Elizabeth line: Changes to Crossrail service to begin next month

The third and final stage of the Crossrail project is set to be delivered on time on Sunday May 21, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed.

The full peak Elizabeth line timetable will see peak time trains increase from 22 to up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel, with 16 trains per hour running off-peak.

Services will also run all day between Shenfield and Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5) for the first time, with two trains per hour providing direct connectivity between Essex, east London and west London.

There will be 12 trains per hour running between Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood in the peak, with trains running every five minutes.

The Elizabeth line peak time period will also now last for longer, increasing capacity even further.

Over 140 million journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line since it opened on May 24 last year, with around 600,000 journeys now being made each weekday.

The £20bn line, which was delayed by about three-and-a-half years by construction problems, has been unveiled in stages, including the delayed opening of Bond Street station last October and the start of through trains from Abbey Wood to Heathrow last November.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Delivering the Elizabeth line 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.”

Other timetable changes include the addition of more services at peak time between Liverpool Street National Rail station (platforms 15 -17) and Gidea Park and an increase in peak services from Reading, with some trains that were previously operated by Great Western Railway transferring to become Elizabeth line services.

There will also be six trains an hour to Heathrow. All will stop at Terminal 2&3, four per hour will continue to Terminal 4, and two per hour to Terminal 5.

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.

“With this new timetable, those travelling through central London will have a train arriving around every two and a half minutes, those using Heathrow Airport will have more regular services, and time will be shaved off many journeys from Reading, Heathrow and into central London.

“Those on the east will also benefit from twice hourly services to the airport, linking Essex and west London on the line for the first time.”

The full timetable is available to view on the TfL website.