Thrills today, gains tomorrow: Why the Elizabeth line is a blessing for London

Even for the ever-changing capital, the new link is a great leap forward, says Simon Calder

Action station: London mayor Sadiq Khan and Andy Byford, commissioner of Transport for London, at Paddington station (Simon Calder)

“There will be a short delay while we change drivers,” passengers at Edgware Road are told.

On the day the world’s newest subterranean railway line opened beneath the streets of London, I temporarily sidestepped the carnival of rail enthusiasts to jolt along the oldest Underground line on the planet: the link from Paddington to Farringdon.

What with the changeover, the journey on the Victorian-era “cut and cover” line lasted 21 minutes.