The next stage of the Elizabeth line has been confirmed, with trains running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington to begin from November. The brand-new Bond Street Elizabeth line station, at the heart of London's West End, is also to open by November, giving another boost to London's recovery from the pandemic.
From November 6, the lines from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield will connect with the central tunnels of the Elizabeth line, opening up new direct journeys across the capital. This means that customers travelling from Reading and Heathrow will be able to travel east all the way to Abbey Wood without changing at Paddington.
Customers travelling from Shenfield will be able to travel west all the way to Paddington without changing at Liverpool Street. Journeys to onward destinations, including to Heathrow or towards Reading, can be made by changing trains on the same platform at any of the central London stations.
The integration of Elizabeth line services will bring a huge range of extra benefits, including reduced journey times, additional capacity, greater accessibility, and better connectivity to jobs, opportunities and leisure for communities across London and the South East.
People landing at Heathrow will now be able to travel straight through central London to areas such as Farringdon and Canary Wharf in as little as 36 and 45 minutes respectively on the weekend and 40 and 51 minutes respectively during the week.
Customers will be able to use the Elizabeth line seven days a week as Sunday services through central London will also get under way for the first time from November 6. The frequency of services in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will increase from 12 trains an hour to up to 22 trains an hour at peak times and 16 trains an hour during off-peak.
