From Reading to Central London in 53 minutes on the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line - and when you get there THIS is what your new stations will look like

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The future of London travel has been unveiled today as images of the new Elizabeth Line stations were published for the first time.

The artist's impression pictures show how the stations in Central London will look with airy entrance halls and skylights to ensure as much light as possible reaches the underground facilities.

Trains on the railway, originally known as Crossrail, will start running under the centre of the capital from December 2018.

Vision: This is one of a set of artist's impression designs of the new Elizabeth Line stations; it shows the platform at Farringdon

Hall: This image shows one of the new entrances to Tottenham Court Road being built to accommodate the Elizabeth Line

New: A design of the station concourse being built on top of the existing Overground line at Whitechapel station

Futuristic: The new designs, such as this one at Liverpool Street, emphasise airy spaces and lots of light

Accessible: The stations, including Woolwich which is pictured here, will have step-free access from street to train

It will enable commuters to travel from Reading to Bond Street in 53 minutes, and will also extend east into Essex.

The full service from west of London to the east will begin operation in December 2019.

Julian Robinson, head of architecture at Crossrail Limited, said: 'The Crossrail project has worked with world-leading architects and designers to deliver a new railway that draws upon the fantastic transport architectural heritage of London and London Underground, with each station reflecting the distinct character of the surrounding area and presenting a common line identity.'

The stations will be integrated with Transport for London's existing network and offer step-free access from street to train.

Gates: The entrance to the new station at Bond Street, which will be accessible from London within just 53 minutes

Light: The entrance hall at Paddington's Elizabeth Line station has large skylights emphasising the height of the area

Trains: A digital artist's impression of the platform level at Paddington station, with interchange to other Tube lines

Exterior: The entrance to Tottenham Court Road which is currently under construction at Dean Street in Soho

Interchange: The escalators at Farringdon station on the edge of the City of London which will handle thousands of passengers

Relief: The scene at the new Whitechapel station, which is scheduled to come into service in 2018

Passengers: An artist's vision of how the new entrance hall at Bond Street will look once it is up and running

Mike Brown, London's transport commissioner, said: 'The TfL-run Elizabeth line will transform travel across London, reducing journey times, relieving congestion on the Tube network, and radically improving step-free access with brand new accessible stations.'

Images of the stations will go on display at a new exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects in Central London.

Elizabeth Line stations including Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Liverpool Street are currently under construction.

The line, named in honour of the Queen, is designed to relieve pressure on crowded rail, Tube and bus services in the centre of London.

Routs: This map shows how the line will extend far to the west and east of the capital when it opens