Elizabeth Line: More trains and improved timetable to mark new London favourite’s first birthday
The Elizabeth Line will mark its one year anniversary with speedier travel and an improved timetable, TFL announced today.
The popular line will see a swathe of improvements from Sunday 21 May, as it reaches the final milestone of the Crossrail project.
Londoners can expect more trains and faster journeys on a number of routes, particularly during peak times.
So what are the changes?
Between Paddington and Whitechapel, there will be 22 to 24 trains per hour at peak times, with 16 running during off peak.
Significant pauses for trains between Paddington and Acton Main Line will be removed. Passengers had previously been forced to wait as trains waited between stations to enter Elizabeth line tunnels or Network Rail tracks.
Peak time additions will also boost journeys between Liverpool Street National Rail station and Gidea Park, providing a faster route for Londoners exiting to Bishopsgate.
At Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood, there will be 12 trains per hour running at peak times, returning to the timings between May and November 2022 of one train every five minutes.
Further improvements will include the possibility of passengers from Shenfield and Essex travelling directly to Heathrow Terminal 5 for the first time, without needing to change.
On the opposite side of London, those travelling from Reading can expect peak services increase as trains that were previously operated by Great Western Railway transfer to become Elizabeth line services with reduced stops.
The full timetable will be introduced on Sunday 21 May 2023.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan hailed the delivery of the Elizabeth Line, stating that it has been “transformational for our city, with hundreds of thousands of Londoners and visitors now enjoying the fast and reliable trains each day.”
“The introduction of the final timetable next month marks the last milestone of the Crossrail project and will enable the Elizabeth line to provide even more frequent, speedier journeys and better connect the capital.”
Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “The Elizabeth line has transformed the lives of Londoners and the experience for visitors to the city in just under a year of TFL operating the service.”
The Elizabeth Line has seen more than 140 million customer journeys taking place so far, with around 600,000 journeys now being made each weekday.