The Elizabeth Line is finally here; over 100 kilometres of track, connecting 41 stations, taking 12 years of construction and costing £18.8 billion.

Dwarfing the London Underground in scale, the Elizabeth Line has increased London’s rail capacity by 10%. Its Class 345 trains, one and a half-times longer than a Tube train, carry 1,500 passengers at a time, ferrying 200million passengers a year. “Spacious, silent and comfortable; this is the gamechanger we need,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan of the line that directly connects Home Counties east and west, slashing commute times and allowing huge amounts of London residents, previously in poorly connected areas of the capital to travel directly into the employment centres of The City, Canary Wharf and the West End.

Of course, property investors have been describing Crossrail as a gamechanger since its announcement, its effect on property prices well documented. Recent data taken from Rightmove shows that average house prices around the 41 Crossrail stations have increased by 70% over the last decade. And for some stations this might be described as conservative. Maryland Station in Newham has seen prices increase by 108% compared to the London average of 55%; buyer enquiries have increased by 245% in Reading, 372% in Southall and rents are up 44% in Slough. Meanwhile, Mansion Global reports that Crossrail-connected properties command a 14% premium in their locality.

If you haven’t already bought, does this mean you’ve missed the train? Have the big gains already been made? The answer is, no, not at all. In fact, close analysis of the data shows there are 13 Crossrail postcodes where property remains cheaper than the wider area; prices in Southall, West Drayton and Hayes & Harlington are according to City Monitor, ‘significantly below’ the average house prices in their respective boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon, and we believe these are the areas which show the most potential for growth. These 13 underperforming Crossrail postcodes include Reading (-8%), West Drayton (-17%) and Hayes & Harlington (-15%) which is why we have launched the RPA Crossrail Collection, showcasing three developments, all connected by the Elizabeth Line in areas we have identified as having strong medium to long-term growth potential.