Great Eastern Main Line in the context of "Rail transport in Great Britain"

The Elizabeth line is a railway line that runs across Greater London and nearby towns, operating similarly to the RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington station to Abbey Wood and via Whitechapel to the Great Eastern Main Line near Stratford; along the Great Western Main Line to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west; and along the Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield in the east.

Under the project name of Crossrail, the system was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including for several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service is now named after Queen Elizabeth II, who officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022.

Stratford is a major multi-level interchange station serving the town of Stratford and the mixed-use development known as Stratford City, in the London Borough of Newham, East London for London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Elizabeth line services. National Rail services also operate on the West Anglia Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line, 4 miles 3 chains (6.5 km) from Liverpool Street.

It is the seventh busiest railway station in Britain, the second busiest station in London outside the London station group, and is the busiest station on the London Underground network outside London fare zone 1.

Shenfield railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the suburb of Shenfield, Essex. As well as being a key interchange for medium- and long-distance services on the main line, it is also the western terminus of the Shenfield to Southend Line branch line and one of two eastern termini of the Elizabeth line. The station is 20 miles 16 chains (32.51 km) down the line from Liverpool Street; it is situated between Brentwood and either Ingatestone on the main line or Billericay on the branch line.

The station sees trains operated by Greater Anglia to main line destinations including London Liverpool Street, Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich; as well as branch line stations such as Southend Victoria, Southminster, Braintree, Harwich Town, Colchester Town and Clacton-on-Sea. Elizabeth line services stop at all stations westbound towards Liverpool Street, London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5.

Crossrail is a completed railway project centred on London. It provides a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system, akin to the RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries, known as the Elizabeth line, that crosses the capital from suburbs on the west to east and connects two major railway lines terminating in London: the Great Western Main Line and the Great Eastern Main Line. The project was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009 on the central section and connections to existing lines that became part of the route, which has been named the Elizabeth line in honour of Queen Elizabeth II who opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee. The central section of the line between Paddington and Abbey Wood opened on 24 May 2022, with 12 trains per hour running in each direction through the core section in Central London.

The main feature of the project was the construction of a new railway line that runs underground from Paddington Station to a junction near Whitechapel. There it splits into a branch to Stratford, where it joins the Great Eastern Main Line; and a branch to Abbey Wood in southeast London.