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The 65,000 tonne vessel aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth joins the British fleet at Portsmouth. Queen Elizabeth says at the opening ceremony- "she will in the years and decades ahead represent the country's resolve on the global stage."  The Queen has a special connection with the Royal Navy- "As the daughter, wife, and mother of naval officers I recognize the unique demands our nation asks of you. I will always value my special link with HMS Queen Elizabeth, her ship's company, and her families."

The ship is part of a carrier group that includes US Marine aircraft that is headed for the Indian Ocean and Japan for joint exercizes.

LyrArc Article Gist
BBC Transport correspondent Tom Edwards gives this report on the Elizabeth Line, the Crossrail project that connects London from east to west. He has seen the infrastructure project project from its inception in 2005, past the planned opening date of 2018, till today, through all the ups and downs for a project of this size and complexity. It is the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Most of the tunneling was actually done on time says Edwards, but signaling from stations, and software ran into problems along the way. There were some deaths inside the tunnels and some outside over ground with vehicle accidents. Edwards provides glimpses into the most advanced infrastructure project attempted in Britain for decades. Queen Elizabeth opened the Elizabeth Line at Paddington Station. Station ambient characteristics are also covered in the BBC in a separate article, each station having unique design from Berkshire to Essex. BBC videos and pictures show the evolution of the line, with new management team brought in after delays. At the end of May the new Elizabeth Line will be open to the public. It has been quite a journey says Edwards, with public skepticism over delays, and the pandemic's financial problems. It is surreal now says Edwards, to see trains whizzing through tunnels every 5 minutes. ...