A Journey Across London on the Elizabeth Line

London’s magnificent Elizabeth line opened last May, and on its first birthday there’s so much to celebrate.

Running from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, the Elizabeth line brings an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes of the capital’s busiest districts; eases congestion on older lines; and makes London more accessible to all, as wheelchair users can reach its platforms from street level. As a pilot who commutes to Heathrow — I fly the Boeing 787 for British Airways — I’m often among its 600,000 weekday riders. The line, which runs alongside the Heathrow Express, offers another comfortable way to get to work.

Many visitors will find the line’s soaring station halls and gleaming trains — they’re accented in royal purple and nearly three times as long as a Boeing 747 — not only convenient but also an inspiration. London, after all, is the home of the world’s first subway, a transport map that remains a design icon, and the planet’s most recognizable buses and taxis. Who can say which other metropolis might be influenced by the Elizabeth line’s transformative efficiency, let alone its good looks? Perhaps yours.

What’s certain is that the line empowers travelers to leave behind the familiarities of Zone 1 — the often tourist-clogged core of the city’s transport network — and embark on fast, inexpensive journeys to fascinating outer-London destinations. Here are four favorites.

Southall

Southall, a center of Britain’s South Asian communities, lies northeast of Heathrow Airport. Pause at its glassy new station for a selfie beneath the sign that spells out Southall in Gurmukhi, a script commonly used to write Punjabi. Then turn left, toward Southall Manor House, a 16th-century Tudor landmark.

The manor grounds offer tranquil benches and a view of the golden dome of the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, one of Europe’s largest Sikh temples. Visitors are always welcome, but for a tour you’ll need to reach out in advance. Don a head covering as you enter — an older man selected a green scarf for me from a plastic bin of loaners and helped me tie it — then remove your shoes, wash your hands at the sinks and head to reception. On a recent visit, Manjeet Kaur Panesar showed me exhibits on Sikhism and then guided me up to the main hall, where prayer and sacred music begin before sunrise. Mrs. Panesar explained that everyone is welcome at the temple’s langar, or free…