The $25 billion railway that’s named after Queen Elizabeth II has cheaper fares and a flower memorial to mark the day of her funeral

• Alterations were made to London's Elizabeth line rail service on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
• These included off-peak fares, an extra hour of service, and the creation of a flower memorial.
• Transport for London said it would announce a two-minute silence to passengers.

The Elizabeth line railway in London launched in May after 23 years of planning. It was named after Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8.

Queen Elizabeth II made an appearance on May 17 at London's Paddington station, one of the main stops on the railway, to officially open the line. She learned how to add money to an Oyster travel card.

After Queen Elizabeth died, Transport for London (TfL) warned passengers about potential disruption to normal travel routes because of "unprecedented travel demand" on the day of Her Majesty's funeral.

I commuted on the Elizabeth line, which cost $ 25 billion to build, on the morning of the Queen's funeral on Monday.

It was so quiet in Paddington station that you could hear a pin drop. I saw two passengers dressed in formal black attire with hats and broaches, who appeared to be heading to an event related to the Queen's funeral.

Flowers, cards, and handwritten notes sending wishes to the royal family had been placed under the official opening plaque in the station.

The TfL commissioner, Andy Byford, wrote one of the notes, which said the team sent their "deepest condolences to King Charles III and the Royal Family on the passing of our Sovereign Lady, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

It was no surprise that the Elizabeth line was so quiet, given that Monday was a public holiday due to the Queen's funeral. This meant that many businesses and workplaces were closed for the day.

The screens in the glass paneling separating the platform and trains were lit up black with the royal cypher of ER, which stands for Elizabeth Regina.

'ER' was also shown on the screens alongside the escalators.

TfL said passengers will be charged off-peak fares for travel on Monday. That means a normal adult pay-as-you-go fare for a journey from London's Zone 1 to Zone 2 dropped from £3.20 to £2.60.

Source: TfL's website and London City Guide.

The Elizabeth line is scheduled to run an extra hour on Monday until midnight between Paddington and Abbey Wood as visitors and tourists flock to the city for the funeral, per TfL. Hourly trains are set to operate overnight between Paddington and Reading, it added.

Source: TfL.

TfL said a two-minute silence will take place on Monday at around 11.55 a.m. on the Elizabeth line and other services. Announcements will alert customers before the silence begins, while buses will pull over and switch engines off if safe to do so, per TfL.

Apart from the Waterloo and City line, which was closed, a good service was expected on all tube lines on Monday. Green Park station, located next to Buckingham Palace, was only allowing people to exit.

The empty trains and quiet stations made for a very somber commute from Paddington to Liverpool Street hours before the Queen's funeral. TfL said it expected services to become "extremely busy."

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