A new rail line which will run under the city London to connect parts of England was today named "Elizabeth Line" after Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
The Crossrail project, which is expected to be fully operational by December 2019, was given its official name as the 89-year-old monarch visited one of the under-construction stations of Bond Street in London today.
"Queen Elizabeth has given extraordinary service to this country over an unprecedented period and it is entirely right that she should be honoured with a living tribute that will last for centuries," London mayor Boris Johnson said.
"As well as radically improving travel right across our city, the Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to our longest-serving monarch," he said.
The Elizabeth line, dubbed one of Europe's biggest engineering projects, is expected to carry 200 million passengers a year, running from west to east England via central London.
The Queen unveiled the purple Elizabeth Line logo, which will feature across the network.
She was then taken in an industrial lift to the site 92-feet below ground, where she viewed part of the railway tunnel and met construction apprentices.
UK transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, who was also present at the event, highlighted the Queen's long-standing association with UK transport, becoming the first reigning monarch to travel on the London Underground in 1969 when she opened the "Victoria" line - named after her great-great grandmother.
In 1979, the Jubilee line was named to mark 25 years since her accession to the throne.
London's transport commissioner Mike Brown said: "In running this important new railway we will ensure that it serves as a fitting tribute to Her Majesty the Queen."
A fleet of new 656-feet-long trains with nine walk-through air-conditioned carriages will run on the line.
The network will be opened in several phases, beginning with the Liverpool Street to Shenfield route in May next year.
