TfL have been in touch with an update on the planned timetable for the Elizabeth Line when it opens fully from Shenfield to Reading in 2019. More immediately, please note there will be a rail replacement bus service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield on August 27th and 28th this summer.
Howard Smith, TfL's Director of Operations, writes:
"I am writing to provide an update on the Elizabeth line. Stretching from Reading and Heathrow in the west across to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, the line will change the way people travel around London and the South East and add much needed new capacity to London's transport infrastructure. A fleet of brand new 200 metre long trains will serve the Elizabeth line, featuring nine walk-through carriages, air conditioning, CCTV and real-time travel information.
As part of our preparations for December 2019 when the line is fully operational, we have been reviewing the timetable. I am pleased to announce that services on the Elizabeth line are set to be even more extensive and frequent than originally planned. This also includes plans that will see the railway call at Terminal 5 – meaning all Heathrow Terminals will be served by the Elizabeth line.
A total of six Elizabeth line trains per hour will serve Heathrow Terminals from December 2019. Four will go to Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and two will go to Terminals 2, 3 and 5. This will also increase services to Ealing Broadway, Southall and Hayes & Harlington.
As well as improvements to Heathrow services, TfL and the Department for Transport, the joint Sponsors of the Elizabeth line, have been working closely with Network Rail to ensure the best use of the railway. We are pleased to confirm the following improvements to future Elizabeth line services:
- Off-peak services between Paddington and Whitechapel will be increased from 16 trains per hour as previously planned, to 20 trains per hour - a 25 per cent increase. An additional two trains per hour will run between Paddington and Shenfield and a further two trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood will also be introduced in the off-peak, taking the total to 10 trains per hour on each branch.
- Peak services to destinations west of Paddington will be boosted significantly, with services from Reading doubled from 2 trains per hour to 4 trains per hour, and services to Maidenhead increased from 4 trains per hour to 6 trains per hour.
These improvements will provide additional capacity and help ease pressure on other public transport services.
To facilitate this we will be increasing the number of trains that will operate on the line from 66 to 70. Five stopping services which are currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR) between Reading and Paddington will be replaced by the additional Elizabeth line services. For the majority of passengers they will receive the same, or greater, frequency and the same journey times, with the added benefit of being able to continue directly into central London on the Elizabeth line.
The Elizabeth line will be opened in phases:
From May 2018, we start operating TfL Rail services between Paddington and Heathrow T4 replacing the current Heathrow Connect services. We will be increasing services from two trains per hour to four trains per hour. At the same time new ticket readers will be installed at Heathrow, meaning passengers using Heathrow Express and new TfL Rail services will be able to use pay as you go Oyster or a contactless device.
In December 2018 the Elizabeth line will open. Services will operate in the west between Heathrow T4 and Paddington (national rail station); in the central and south east section between Paddington (Elizabeth line station) and Abbey Wood; and in the east section between Liverpool Street (national rail station) and Shenfield.
In May 2019, services in the central section will extend from Paddington to Shenfield, meaning customers from the east will be able to take a direct service to central London and Paddington.
The Elizabeth line will fully open in December 2019, with services running from Reading and Heathrow (all terminals) in the west through the central tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The line will boost central London’s rail-based capacity by 10 per cent. It will connect people and places, providing faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
For more information on the Elizabeth line and the phased opening of the services please visit our website https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/elizabeth-line
August bank holiday
I would also like to remind you that there will be no TfL Rail service on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 August between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Rail replacement buses will operate and customers are being advised to check the TfL website before they travel."