Crossrail Place and Canary Wharf (Elizabeth Line)

The Elizabeth Line is officially opening in the “first half of 2022” with Canary Wharf (Elizabeth Line) a brand new station. Currently it is rumoured that the Elizabeth Line (between Paddington and Abbey Wood) might open on 6th March 2022 (I don't have the answer to whether that will actually happen). And despite the actual station not being open Crossrail Place is an integral part of Canary Wharf.

An exterior view of Crossrail Place with the roof graden visible on top

Crossrail Place

Crossrail Place is the above ground section of the complete Elizabeth Line station Canary Wharf. Partly opened in May 2015, Crossrail Place facilitates many high end restaurants and shopping locations including a cinema. With its major attraction the roof garden, aptly on the top floor of Crossrail Place.

The roof garden of crossrail place with its many shrubs, plants and trees

The Roof Garden

The Crossrail Place roof garden is stunning with masses of plants, trees and shrubs creating an experience. It is split into two sections with one containing plants from the eastern hemisphere and the other from the western hemisphere. And despite being only half a mile away from the actual meridian the signage implies that the centre of Crossrail Place is the actual meridian. This is misleading, but the aura of Canary Wharf is unparalleled in London, with it trying to be replicated by Battersea Power Station (the end of the Northern Line Extension).

The Station

The actual Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line station is being built (well currently having its fire suppression systems upgraded and other minor things necessary to open a functioning station). The station lies directly underneath Crossrail Place and was supposed to open, like the rest of the central section, in December 2018. The station has two platforms lettered A and B, like all the stations in the central section, to maintain consistency and avoid confusion.

Canary Wharf has some of the most expensive land in London with the construction on Crossrail starting after most of Canary Wharf was built. This forced the Elizabeth Line station to be built in a dock (similar to London City Airport which is built on a runway shaped dock) which makes the station an island.

The Other Two Stations

West India Quay with Central London visible in the distance

When the Elizabeth Line opens there will be three separate stations with the name Canary Wharf with there also being two more DLR stations in Canary Wharf but not called Canary Wharf. Interestingly the most efficient transfers between lines in this area are not between the three Canary Wharf stations, with West India Quay DLR closer to Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line than Canary Wharf DLR, and Heron Quays DLR closer to Canary Wharf Jubilee Line than Canary Wharf DLR.

Canary Wharf Jubilee Line is an engineering marvel, like the Elizabeth Line station, with the largest platform roundels on the Underground, and it has a total of three surface level entrances and exits (with a few more into the shopping centre).

Canary Wharf DLR has three tracks but six platform faces for boarding and alighting from both sides of every train. And Unlike Heron Quays station this station is only surrounded by tall buildings, not in a tall building.

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