Elizabeth line: What timetable changes are coming in May 2023?

The third and final stage of the Elizabeth line is set to open this weekend, bringing the 13 year Crossrail project to completion.

From Sunday May 21, the full peak timetable will be introduced increasing the capacity of the central London’s rail network by around 10 %.

The Elizabeth line, which stretches from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east is currently one of the busiest railways in the country.

Over 140 million journeys have been made since the popular line opened on May 24 2022, according to the most recent Transport for London (TfL) data.

Here are all the changes coming to the Elizabeth line this weekend.

What timetable changes are coming?

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

There will be 12 trains per hour running between Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood in the peak, restoring the frequency that was in place between May and November 2022 to a train around every five minutes.

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 is also the addition of more services at peak time between Liverpool Street National Rail station (platforms 15 -17) and Gidea Park, providing a faster route for those exiting to Bishopsgate.

In the west, there will be an increase in peak services from Reading, with some trains that were previously operated by Great Western Railway transferring to become Elizabeth line services with reduced stops.

There will also be the removal of any significant pauses for trains between Paddington and Acton Main Line.

More frequent journeys to the airport

Customers will receive more frequent services to and from Heathrow Airport as part of this timetable. The airport overall will receive six Elizabeth trains per hour all day. All Heathrow trains stop at Terminal 2&3, with four per hour continuing to Terminal 4, and two per hour continuing to Terminal 5.

What is TfL saying?

Howard Smith, TfL’s Director of the Elizabeth line, said: “This Elizabeth line timetable change is delivering on the original plans for the service, providing a number of benefits to customers and improving connections to Heathrow Airport and across London.

“As well as increasing peak time services between Paddington and Whitechapel to mean a train roughly every 2.5 minutes in both directions, there will also be direct services from Shenfield in Essex to Heathrow Airport for the first time, with more trains serving the airport each hour.

“The new timetable will also remove any significant dwell times for trains between Paddington and Acton Main Line, which were in place temporarily ahead of this new timetable.

“This timetable sees the completion of the Crossrail project, but we will continue to review the Elizabeth line timetables and changes can be made twice each year in line with National Rail timetable changes to add capacity where possible and provide the best service for customers.”

What is the mayor of London saying?

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.”