Elizabeth line

Is the Elizabeth line running today?

This page covers the Elizabeth line in depth — route, stations, history, step-free access and quirks. For the live answer right now, including the current TfL status (Good Service, Minor Delays, Severe Delays, Part Closure or Suspended) and any reported disruption, see the live network status board on the homepage. It's refreshed every 60 seconds from TfL Open Data.

The Elizabeth line is the newest addition to London's rail network and one of the most consequential. It runs full-size suburban trains directly through a brand-new tunnel under central London, linking Reading, Heathrow Airport and the western suburbs with the City, Canary Wharf, Stratford, Shenfield and Abbey Wood — without changing trains. Every station and every train is fully step-free, and capacity in central London increased by roughly 10% the day it opened.

Where it runs

From west to east, the Elizabeth line runs from Reading and Heathrow Airport (with trains from each combining at Hayes & Harlington), east through Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, and at Whitechapel it splits into two branches:

• The Shenfield branch — to Stratford and out into Essex via Romford, Brentwood and Shenfield.
• The Abbey Wood branch — to Canary Wharf, Custom House, Woolwich and Abbey Wood in south-east London.

The whole route is approximately 118 kilometres end-to-end, and a typical journey from Reading to Abbey Wood takes around 1 hour 40 minutes — comparable to many mainline services, but with the convenience of underground tube-style frequencies in the central section.

The Crossrail project

Crossrail was approved in 2007, opened in stages from 2017, and the central tunnel finally opened to passengers on 24 May 2022. It ran significantly over budget and behind schedule but is, by most measures, an extraordinary success — the central section reached 200 million journeys within its first year and significantly relieved pressure on the parallel Central, Jubilee and Bakerloo lines.

The decision to brand it as the "Elizabeth line", with the new roundel and purple colour, was made in 2016 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who personally opened the central section months before her death later that year.

Class 345 trains

Elizabeth line services are operated by Class 345 "Aventra" trains — nine cars long, fully walk-through, air-conditioned, with wide aisles, level boarding at every station, and capacity for about 1,500 passengers per train. They are the longest trains operating on the TfL network and one of the largest single fleets in the country.

Notable stations

• Paddington — major interchange with the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines, plus the mainline station and Heathrow Express.
• Bond Street — completely rebuilt with the line, now a major step-free interchange with the Jubilee and Central lines.
• Tottenham Court Road — likewise rebuilt, interchange with the Northern and Central lines.
• Farringdon — one of the country's best-connected stations; interchange with Thameslink mainline north-south services in addition to the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City.
• Canary Wharf — a vast new station beneath the Crossrail Place dock, interchange with the Jubilee and DLR.
• Whitechapel — completely rebuilt, interchange with the District, Hammersmith & City and Overground.

Step-free access

The Elizabeth line is the most fully accessible line on the network. Every station is step-free from street to train, every platform has level boarding (no significant gap between platform and carriage floor), every train has clear visual and audio information, and tactile paving is universal. For wheelchair users, parents with buggies and anyone with mobility needs, the Elizabeth line should usually be the first option for crossing London.

Hours and service patterns

The Elizabeth line runs from approximately 05:00 to midnight on weekdays, with off-peak frequencies of 10 trains per hour through the central section. There is no formal "Night Tube" — but during the day it is one of the most frequent rail lines anywhere in Europe.

Common quirks

• Different trains for different routes. Through the central tunnel, all trains look the same, but they split at Whitechapel (east) and at Paddington / Hayes (west). Always check the destination.
• Heathrow trains are usually faster than Heathrow Express. Elizabeth line trains take a few minutes longer but cost a fraction of the Heathrow Express fare and run with similar frequency.
• The central section is technically still in beta. Some interconnections (e.g. 24-hour through-running, full integration with mainline services) are still being optimised.

Other lines

Guides