Elizabeth Line to connect central London to Reading from November
Elizabeth Line trains running from Reading will be able to continue on into central London from 6 November, according to an announcement from Transport for London (TfL).
Until now, passengers travelling on the line into central London were forced to change at Paddington.
Andy Byford, London’s transport commissioner, said: “I am excited to see the Elizabeth line unlock quicker and better journey options, greater accessibility, and further connectivity to jobs and leisure for even more people.
"This will be another giant leap for London’s public transport system, which supports economic growth in the capital and right across the country.”
Construction on the new line has been underway now for more than two decades, having been hit by a number of setbacks in that time. Originally called Crossrail, it was officially named after the Queen in 2016 after her visit to Bond Street.
Read more - Oxford train station to benefit from £161m renovation
Great Western Railway (GWR) regional growth manager, Edward Goose said: "We know the Elizabeth line has proved extremely popular with GWR customers who have taken advantage of significant journey-time savings from Paddington into key parts of the city.
“This announcement for the next phase on 6 November is incredibly exciting, delivering even greater connectivity and – with services commencing on Sundays – greater flexibility for our leisure customers visiting the capital at weekends."
The new connection is expected to reduce journey times, expand network capacity, improve accessibility and better connect the network.
As well as extending the network, 6 November will see the number of trains running per hour increase from 12 to 22 during peak times and 16 during off-peak. The service will also start to run on Sundays for the first time.
By May next year, TfL expects to run 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during peak times.
Along with rebranding a number of South East stations with the distinctive purple Elizabeth Line livery, nine new stations have been constructed in central London.
Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “From November, even more passengers will be able to benefit from this fantastic line with the introduction of Sunday services, direct journeys to Berkshire and Essex and a brand new station at Bond Street.”
Read more - Elizabeth Line to open this month (May)
