Elizabeth line to increase train frequencies to mark first anniversary

Transport for London (TfL) have announced that more trains will run and new journey options will be opened up when the new full peak Elizabeth line timetable will be introduced on Sunday 21 May 2023.

The new timetable will start just in time for Wednesday 24 May 2023 which marks one year of TfL operating the Elizabeth line. More than 140 million customer journeys have taken place so far, with around 600,000 journeys now being made each weekday. 

With new timetable, TfL says a train will run roughly every two and a half minutes between Paddington and Whitechapel at peak time, with frequencies increased to up to 24 trains per hour in both directions.

There will also be the addition of more services at peak times between Liverpool Street National Rail station 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 (GWR) 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, as has been the case with some trains waiting between the stations since November 2022 while they waited to join Network Rail tracks or enter Elizabeth line tunnels. These pauses were built into the timetable, but customers on these services should see reduced journey times between Reading and Paddington and improved journey times for customers travelling from the west into central London. 

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

Heathrow Airport has also improved signage at the airport, which should make it clearer for customers, particularly those visiting London or using the Elizabeth line for the first time. 

The introduction of this timetable will mark the final milestone of the Crossrail project and provide higher frequencies, greater connectivity and faster journey times for those using the Elizabeth line. Step-free access is available at all 41 stations on the route. 

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.” 

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.”