The next stage of the transformational Elizabeth line has been confirmed today, with trains running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington set to begin this November. The brand-new Bond Street Elizabeth line station, at the heart of London’s West End, is also set to open by November, giving another boost to London’s recovery from the pandemic.
From Sunday 6 November, the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the Elizabeth line – opening up new direct journeys across the capital. This means that customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel east all the way to Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington. Customers travelling from Shenfield will be able to travel west all the way to Paddington without changing at Liverpool Street. Journeys to onward destinations, including to Heathrow Airport or towards Reading, can be made by changing trains on the same platform at any of the central London stations.
The integration of Elizabeth line services will bring a huge range of extra benefits, including reduced journey times, additional capacity, greater accessibility, and better connectivity to jobs, opportunities, and leisure for communities across London and the South East. People landing at Heathrow Airport will now be able to travel straight through central London to areas such as Farringdon and Canary Wharf in as little as 36 and 45 minutes respectively on the weekend and 40 and 51 minutes respectively during the week.
Customers will be able to use the Elizabeth line seven days a week as Sunday services through central London will also get underway for the first time from Sunday 6 November. The frequency of services in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will increase from 12 trains per hour to up to 22 trains per hour in peak times and 16 trains per hour during off-peak. The final timetable, which will see 24 trains per hour during the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel, is on track to be in place by May 2023.
Bond Street Elizabeth line station is in line to open ahead of the new services on the railway. The step-free station will provide a new link to one of the busiest shopping directs in the UK and relieve congestion at Oxford Circus station. Two brand new ticket halls at street level, with an abundance of natural light, one at Davies Street, the other at Hanover Square – will lead passengers to the Elizabeth line platforms. In addition to station improvements, Crossrail has worked alongside Westminster Council on improvements to the urban realm surrounding the station.
Ahead of the autumn changes, from Monday 5 September, extended opening hours will run on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Abbey Wood from around 05:30 to around 23:00.
- A small number of services will not run directly through into the Elizabeth line tunnels and some customers may need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street mainline stations. Customers should check the destination of their trains.
- To regulate services coming into Paddington some trains may be held outside Paddington station for a few minutes before being routed into the tunnels. This is factored into timetables and will be announced to customers.
- Journey time savings compare current Elizabeth line services with new through running services (eastbound) and provide best case journey times.
- There are some future planned engineering works when sections of the Elizabeth line will be closed, customers are advised to check before they travel:
- Sat 12 November – no service between Shenfield and Liverpool Street.
- Sat 19 November – no service between Shenfield and Liverpool Street. Heathrow station will be closed.
- Sat 20 November – no service between Shenfield and Liverpool Street, or between Paddington and Heathrow. Heathrow station will be closed.
- Christmas closures to enable the final phase of the Elizabeth line will be confirmed as part of the usual TfL Festive travel press release later this year.
