The Elizabeth line is a
railway line
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
that runs across
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
and nearby towns, operating similarly to the
RER in Paris and the
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs between London Paddington and . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. The GWML is presently a part of t ...
west of
Paddington station
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by ...
to and via
Whitechapel
Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
to the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
near ; along the Great Western Main Line to and
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
in the west; and along the Great Eastern Main Line to in the east.
Under the project name of
Crossrail
Crossrail is a completed railway project centred on London. It provides a high-frequency hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system, akin to the Réseau Express Régional, RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries, kn ...
, 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
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The service is now named after
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, who
officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during
her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022.
Elizabeth line services are operated by
GTS Rail Operations under a concession from
Transport for London
Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom.
TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...
(TfL). TfL does not consider it to be part of its other rail services such as the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The Undergro ...
. It is considered to be in a class of its own and TfL's
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a Payment#Types_and_methods_of_payment, payment method for public transport in London and some surrounding areas. A standard Oyster card is a blue ISO/IEC 7810, credit-card-sized Stored-value card, stored-value contactless ...
is not valid for journeys to outlying stations.
The line reached over 200 million trips annually in its second year of operation and carries one seventh of all trips by rail in the United Kingdom.
History
In 2001, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL), a 50/50 joint-venture between
Transport for London
Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom.
TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...
(TfL) and the
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
(DfT), was formed to develop and promote the Crossrail scheme, and also a Wimbledon–Hackney scheme,
Crossrail 2. In 2003 and 2004, over 50days of exhibitions were held to explain the proposals at over 30 different locations.
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 24trains-per-hour (tph) core frequency, that two feeder routes, each of 12tph, could be taken forward.
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
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...
on 22 July 2008. 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 £15.9billion, with further contributions from
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...
, BAA, and the City of London.
Construction

Work began on 15 May 2009, when
piling
A pile or piling is a vertical structural element of a deep foundation, driven or drilled deep into the ground at the building site. A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from th ...
works started at the future
Canary Wharf station.
Boring of the railway tunnels was officially completed in June 2015. Installation of the track was completed in September 2017. The
European Train Control System
The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a train protection system designed to replace the many incompatible systems used by European railways, and railways outside of Europe. ETCS is the signalling and control component of the European ...
(ETCS) signalling was scheduled to be tested in the Heathrow tunnels over the winter of 2017–2018.
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.
After multiple delays, in August 2020 Crossrail announced that the central section would be ready to open "in the first half of 2022".
In May 2021, trial running commenced.
On 17 May 2022, the line was officially opened by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
in honour of her
Platinum Jubilee
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among Monarchy, monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.
The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the ...
. 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.
Timeline
Though the main tunnels under central London had not yet been opened, 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
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...
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
The Oyster card is a Payment#Types_and_methods_of_payment, payment method for public transport in London and some surrounding areas. A standard Oyster card is a blue ISO/IEC 7810, credit-card-sized Stored-value card, stored-value contactless ...
and
contactless payment
Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) for making sec ...
, and ensured all stations were staffed. Existing rolling stock was rebranded with the TfL Rail identity.
Route
The Elizabeth line runs on an east–west axis across the London region, with branches terminating at Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east, and at Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading in the west. There are 41 stations. In the central section, there are interchanges with
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The Undergro ...
,
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...
, and
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...
lines.
Design and infrastructure
Name and identity
''Crossrail'' is the name of the construction project and of the
limited company
In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...
, wholly owned by
TfL, that was formed to carry out construction works.
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
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
.
The Elizabeth line
roundel
A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of differ ...
is coloured purple, with a superimposed blue bearing white text in the same style as for
Underground lines. However, unlike Underground lines, the Elizabeth line roundel includes the word "line".
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.
Stations

Ten new stations have been built in the central and south east sections of the line, and 31 existing stations were upgraded and refurbished.
Nine of the ten new-build stations opened for revenue service on 24 May 2022; the remaining stationBond Streetrequired additional finishing works before commissioning could proceed. Trains passed through its platforms non-stop until it opened five months later on 24 October.
All stations are equipped with CCTV and because of the length of trains, central stations have train indicators above the platform-edge doors.
All 41 stations are step-free from street to platform. Thirteen stations (the central and Heathrow stations) have level access between trains and platforms while other outer suburban platforms remain at their pre-existing height, about 200mm lower.
This platform height difference was criticised by the Campaign for Level Boarding who said Crossrail's "poor decision making" meant "this brand-new railway has cornered itself into perpetually offering an inaccessible service."
Although the trains are long, platforms at the new stations in the central core are built to enable trains in case of possible future need. In the eastern section, and have not had platform extensions, so trains use
selective door opening instead. At Maryland this is because of the prohibitive cost of extensions and the poor business case, and at Manor Park it is due to the presence of a freight loop that would otherwise be cut off.
Future stations
,
Old Oak Common railway station
Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction on the site of the Old Oak Common TMD, Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London in Old Oak Common, approximately south of Willesden Junction station. When bui ...
is under construction. It will provide an interchange with the
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...
service.
Rolling stock

Services on the Elizabeth line are operated exclusively by a fleet of nine-car Class 345 trains that was procured especially for this purpose.
[ The service specifications called for approximately 60 trains, each long and capable of carrying up to 1,500 passengers, of which 57 would be in service at any one time.] In March 2011, Crossrail indicated that five bidders had been shortlisted as potential suppliers of both the new fleet and its depot facilities; Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
, CAF, Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility GmbH is a division of Siemens. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens Mobility has four core business units: Mobility Management, dedicated to rail technology and intelligent traffic systems, Railway Electrification, ...
, Hitachi Rail
Hitachi, Ltd. Railway Systems Business Unit, Trade name, trading as Hitachi Rail, is the rolling stock and railway signalling manufacturing division of Hitachi outside Japan.
History
Hitachi's rail division before global expansion
After the ...
, and Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...
although Alstom withdrew four months later. Crossrail issued invitations to negotiate to the remaining bidders in March 2012, with submission of tenders expected between June and August. It was stipulated that bidders should offer a fleet based on technology that was "already developed", with the expectation that an "evolutionary, not revolutionary" product would help to ensure "value for money" and " heutmost reliability from day one". Siemens withdrew their rolling stock bid in July 2013, citing an increase in other business and a need to protect their "ability to deliver ... current customer commitments", which included the £1.6 billion order for Thameslink
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...
. Their contract to supply Crossrail's signalling and control systems was unaffected.
In December 2013, the European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...
(EIB) agreed to provide TfL loans of up to £500 million to fund the rolling stock procurement, following TfL's decision in March of that year to abandon plans to cover most of the cost with private financing.
TfL and the DfT announced in early February 2014 that Bombardier's bid had been successful. The 32-year contract for the supply and maintenance of the trains and depot was valued at £1 billion. It included a firm order for 65 units from Bombardier's new Aventra family, plus an option for a further 18. The trains have air-conditioning and are designed to be as accessible as possible, including wide aisles and gangways, dedicated areas for wheelchair
A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...
s, audio and visual announcements, CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
, and passenger intercoms connected to the driver for use in the event of emergency. They will run at up to on certain parts of the route.
Due to limited platform lengths at both Liverpool Street and Paddington National Rail stations, most Class 345 units were initially delivered as seven-car formations, then later extended to the intended nine. The first unit entered service on 22 June 2017, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. TfL exercised an option to acquire a further five units in July 2017, bringing the total number on order to 70.
A number of units that had been operating with TfL Rail remained in use on Elizabeth line services between Liverpool Street's terminal platforms and Shenfield alongside Class 345 units while the introduction of the new fleetincluding the extension to nine-car formationswas completed. The Class 315 units, which had been built for British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
in 1980–1981, could not be used in the line's core section. The final four were withdrawn from service on 9 December 2022.
Future stock
Following the opening of the Elizabeth line, TfL experienced high passenger growth on the line. TfL noted that that extra capacity would be required when Old Oak Common railway station
Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction on the site of the Old Oak Common TMD, Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London in Old Oak Common, approximately south of Willesden Junction station. When bui ...
opens in the 2030s alongside the opening of High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...
. TfL therefore pushed for funding from the DfT for additional trains. Following this, Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
(new owners of the original builder Bombardier) was awarded a £370million contract in June 2024 to build an additional ten Class 345 trains at its factory in Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
. This would increase the number of trains from 70 to 80.
Electrification and train protection
The Elizabeth line uses 25kV, 50Hz AC overhead lines
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union ...
, already in use on the Great Eastern and Great Western Main Lines.
The Heathrow branch started using the European Train Control System
The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a train protection system designed to replace the many incompatible systems used by European railways, and railways outside of Europe. ETCS is the signalling and control component of the European ...
(ETCS) in 2020. The Automatic Warning System
Automatic Warning System (AWS) is a railway safety system invented and predominantly used in the United Kingdom. It provides a train driver with an audible indication of whether the next Railway_signal, signal they are approaching is clear or a ...
(AWS) and Train Protection & Warning System
The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) is a train protection system used throughout the British passenger main-line railway network, and in Victoria, Australia.
According to the UK Rail Safety and Standards Board, the purpose of TPWS is t ...
(TPWS) are used on the Great Western and Great Eastern Main Lines, with possible later upgrades to ETCS. Communications-based train control
Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accura ...
(CBTC) is installed in the central section and the Abbey Wood branch.
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.
Service pattern
Previous service
In May 2015, commuter services on a section of one of the eastern branches, between 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, and rebranded as the Elizabeth line. The outer services were connected to the central section in November 2022. Since May 2023, the central section has had up to 24 nine-carriage Class 345 trains per hour in each direction.
Upon opening, the line ran as three physically separate services: between Reading or Heathrow Airport and Paddington in the west; from Paddington via Liverpool Street to Abbey Wood in the centre; and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in the east. To connect between services, a walk between the separate stations at Paddington or Liverpool Street was required. Operating hours were limited, as well as the service running Monday to Saturday only - allowing for further testing and software updates to take place. When through-running began in November 2022, there were two main service groups, overlapping through the core section: from Reading or Heathrow Airport to Abbey Wood; and from Paddington to Shenfield.
Current service
As of December 2024, the off-peak weekday service is as follows:
Some early morning and late night services run into Paddington
Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
mainline terminus instead of going through central London. Likewise, some early, peak-direction, and late trains run between Liverpool Street mainline terminus and Gidea Park, bypassing Whitechapel.
Future service
When opens, all trains will serve Old Oak Common, with those not serving the Reading or Heathrow branches reversing there.
Journey times
Operations
Operator
The Elizabeth line is currently operated by GTS Rail Operations, a train operating company owned by Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group Limited is a Multinational corporation, multi-national transport group based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While the majority of its operations are within Great Britain, it also operates services in Ireland, Australia, Singapo ...
, Tokyo Metro
The Tokyo Metro () is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the #Organization, Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.52 million passengers (as of 2023), the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the Tokyo subway, two s ...
and Sumitomo Corporation
is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group.
It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...
. GTS took over operations from MTR Elizabeth line, the line's first operator, whose contract with TfL expired in May 2025. Following a model similar to that used for the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...
, TfL invited tenders for operation of the Elizabeth line. Unlike other National Rail operators under the franchise control of the DfT, TfL sets fares, procures rolling stock and decides service levels. The operator takes only a small element of revenue risk, with TfL taking 90% and the operator 10%.
History
In June 2013, TfL announced that Arriva
Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.
The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
, MTR Corporation
MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong K ...
, Keolis
Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. B ...
/ Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group Limited is a Multinational corporation, multi-national transport group based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While the majority of its operations are within Great Britain, it also operates services in Ireland, Australia, Singapo ...
and National Express
Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...
had been shortlisted to bid for the concession to operate Crossrail, which was under construction. Prior to the opening of the central section, the concessionaire would operate the existing railway services using the TfL Rail brand. In July 2014, TfL awarded the contract to MTR Corporation, for a duration of eight years with an option to extend by an additional two years.
On 16 February 2024, TfL shortlisted four bidders – Arriva, a FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.[Keolis
Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. B ...]
joint venture, MTR Corporation and GTS Rail Operations (a consortium comprising Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group Limited is a Multinational corporation, multi-national transport group based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While the majority of its operations are within Great Britain, it also operates services in Ireland, Australia, Singapo ...
, Tokyo Metro
The Tokyo Metro () is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the #Organization, Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.52 million passengers (as of 2023), the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the Tokyo subway, two s ...
and Sumitomo Corporation
is one of the largest worldwide '' sōgō shōsha'' general trading companies, and is a diversified corporation. The company was incorporated in 1919 and is a member company of the Sumitomo Group.
It is listed on three Japanese stock exchange ...
) – to operate the line from May 2025. In November 2024, GTS Rail Operations was chosen to operate the line from May 2025 for seven years with an optional two-year extension.
Ticketing
Ticketing is integrated with the other London transport systems, but Oyster pay as you go is not accepted on the western section between West Drayton
West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. The s ...
(the limit of London fare zone 6) and Reading, with only contactless cards valid there. The concessionary travel Freedom Pass is valid for the whole length of the route, including stations outside London. The Elizabeth line is integrated with the London Underground, the wider TfL network and the National Rail networks; it is also included on the standard Tube map
The Tube map (sometimes called the London Underground map) is a schematic transport map of the lines, stations and services of the London Underground, known colloquially as "the Tube", hence the map's name. The first schematic Tube map was des ...
.
Journeys to or from Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
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
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...
system but owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings
Heathrow Airport Holdings is a company that operates and manages Heathrow Airport based in London, England. It was formed by the privatisation of the British Airports Authority as BAA plc as part of Margaret Thatcher's privatisation of governmen ...
, who charge TfL an additional fee for each train that uses it. Heathrow is nevertheless included within the Travelcard
The Travelcard is an inter-modal travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line, Docklands Light Railway, London Trams, London Buses and National Rail services in the Greater London area. Travelc ...
scheme and daily/weekly fare capping as fare zone 6 stations.
Passenger numbers
Before the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the Elizabeth line was predicted to carry over 200million passengers annually immediately after opening; this was expected to relieve pressure on London Underground's lines, especially the Central line. is expected to become one of the busiest stations in the UK, due to it being the key interchange station with Thameslink
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...
services. In a business plan for the line published in January 2020, TfL predicted total annual revenues from the line of nearly £500million per year in 2022/23 (its first full year of operation) and over £1billion per year in 2024/25. 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 170million passengers by 2026. However, the Elizabeth line carried 62.2million passengers in the last quarter of 2022 alone. That was one-sixth of the UK's total rail journeys, and double the number the line carried during the same period one year earlier. TFL later stated the line had carried over 150million passengers in its first year of operation. By its second anniversary, more than 350million trips had been made on the line, and it carried a seventh of all rail trips in the UK.
In the fiscal year April 2023 to March 2024, the line carried 220million passengers.
Further proposals
A new station has been proposed to serve London City Airport
London City Airport is an international airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, Borough of Newham, about east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres ...
, and extensions have been put forward to Ebbsfleet in the south east, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
in the north west, Staines in the south west, and Southend Airport
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
in the east.
TfL has introduced high-speed 4G and 5G mobile coverage in the first tunnelled section of the Elizabeth line between Liverpool Street and Paddington. This initiative, part of a broader plan to extend coverage across the entire Tube and London Overground network, aims to improve connectivity.
Honours and awards
In 2024, the Elizabeth line won the RIBA
''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130
London Building of the Year award, and won the Stirling Prize
The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The ...
for the same year. Muyiwa Oki, RIBA president and chair of judges, said the Elizabeth line was "a triumph in architect-led collaboration" that transformed "the typical commuter chaos . . . into an effortless experience".
See also
* Crossrail 2 – second proposed Crossrail route providing a new north–south rail link across Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
* Thameslink
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...
- north–south route through London connecting locations across south east England
* '' The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway'', a documentary about the Elizabeth line's construction and commissioning
* Transport in London
* Réseau Express Régional
* Naniwasuji Line, planned north-south rail link in Osaka
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Authority control
Transport at Heathrow Airport
Airport rail links in London
London Rail
Railway lines in London
Regional rail in the United Kingdom
Railway operators in London
Underground commuter rail
Railway services introduced in 2022
2022 establishments in England