, increasing to every three to four minutes at peak times from Sunday, November 6.
Transport officials described the new station, which is set to accommodate nearly 140,000 Elizabeth line passenger journeys daily, as the “jewel in the crown” of the West End’s transport provision.
Speaking at the station, Mr Khan said: “I’m delighted to be here today as the spectacular new Elizabeth line station at Bond Street opens to passengers for the first time.
“The spacious, stylish and step-free station at Bond Street is a huge boost for our retail and hospitality businesses and will radically improve travel across London and the South East by providing a new link to one of the busiest shopping districts in Europe ahead of the festive period.
“â¯I can’t wait for Londoners and visitors to our capital to experience this beautiful new station for themselves.”
The separate sections of the line from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield are set to be joined with the central stretch from Sunday, November 6, meaning commuters will no longer have to change trains at Paddington or Liverpool Street.
The station has step-free access in its two new ticket halls, with the escalator at the Hanover Square entrance the second longest on the TfL network, just 1 metre behind the escalators at Angel Underground station.
British artist Darren Almond has created three abstract artworks for the spaces above and around the escalators, two of which resemble large-scale adaptations of the embossed metal nameplates that were once affixed to British locomotives.
A new courtyard on the eastern ticket hall exit on Hanover Square, called Medici Courtyard, has also been built, in an effort led by Westminster Council.
It is the first public courtyard to open in Mayfair for more than a century.
Since opening on May 24, the Elizabeth line has seen more than 27 million journeys on the central section, and more than 54 million journeys in total.
