The much anticipated new Crossrail line, the Elizabeth Line has an official opening day, and it's not a long wait. 

Transport for London announced the news on Twitter that the new line with open in just 20 days.

The official date is set for Tuesday, May 24 which will take commuters through central London. 

The long-awaited line fell years behind schedule and went billions over budget. 

But Transport for London said that the "stunning" £20bn project would transform the capital's public transport network and will add 10% capacity whilst adding to the post-pandemic return to work.

The announcement is subject to safety approvals and has been eagerly awaited by commuters, some expected the date to be slightly later but has been instead been changed to work with the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

There are further hopes that the 96-year-old monarch may be involved with the opening of the line herself or could pay a visit after the opening. 

Initially, the line will operate in three sections,  the western section between Reading, Heathrow and Paddington, the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood, and the eastern section between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

Your Local Guardian: Elizabeth Line. (PA)Elizabeth Line. (PA)

The central section includes 10 spectacular new stations, some such as Liverpool Street, Tottenham Court Road and Paddington of a size never before seen in London.

But Bond Street is not yet ready however trains will still run through without stopping until later this year. 

The £1bn fleet of 70 nine-carriage trains will run every five minutes in the central section, from 6.30am to 11pm six days a week.

The journey from Paddington to Canary Wharf will be cut to 17 minutes, compared with more than 30 minutes by Tube at present.

The central section will close on Sundays for several months - other than on June 5, which is part of the jubilee bank holiday weekend - to allow further testing and upgrades.

Ahead of the opening, Elizabeth line signage will be uncovered and the Tube map will be updated. TfL says the line will boost regeneration across the capital and add an estimated £42bn to the UK economy.