The Elizabeth line, London’s newest railway and part of the London Underground network officially opened on 24 May 2022. Working with the client, Crossrail, Grimshaw with Atkins, Maynard and Equation led a unique role on the new line - delivering the line-wide design for the project - a design strategy that brings a cohesive, intuitive and consistent passenger experience.

The new line, which in total serves 41 stations running 100km east to west across the city through 42km of new tunnels, includes 10 new central London stations and the upgrading of 31 existing stations. It is estimated to ultimately carry 200 million passengers per year, increasing the capacity of London’s underground railway network by 10%.

The line-wide design encompasses the platforms, passenger tunnels, escalators and station concourses, including signage, bespoke furniture, fittings, finishes, and technology creating a ‘family of elements’. Taking its cue from the engineering feat of the new line - the complexity and scale of the project - one of the defining features of the design is the treatment of the passenger tunnels and platforms.

At almost double the length and height of standard London Underground stations, these spaces are clad in glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRFC) which ‘shrink wraps’ the structure - sitting tightly against the sprayed concrete finish of the structural lining. This creates a fluid, vast environment with curved junctions in the passenger tunnels which increases sightlines, alleviates the below ground experience and improves passenger flow and safety.

The passenger experience is central to the whole line-wide design ethos. On the 240-metre long platforms the cladding system enables integration and simplification of the signage.

Wayfinding, directions to onward journeys, are prioritised on the back wall of the platform, while facing the tracks, as passengers wait for their train, digital advertising is placed within the platform edge screens, alongside the train arrival information. In contrast to other parts of London Underground network the spaces, as a result, are ordered and decluttered.

The zoning of information continues through the tunnels with the wayfinding totems guiding and defining routes. The bespoke totems bring together low-level lighting, wayfinding, security cameras and speakers, all designed with ease of access for maintenance and replacement, and further contribute to the open, mannered, and consistent experience.

The application of this ‘family of elements’ is conceived as two distinct design languages - the long-life architectural elements – such as the tunnel cladding and flooring, and the shorter life technology elements such as the totems.

A considered lighting strategy complements this, defining different environments of the journey. Cool lighting characterises the active, passing spaces of the passenger tunnels and a diffused, warmer lighting, integrated into the platform edge screens and throwing light down and onto the GRFC cladding, creating the calmer, dwell spaces of the platforms.

The common components of the line-wide design were informed, and refined through an inclusive design approach leaving an integrated and also simplified maintenance programme - with infrastructure that requires minimal intervention and disruption on this London’s most significant contribution to city travel in 20 years.