NEW trains that will serve a high-speed rail line into London, serving Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire, have been given a test run.

State-of-the-art Crossrail trains were unveiled by Transport for London (TfL) last week as a trial run was carried out.

A fleet of 66 trains will serve the line from Reading to East London, through 40 accessible stations including Maidenhead, and Slough.

The service was renamed the Elizabeth Line earlier this year to mark The Queen’s 90th birthday.

Transport Minister, Lord Ahmad, said: “The Elizabeth Line and its new trains are a great example of our commitment to improve passenger journeys by investing in one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes ever undertaken in the UK.

“This investment will transform the way people travel across London and beyond. And it doesn’t stop here.

“The government is spending record amounts on upgrading the rail network, providing a huge boost to capacity to keep Britain moving, support economic growth and bring our country closer together.”

The Class 345 trains will enter service in May 2017, when the first stretch of the line opens between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Then nine-carriage trains, capable of carrying up to 1,500 people, will be introduced from May 2018 between Heathrow and Paddington.

The Elizabeth Line will fully open in 2019.

Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner inspected the new trains, and said: “The Elizabeth line trains, which are a great showcase of British design and manufacture, will be running on part of our network within a year.

“The trains are fully accessible, will have air cooling, and once the whole line opens, they will help our passengers move more easily into and across the city every day.”

The trains were tested at Bombardier Transportation in Derby, where they will undergo a month of tests, before more tests at the Old Dalby test centre in Leicestershire to ensure they meet safety and performance requirements.

The trains will be loaded with more than 100 tonnes of weight to simulate being full of passengers, and testing includes taking a complete carriage to a climatic chamber to ensure passengers will be kept comfortable at the extreme temperatures London can sometimes reach.

Once trials are completed, testing equipment will be removed from the first trains and the interiors will be completed with seats and moquette seat-covers before delivery for use by passengers.