London's long-delayed Crossrail to open on May 24
May 4, 2022, 4:25 pm

London's long-delayed Crossrail to open on May 24

The city station in London, UK (Photo: Pixabay)

The Alarabyia English reported, citing Reuters, Transport for London (TfL) said on Wednesday (May 4) that London’s long-delayed Crossrail will open on May 24, with 12 trains per hour running through the middle section of the line linking Paddington in the west to Canary Wharf in the east.

The $24 billion rail project was originally due to be opened by Queen Elizabeth in December 2018, but had been repeatedly delayed by issues with safety testing and signaling systems, even before the onset of the pandemic.

Crossrail, which has been renamed the Elizabeth line, will connect destinations west of London, including Heathrow airport and Reading with Shenfield in the east. It will expand Central London’s rail capacity by 10 percent.

File photo of a worker walking inside a section of a tunnel boring machine in one of the tunnels at Crossrail’s Limmo Peninsula site in east London. (Reuters)

TfL said that it will operate as three separate railways until the autumn, however, when the central section will be connected to the two branches and services will increase to 22 trains an hour in the central section.

Purple signage for the line has already started to be uncovered on the network, TfL said, adding an update to London’s famous Tube map featuring the new line would be released later.

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TfL Commissioner Andy Byford, said: “The opening day is set to be a truly historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network.”

Source: alarabiyaenglish

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”