The Elizabeth line is now here including the new section from Paddington to Abbey Wood. The line will initially operate as three separate railways, in the east, west and through central London.
Services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels from autumn this year. When the final stage is complete, customers will be able to travel seamlessly from Abbey Wood to Heathrow and Reading, and from Shenfield to Heathrow.
Around 260,000 journeys were made on the new central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood across its opening day on Tuesday 24 May 2022, clearly showing its popularity. Across the whole line, from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, more than 460,000 journeys were made.
Plan your Elizabeth line journeys using the TfL Journey Planner here.
Until autumn 2022 - There will be 12 trains an hour (a train every 5 minutes), running between Paddington and Abbey Wood in each direction, from 06:30 to 23:00 Monday to Saturday. Bond Street is currently closed and will open later this year.
- There will be no Sunday services from Paddington to Abbey Wood until later in the year, apart from a special service that will operate on Sunday 5 June 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee weekend running from 08:00-22:00.
- Services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, and Paddington to Heathrow and Reading will continue to operate on Sundays as they do now.
All services between Reading and Heathrow to Paddington and Shenfield to Liverpool Street, previously operating as TfL Rail, have been rebranded to the Elizabeth line. Customers travelling between Reading or Heathrow into London will need to change at Paddington for services into the central section of the route, and customers from Shenfield into London will need to change at Liverpool Street.
Services from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels in autumn when frequencies will also be increased. Work will continue in engineering hours and on Sundays to allow a series of testing and software updates in preparation for more intensive services. Bond Street’s new Elizabeth line station will also open to passengers later this year as work continues to complete the station.
From autumn 2022
From the autumn customers will be able to travel seamlessly from Abbey Wood to Heathrow and Reading, and from Shenfield to Heathrow. At this time services will increase to up to 22 trains per hour at peak and 16 trains per hour off-peak.
The full Elizabeth line timetable with up to 24 trains per hour at peak and 20 trains per hour off-peak will be in place no later than May 2023.
For further information on opening phases, ticketing and more visit Transport for London's Everything you need to know about the Elizabeth line page here. |
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A Royal visit
Her Majesty The Queen visited Paddington Elizabeth line station on 17 May 2022 to mark the completion of the railway ahead of its opening to passengers on 24 May. During the Royal visit, Her Majesty unveiled a plaque to celebrate the completion of the line named in her honour. The plaque will be permanently mounted at Paddington station, celebrating The Queen's connection with the railway for generations to come.
Accompanied by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, Her Majesty also met with staff who have been key to the Crossrail project, as well as Elizabeth line staff who will be running the railway including apprentices, drivers, and station staff. |
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First customers on the Elizabeth line
Thousands of excited customers were welcomed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, London's Transport Commissioner, Andy Byford, Elizabeth line Director, Howard Smith, TfL Chief Operating Officer, Andy Lord, and Crossrail CEO, Mark Wild, on the first trains from Paddington and Abbey Wood on 24 May 2022. By the end of the day, around 260,000 journeys had been made on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Abbey Wood.
Take a look at some of the images from launch day on the Crossrail Flickr account here.
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Best wishes,
Crossrail Communications |
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