Elizabeth line

Elizabeth line

A Elizabeth line service at Abbey Wood - May 2022.
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail Rapid transit[1]
System	National Rail
Locale	Greater London Berkshire Buckinghamshire Essex
First service	24 May 2022
Current operator(s)	MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd[2]
Route
Termini	West: Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading East: Abbey Wood and Shenfield
Stops	41
Technical
Rolling stock	Class 315, Class 345[3]
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC (overhead lines)
Operating speed	Crossrail: 60 mph (95 km/h) GWML, Heathrow and GEML: 90 mph (145 km/h)
Track owner(s)	Transport for London (Old Oak Common to Abbey Wood and Stratford) Network Rail (Liverpool Street Main Line to Shenfield and Old Oak Common to Reading) Heathrow Airport Holdings (Heathrow branch)
Transport for London rail lines London Underground Bakerloo Central Circle District Hammersmith & City Jubilee Metropolitan Northern Piccadilly Victoria Waterloo & City Other systems DLR Elizabeth line London Overground Tramlink v t e

The Elizabeth line is a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit service in London and its environs. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London between London Paddington and Abbey Wood; along the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west; and along the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in the east. The service is named after Queen Elizabeth II, who officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022.

Under the project name of Crossrail, the system was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including for several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2015, existing commuter services on a section of one of the eastern branches, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, were transferred to TfL Rail; this precursor service also took control of Heathrow Connect in May 2018, and some local services on the Paddington to Reading line in December 2019. These services were augmented by a new central section in May 2022. By May 2023, the central section will have up to 24 nine-carriage Class 345 trains per hour in each direction.

History

In 2001, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), a 50/50 joint-venture between Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT), was formed to develop and promote the Crossrail scheme,^[4] and also a Wimbledon–Hackney scheme, Crossrail 2. In 2003 and 2004, over 50 days of exhibitions were held to explain the proposals at over 30 different locations.^{[5][non-primary source needed]}

2005 route development

In 2005, ahead of Crossrail's hybrid bill submission, a number of feeder routes were considered by CLRL west of Paddington and east of Liverpool Street. It was viewed given the 24 trains-per-hour (tph) core frequency that two feeder routes each of 12tph could be taken forward.^[6]

In the west, a route to Maidenhead (later extended to Reading) and Heathrow Airport was selected. In the east, routes to Abbey Wood (curtailed from Ebbsfleet to avoid conflicts with the North Kent lines) and Shenfield were selected.

Approval

The Crossrail Act 2008 authorising the construction project received royal assent on 22 July 2008.^[7][8] In December 2008, TfL and the DfT announced that they had signed the "Crossrail Sponsors' Agreement". This committed them to financing the project, then projected to cost £15.9 billion, with further contributions from Network Rail, BAA and the City of London.^{[citation needed]}

Construction

Construction of Crossrail at Tottenham Court Road in September 2011

Work began on 15 May 2009 when piling works started at the future Canary Wharf station.^[9]

Boring of the railway tunnels was officially completed in June 2015.^[10] Installation of the track was completed in September 2017.^[11] The ETCS signalling was scheduled to be tested in the Heathrow tunnels over the winter of 2017-18.^[12]

At the end of August 2018, four months before the scheduled opening of the core section of the line, it was announced that completion was delayed and that the line would not open before autumn 2019.^[13] After multiple delays, in August 2020 Crossrail announced that the central section would be ready to open "in the first half of 2022".^[14]

In May 2021, trial running commenced.^[15]

On 17 May 2022, the line was officially opened by the Queen in honour of her Platinum Jubilee. She was not scheduled to attend the event, but decided to attend with her son, Prince Edward, to unveil the plaque commemorating the official opening.^[16]

Timeline

Though the main tunnels under central London have been open, passenger operations on the outer branches of the future Elizabeth line were transferred to TfL for inclusion in the concession – this took place over several stages beginning May 2015. During this initial phase of operation, services were operated by MTR under the TfL Rail brand. Following the practice adopted during the transfer of former Silverlink services to London Overground in 2007, TfL carried out a deep clean of stations and trains on the future Elizabeth line route, installed new ticket machines and barriers, introduced Oyster card and contactless payment, and ensured all stations were staffed. Existing rolling stock were rebranded with the TfL Rail identity.^[17]

TfL Rail and Elizabeth line services

Stage	Map	Completion dates		Notes	Completed?
		Original	Actual
0		May 2015[18]	31 May 2015[19]	Existing "metro" service between Liverpool Street (main line station) and Shenfield transferred from Abellio Greater Anglia to TfL Rail	Yes
1		May 2017[18]	22 June 2017[20]	Class 345 trains start running between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in reduced length format[21]	Yes
2a[22]		May 2018[18]	20 May 2018[23]	Existing service between Paddington (main line station) and Heathrow Terminal 4 transferred from Heathrow Connect Existing shuttle service between Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 and Heathrow Terminal 4 transferred from Heathrow Express, both to TfL Rail	Yes
5a[24]		N/A	15 December 2019[25]	Most stopping services between Paddington and Reading transferred from Great Western Railway to TfL Rail, operating up to 4tph The first TfL trains in public service to Reading ran on 25 November 2019 as a soft launch of the service.[26]	Yes
2b[22]		May 2018[18]	30 July 2020[27]	Class 345 trains start running between Paddington and Heathrow	Yes
4a[28]		N/A	26 May 2021[29]	Class 345 trains in full length format start running between Liverpool Street and Shenfield[29]	Yes
3		Dec 2018[18]	24 May 2022[30]	Services between Paddington and Abbey Wood begin; this section and existing TfL Rail routes rebranded as the Elizabeth line, up to 12tph	Yes
5b		N/A	Expected Autumn 2022[31]	Services begin between Paddington and Shenfield; and between Reading and Heathrow, and Abbey Wood. The two services are operated in parallel, sharing the central tunnel.	No
5c		Dec 2019[18]	Expected May 2023	Full route opens, with services between both Reading and Heathrow in the west, and Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east.	No

Route

Design and infrastructure

Elizabeth line roundel

Seven Kings station name on an Elizabeth line roundel

The Elizabeth line logo is a Transport for London roundel with a purple ring and blue bar with white text.

Name and identity

Crossrail is the name of the construction project and of the limited company, wholly owned by TfL, that was formed to carry out construction works.^[17][32]

The Elizabeth line is the name of the new service that is on signage throughout the stations. It is named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.^[33][34] The Elizabeth line logo features a Transport for London roundel with a purple ring and blue bar with white text.

TfL Rail was an intermediate brand name which was introduced in May 2015 and discontinued in May 2022. It was used by TfL on services between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading, as well as trains between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.^[35]

Stations

v t e Elizabeth line
All stations except Ilford have step-free access from street to platform or train
Legend
Reading Twyford Maidenhead Taplow Burnham Slough Langley Heathrow T5 Iver Heathrow T4 M25 motorway Greater London boundary Heathrow T2&3 West Drayton Hayes & Harlington Southall Hanwell West Ealing Ealing Broadway Acton Main Line Old Oak Common (under construction) Old Oak Common depot link opens autumn 2022 Royal Oak portal Paddington opens 2022 Bond Street Tottenham Court Road Farringdon Barbican Moorgate Liverpool Street Whitechapel   River Lea, City Mill River link opens autumn 2022 & Waterworks River   Canary Wharf Pudding Mill Lane portal Victoria Dock portal Stratford Custom House Maryland Connaught tunnel under Royal Docks Forest Gate River Thames Manor Park Woolwich Ilford Abbey Wood Seven Kings Safeguarded extension to Gravesend Goodmayes Chadwell Heath Romford Control Centre and depot Romford Gidea Park Harold Wood Greater London boundary M25 motorway Brentwood Shenfield

Station	Image	TfL Rail/Elizabeth line service began	Interchanges
Reading		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Twyford		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Maidenhead		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Taplow		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Burnham		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Slough		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Langley		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Iver		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
West Drayton		15 December 2019 (2019-12-15)
Terminal 5		9 May 2020
Terminal 4		20 May 2018
Terminal 2 & 3		20 May 2018
Hayes & Harlington		20 May 2018
Southall		20 May 2018
Hanwell		20 May 2018
West Ealing		20 May 2018
Ealing Broadway		20 May 2018
Acton Main Line		20 May 2018
Old Oak Common	No image available yet	Expected 2026
Paddington		Main line station: 20 May 2018 Elizabeth line station: 24 May 2022
Bond Street	No image available yet	Not yet in operation (delayed)[36]
Tottenham Court Road		24 May 2022
Farringdon		24 May 2022
Liverpool Street		Main line station: 31 May 2015 Elizabeth line station: 24 May 2022
Whitechapel		24 May 2022
Canary Wharf		24 May 2022
Custom House		24 May 2022
Woolwich		24 May 2022
Abbey Wood		24 May 2022
Stratford		31 May 2015
Maryland		31 May 2015
Forest Gate		31 May 2015	(from Wanstead Park)
Manor Park		31 May 2015
Ilford		31 May 2015
Seven Kings		31 May 2015
Goodmayes		31 May 2015
Chadwell Heath		31 May 2015
Romford		31 May 2015
Gidea Park		31 May 2015
Harold Wood		31 May 2015
Brentwood		31 May 2015
Shenfield		31 May 2015

The new platforms at Farringdon

Ten new stations have been built in the central and south east sections of the line, and thirty-one existing stations are in the process of being upgraded and refurbished.^[37] Nine of the ten new built stations were fully opened on 24 May 2022 with Bond Street as the exception which, as of February 2022^[update], still needed further final finishing prior to testing and commissioning.^[38] All stations are equipped with CCTV^[39] and because of the length of trains, central stations have train indicators above the platform-edge doors.^[40] All 41 stations will be step-free, with 13 of these (the central and Heathrow stations) having level access between trains and platforms.^[41]

Although initially the trains will be 200 metres (660 feet) long, platforms at the new stations in the central core are built to enable 240-metre-long (790 ft) trains in case of possible future need. In the eastern section, Maryland and Manor Park will not have platform extensions, so trains will use selective door opening instead.^[42] At Maryland this is because of the prohibitive cost of extensions and the poor business case,^[43] and at Manor Park it is due to the presence of a freight loop that would otherwise be cut off.^[44]

A mock-up of the new stations was built in Bedfordshire in 2011 to ensure that their architectural integrity would last for a century.^[45] It was planned to bring at least one mock-up to London for the public to view the design and give feedback before final construction commenced.^[40]

It was announced in July 2017 that Crossrail services would be extended to Heathrow Terminal 5, meaning that all Heathrow terminals will have a Crossrail service when the full service commences.^[46] Trains between Paddington and Abbey Wood commenced on 24 May 2022.^[47]

Rolling stock

Class 345 trains at the Paddington terminus in 2018

The Elizabeth line route exclusively uses nine-car Class 345 trains for the services on the routes.^[48][30] The requirement was for 65 trains, each 200 metres (660 feet) long and carrying up to 1,500 passengers.^[48] The trains are accessible, including dedicated areas for wheelchairs, with audio and visual announcements, CCTV and speaker-phones connected to the driver in case of emergency.^[49] They will run at up to 140 km/h (90 mph) on certain parts of the route.^[50]

In March 2011, Crossrail announced that five bidders had been shortlisted for the contract to build the Class 345 and its associated depot.^[51] One of the bidders, Alstom, withdrew from the process in July 2011. In February 2012, Crossrail issued an invitation to negotiate to CAF, Siemens, Hitachi and Bombardier, with tenders expected to be submitted by mid-2012.^[52] In 2013, Siemens also withdrew from the bid, but will provide signalling and control systems for Crossrail.^[53] In December 2013, the European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed to provide loans to Transport for London for the rolling stock of up to £500M.^[54] On 6 February 2014, it was announced that Canada's Bombardier had been awarded a £1bn contract to supply 66 trains,^[3][55] with an option for 18 more.^[3]

The first train entered service on 22 June 2017 on the TfL Rail route between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield as a seven-carriage unit,^[56] since, before the platforms were lengthened,^[57] the complete nine-car sets could not be accommodated at Liverpool Street station.^[58]

In July 2017 an option for five more units was exercised taking the order to 70 units.^{[59][better source needed]}

Eight Class 315 trains, which were built in 1980-1981 are still needed to run on the Liverpool Street-Shenfield via Stratford section of the Elizabeth line. They will cover Elizabeth line services during weekday peak hours for an initial few months until there are enough Class 345 trains to run the service, as some are out of service temporarily whilst extra carriages are added to them.^[60]

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Number	Routes operated	Built	Years in operation
			mph	km/h
Class 315		EMU	75	120	4	8[60]	Liverpool Street – Shenfield[61] (weekdays only)	1980–1981	1980–present
Class 345 Aventra		EMU	90	145	7 or 9	70	Reading – Paddington Heathrow Terminal 4 & Terminal 5 – Paddington Paddington – Abbey Wood Liverpool Street – Shenfield	2015–2019	June 2017–present

Electrification and train protection

The Elizabeth line uses 25 kV, 50 Hz AC overhead lines, already in use on the Great Eastern and Great Western Main Lines.

The Heathrow branch started using the European Train Control System (ETCS) in 2020. The Automatic Warning (AWS) and Train Protection & Warning (TPWS) systems are used on the Great Western and Great Eastern Main Lines, with possible later upgrades to ETCS. Communications-based train control (CBTC) is installed in the central section and the Abbey Wood branch.^[62][63][64]

Depots

The Elizabeth line has depots in west London at Old Oak Common TMD, in south-east London at Plumstead Depot, and in east London at Ilford EMU Depot.^[65][66]

Service pattern

Initial service

As of 24 May 2022, the line runs as three separate services; the east and west lines that were formerly known as TfL Rail, and the core section from Paddington to Abbey Wood. Through-travellers will need to change trains at Liverpool Street or Paddington as required. From 14 June 2022, when Heathrow Terminal 4 reopened, the timetabled weekday off-peak service pattern consists of:^[67]

Planned service

The Elizabeth line (in purple) in relation to other commuter railway lines in central London

Once fully opened, the Elizabeth line will run a familiar London Underground-style all-stops service in the central core section and eastern branches, but initial timetable plans suggest that several trains on the western branches will run semi-fast. Initial proposals suggest that Acton Main Line, West Ealing and Hanwell will be served only by Heathrow-bound trains.

Like the outer sections of Thameslink, the Elizabeth line will share platforms and tracks with other services outside the tunnelled sections. Some run by other train companies will continue to call at various stations on the Great Western Main Line branch, and Heathrow Express will continue to run between Paddington and Heathrow stations.

Map of Transport for London services including Elizabeth line

The indicative timetable consists of the following services on the Elizabeth line during peak hours: there will be 24 trains per hour (tph) in each direction in the central section (Paddington to Whitechapel): of these, 12 will run between Shenfield and Paddington, 6 will run between Abbey Wood and Heathrow, and 6 between Abbey Wood and either Reading or Maidenhead. Some trains on the Reading branch will not stop at all stations.^[68][69][70] Passengers travelling between stations west of Paddington and those on the north-eastern branch will need to change trains in the central section. Changing trains at Hayes & Harlington will be required for travel between Hanwell, West Ealing or Acton Main Line and other stations on the Reading branch.

The north-eastern section via Stratford is expected to see an additional four trains per hour (tph) during peak times between Gidea Park and the existing main line Liverpool Street station's high level terminating platforms. Since these trains run over existing above-ground lines from Liverpool Street to Stratford, they will not call at Whitechapel.

Journey times

Ticketing

Ticketing is integrated with the other London transport systems, but Oyster pay as you go will not be accepted on the western section between West Drayton (the limit of TfL's Zone 6) and Reading, with only contactless cards valid there. Travelcards and concessionary passes will be valid within Greater London. The Elizabeth line is integrated with the London Underground, wider Transport for London and National Rail networks, and it is included on the standard Tube map.^[72]

Journeys to or from Heathrow Airport are priced at a premium due to using the rail tunnel between the airport and Hayes & Harlington. That stretch of line is not part of the Network Rail system but owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings, who charge TfL an additional fee for each train that uses it. Heathrow is nevertheless included within travelcards and daily/weekly fare capping as a Zone 6 station.^[73]

Passenger numbers

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Elizabeth line was predicted annual passenger numbers of over 200 million immediately after opening;^[74] this is expected to relieve pressure on London Underground's lines, especially the Central line.^[75] Farringdon is expected to become one of the busiest stations in the UK, due to it being the key interchange station with Thameslink services.^[76] In a business plan for the line published in January 2020, Transport for London predicted total annual revenues from the line of nearly £500 million per year in 2022/23 (its first full year of operation) and over £1 billion per year from 2024/25.^[74] By the time the line opened, TfL had reduced their passenger forecasts because passenger travelling habits changed during the pandemic; the estimate was between 130 and 170 million passengers by 2026.^[77]

Further proposals

New stations have been proposed to serve London City Airport, and extensions have been put forward to Ebbsfleet in the south east, Milton Keynes in the west, Staines in the south west, and Southend Airport in the east.

See also

• Crossrail 2 – second proposed Crossrail route providing a new north–south rail link across Greater London
• The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway, a documentary about the Elizabeth line's construction and commissioning
• Transport in London

References

Notes

Citations

General and cited sources

• "London & South East RUS (final)". Network Rail. 28 July 2011. p. 9. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
• "Crossrail Act 2008". The National Archives.
  • "Crossrail Bill supporting documents". Archived from the original on 13 February 2009.
• "Government backs £10bn Crossrail". BBC News. 20 June 2004.
• Geoghegan, Tom (20 June 2004). "Will Crossrail beat the Tube?". BBC News.
• "Crossrail link 'to get go-ahead'". BBC News. 13 February 2005.
• "First Crossrail bill for Commons". BBC News. 22 February 2005.
• "Election holds up Crossrail bill". BBC News. 7 April 2005.
• "Crossrail plan in Queen's Speech". BBC News. 17 May 2005.
• "Crossrail's giant tunnelling machines unveiled". BBC News. 2 January 2012.
• "Crossrail: A rare look deep under London" (video). BBC News. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.