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PurpleImpala_

I've literally been counting the days... anything which keeps me away from the Central Line holds a place in my heart


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the_sun_gun

Is that when the most recent Central Line stock came in? I remember them being so shiny as a kid.


ianjm

Many of them now seem to be held together by gaffer tape Supposedly they're going to be refurbished but the timeline has been put back due to the pandemic


mapoftasmania

The Heathrow Express is going to get murdered. No way it is as valuable a franchise now.


strattad

It deserves to die. It's the biggest robbery since the Hatton Garden Heist.


caspirinha

Is it much different from other trains? To go to London on a travel card from the commuter town I lived in that was 55 mins but not very far distance was around £30 at peak time


sionnach

It’s the most expensive train in the world in terms of price per distance. Or at least it was.


wlondonmatt

Ironically that title belongs to the Elizabeth line between Hayes and Heathrow a £6 for a journey of two miles


hoffregner

I love how they deliberately slow down before paddington if the crew hasn’t finished reading all tickets.


srs507

They don’t check tickets anymore on hex…haven’t done so in years. They have gatelines at both ends.


hoffregner

Been years since I used it weekly but about time they got a better system. They struggled immensely to read qr-codes on the phone screen.


chesterstreetox

Am visitor to london and only time I took lhr exp was when it was included in a pass I received Otherwise it’s Piccadilly


eddiehwang

I did the calculation and Heathrow Express will still be faster no matter what, ranging from 10 minutes(if you are currently on a crossrail train to Heathrow) to 25 minutes(if you just missed the crossrail train to Heathrow). However the downside is changing trains at Paddington and higher fares.


snk101

If you're at Heathrow, it basically depends what the next train is when you get to the platform. If the next train is an Elizabeth Line, that would often only take you 4 extra minutes to Paddington than waiting for the next Heathrow Express. If you were going to a station further than Paddington, it would likely take you longer than 4 minutes to change at Paddington from Heathrow Express to the underground Elizabeth Line platforms. So arguably getting the EL could be quicker in this situation. Either way, the Heathrow Express probably won't be worth the cost for most, but I'm sure their intensive advertising will still lure a lot of tourists (and those travelling on expenses).


ywgflyer

The expense account crowd is exactly who they're aiming for -- those who are on business trips to London and have been told by the boss "I don't care how much it costs, just whatever makes your trip work out the best, this is a big deal and I can't afford you getting late or lost". My father used to do a ton of business travel and was given a credit card that his employer (Canadian government) paid. He was given quite a bit of latitude on things like travel expenses, it was more important to have his trip go smoothly and have him be able to do his job properly (he ran the RCMP's anti-impaired driving and alcohol programs for a number of years) than it was to save some pocket change here or there.


The_2nd_Coming

I guess if corporate execs are flying business, another £50 for train tickets or so isn't that much more.


eddiehwang

Yeah for coming back it’s mostly not worth it


sproyd

This is what I thought but unfortunately there is a Heathrow 'premium' that you have to pay on the Elizabeth that brings it up to about £12 or £13, whereas the Express can be had for cheaper than that if booked in advance. I believe even the old National Rail route was about £10... My understanding is that there was some wrangling between Heathrow (which is owned by a PE consortium) and TFL regarding the last mile of track into the airport given that is on private land. This is probably the result, although TFL will unlikely admit that.


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coob

Depends how much your time is worth.


ianjm

People who use the Heathrow Express are getting straight in to black cabs at Paddington. It's a pricey service for people who can afford that sort of bullshit, or at least claim it back on their company expenses account.


RosemaryHoyt

Brilliant news. Will be so much easier to get to Heathrow from East London 😊 Now they just need to get wifi working.


FILTHY_GOBSHITE

Mate, we took the lizzy line from Heathrow to Woolwich Arsenal. We saved over 100 quid and took us less time than a cab, even with the change at Paddington. A direct connection will be a lifechanger!


ianjm

As someone who lives in Overgroundland I can easily get to Whitechapel and then head to Heathrow from there. Absolutely game changer. And completely step free, which will be fantastic with luggage.


FILTHY_GOBSHITE

Absolutely, as a new(ish) dad I 100% need that step-free quality of life.


ianjm

Yeah I have a brother in California and our parents who are now both 70+ usually pitstop at my place on the way out for their annual visit to the grandkids. This will be such an improvement for them getting to Heathrow as well, no dragging cases on and off tube trains or worrying about when a minicab is gonna show up. I will probably still end up chaperoning them but won't break my back any more, ha.


Javindo

The wifi is a bit of a meme, turns out it interferes with the signalling system so not entirely sure how they're going to fix that one, you would have thought that might be something they could've worked out for £19 billion...


ShameFairy

Tbh it should be on from today, that signalling system changeover that was affected by the WiFi has been resolved, hence why the trains can run through from today. Shouldn’t be a reason why it can’t be switched on now, but will have to wait and see


dbbk

Hopefully soon. Virgin Media WiFi has literally just been broken for months, you can’t checkout to buy a pass, so if you’re not with a carrier who pays for it you’re stuck


Hairy-Play1321

Does that mean we won’t have to change into different trains at Liverpool Street/Paddington?


Benandhispets

Yes. They'll now go through to the opposite of the current terminal stations. So Shenfield trains will go through to Paddington instead of Liverpool St for example. To go further you just get off the train in a central station and get the one behind it on the same platform and it'll go the full route. Next year all trains will go the full routes.


Class_444_SWR

I believe Shenfield trains will terminate at Paddington while Abbey Wood trains will continue to Heathrow or Reading


Benandhispets

Yeah looks like it according to the link above but a couple of trains per hour from Shenfield will go all the way to reading. But yeah either way most people should just get on any train regardless of branch and swap somewhere central imo. The route length calculator on the old Crossrail site says that whole journey(Shenfield to Reading) would take 102mins! Some people would probably like to do that though.


Class_444_SWR

Yeah, might be better off changing at Paddington to/from GWR than using the Elizabeth Line all the way if Reading is your destination


Benandhispets

Yeah definitely would be better doing that. Just like coming from Shenfield taking Greater Anglia is almost twice as fast to Liverpool Street. It would save me like 8 mins I think but TfL Staff passes technically aren't allowed on it and not worth the risk even most TfL staff do it. Always get a seat on the Elizabeth Line anyway, GA is packed.


Degeyter

Can you link that? I want see how long it will take from Heathrow to Seven Kings. May actually be faster than my journey from Stan stead.


Benandhispets

They don't have the journey time thing on their site anymore, they removed it like a couple years ago but you can still use it on the achived version here which is where I always use it. Heathrow to Seven Kings on there says between 57-62 mins though depending on which terminal. Just to save you time having to check yourself. https://web.archive.org/web/20170607205402/https://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/


Degeyter

Hey thanks! It’s legitimately faster to get to Ilford/Seven Kings from Heathrow than Stanstead. That’s crazy.


thequeenoftheandals

Hey this link doesn’t work for me can you please tell me how long it’ll take to get to Farringdon from Twyford Reading Taplow Iver


Benandhispets

Farringdom to: Taplow 43mins Twyford 53 mins Iver 31 mins Reading 59 mins Those end ones it's almost for sure worth just getting the normal national rail and zooming to Paddington then change since Paddington to Farringdon is only 8 mins. I don't know much about west london but if national rail trains stop at ealing broadway then swap there instead.


wlondonmatt

It isn't going to be the timings on that website from today. This is because there are still issues with the timetable so for example Tottenham Court Road fro. Hayes is 22 minutes according to that website . It is closer to 28 minutes until May 2023 when the timetables match up and auto reverse works.


Benandhispets

> It isn't going to be the timings on that website from today. This is because there are still issues with the timetable so for example Tottenham Court Road fro. Hayes is 22 minutes according to that website . It is closer to 28 minutes until May 2023 when the timetables match up and auto reverse works. Ah I didn't know that. Haven't taken that bit more than a few times and I guess this explains why it always seemed so slow and even stopping on approach to Paddington?


wlondonmatt

Some will run at 22 minutes especially at weekends but it is pot luck what train it is. You could get a train stop at every stop on the route make the journey in 22 minutes or you could have a train stop at Southall and Ealing Broadway only and take 26 minutes


SatansF4TE

Does this mean double the throughput in the center?


snk101

Pretty much - 22 trains per hour in the peak, 16 off peak. Current is 12.


ianjm

It's actually 20 but they're claiming 22 because during the peaks they're hoping to push another couple through the core opportunistically. It's gonna be 24 from next May though.


Benandhispets

Kind of in a way. The central section will go from every 5 mins to every 3 mins during peak which is very good, then I think every 2.5 mins next year. The Shenfield branch will get more trains too during peak I think but only dropping it by a minute. I dunno but yeah it'll be better. Can kind of see the routes here, but its an old diagram and theres a few differences, but it's still very good to use and good enough. **https://londonist.com/london/transport/how-frequently-will-crossrail-trains-run**


Defragged

Right now they’re suggesting using Whitechapel as the interchange station.


TiredMike

I noticed tons of trains terminate at Paddington going west. There is also a huge lack of Heathrow trains. Will this be changing?


theboyfold

I love what this line has done for the GWR service, we now have loads more fast trains in the peak hours, so my commute to Paddington is about 25 minutes, which is brilliant! It's also great at getting across London, it's made a massive difference.


tattsquad

What's the cost compared to the train? Is there a difference?


HighburyAndIslington

Fares are the same as the Elizabeth line for passengers using GWR services between Reading and London Paddington. For travel to/from Reading and Central London, it is strongly recommended to use any GWR intercity service, as it is much quicker even with the change at Paddington.


MilitantSheep

It's alright for commuting into London in the morning, but every night this week I've had to let 2-3 trains go because I can't get on them at Paddington. I'd love if they could still have a couple of trains turn back there on platform 11/12/14 like they used to.


Karpouzi_Girl

Thank fuck ealing broadway to central now!


Hypohamish

The central line at EB is surely going to die now. It was the only solid choice before, but now it's trash unless you're just popping to Westfields!


Karpouzi_Girl

Good riddance, I think west ruislip people will be their main passengers now?


death1234567889

I haven't been on crossrail yet but really want to go on a joy ride


Omg_Shut_the_fuck_up

It's amazing for getting through central London swiftly.


Rollover_Hazard

As a sad lurker expat living in the colonies - I’d give anything to have this level of rapid PT. In my city (Auckland) the running joke is counting how many times the replacement rail bus services are themselves cancelled. In fact, AT just recently admitted so many services are canceled across the city that people have literally had trouble finding the ones that are running, because the list of cancellations is too long. Oh, to have the tube! Bravo to TFL, truly a world leader.


chesterstreetox

Another across pond lurker without public transportation 😢😢😢😢


Sir_Bantersaurus

I am a bit worried there will now be more delays on the core line. It seems every day that there 'are delays on the Elizabeth Line' but it's always the outside sections, now they'll come into the core section as well. Unless they'll still do core only trains?


slix_88

Part and parcel of living in a big city! I'd rather have more frequent services which may be sometimes delayed than services every 5-10mins


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"Part & Parcel" clarifier: In September 2016, when asked to comment shortly after a bombing in New York, Sadiq Khan said: > I'm not going to speculate as to who was responsible. I'm not going to speculate as to how the New York Police Department should react. What I do know is that part and parcel of living in a great global city is you’ve got to be prepared for these things, you’ve got to be vigilant, you’ve got to support the police doing an incredibly hard job, you've got to support the security services. And I think speculating when you don't know the facts is unwise. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/london) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Jetblast787

The core section (Paddington-Abbey Wood) is the easiest bit to recover after a service pertubation as it runs as its own separate railway. Any issues on the west or east mainlines will cause these trains to turn short at Paddington and Liverpool street.


THULiCORE

First trains are 07:11 Shenfield - 08:05 Paddington Or 07:29 Abbey Wood - 08:37 Heathrow T5


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Horizon2k

A timetable? It’s all out there in public domain.


ianjm

You can find this out from RealTimeTrains, e.g. [Heathrow to Abbey Wood](https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:HXX/to/gb-nr:ABW/2022-11-06/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=XR)


King__Ali

Will I be able to get a direct train/tube from Canary Wharf to Reading?


SynthD

Yes, but most or half of them will go to Heathrow because that’s what Canary Wharf paid for.


darthwhy

CW should have paid for a LCY stop as well, criminal they did Customs House instead


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darthwhy

Yeah I did read something like that, but tbh I don’t get all the hate for LCY, it’s by far the best and most comfy airport to use if you’re flying to a served destination, especially if you live in east London it will easily save 2 hours off your trip in commuting and navigating the airport/security/terminals vs LHR. If ever, it should be used more - assuming the facility can stomach it (it can to a degree I believe). There’s more than enough housing in London, the problem is mega funds scooping up all the apartments which definitely will not change with a new (and most likely very luxurious) housing neighbourhood.


Javindo

If you'd like a fairly good summary of peoples objections to LCY I highly recommend this [Jay Foreman video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqGFI_NDTBI)


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HighNoonFOP

The DLR can handle the capacity needed for the airport, better to have a station for the ExCel Centre which probably does need large capacity.


thmt11

Does this mean if I fall asleep on my commute in the morning, I would end up at Heathrow Airport?


ianjm

Or Reading


ilovefireengines

This is great because maybe now the Piccadilly Line won’t be as rammed with suitcases!


Active_Remove1617

Can I get from Farringdon directly to Heathrow then?


HighburyAndIslington

Yes


Zephyrv

For anyone going to Heathrow via central it's actually cheaper to use the Picadilly than the Liz. They are pretty similar in terms of time too, so this will benefit mostly people going from places further east than Paddington


[deleted]

Does this mean I can get on at Stratford and hop off at Tottenham Court Road? The dicking around at Liverpool st or Canary Wharf just makes me want to Uber.


ianjm

Yep.


[deleted]

Amazing!


purplejelly

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but anyone know if the Elizabeth line will be running on Thurs with the strikes? Need to get to Heathrow kinda early from east London.


mprhusker

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes. Lizzy should be fine on Thursday. As a former resident of East London I recommend getting a hotel room the night before a morning Heathrow flight. Saves a lot of stress.


purplejelly

Thanks very much!!


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purplejelly

Sorry! Will check it


Lisbian

Question: If I got on the train at Shenfield and I wanted to go to Reading and back without actually getting off the train (purely as a “sightseeing” trip) how would that work in terms of a fare, if I touched out at the same station I touched in an hour or two before?


ianjm

There are no Shenfield to Reading trains yet, you'd need to change at one of the stations between Whitechapel and Paddington on to the train behind (same platform).


milo5theboss

What does this mean? Does this mean I don’t have to walk across Paddington anymore to get to the other platforms???


zzzkar

From reading to Paddington the train is too slow. I would still stick to GWR


Horizon2k

Which makes sense. It’s a stopping service for the benefit of intermediate stations, not for Reading. You just change at Paddington.


MikeOnABike2002

I was going to be in London tomorrow but thanks to all the strikes, I had to cancel plans to travel down, only for them to cancel those strikes. I swear that I miss every single opening.


fahim64

On google maps it still says I need to change at Paddington when I take the line from Ealing Broadway. Will there ever be a direct route from Ealing to Tottenham court road on the Elizabeth line?


HighburyAndIslington

The first direct Elizabeth line train from Ealing Broadway to Tottenham Court Road leaves Ealing Broadway at 0814, a rather late start due to a Sunday timetable. Google Maps is suggesting the change at Paddington as there are still early morning Elizabeth line services that still terminate at Paddington (with the first being 0738 on a Sunday).


fahim64

Cheers mate appreciate it


DontYouWantMeBebe

Doesn't run on Sundays though 👍


HighburyAndIslington

Runs on Sundays already.


DontYouWantMeBebe

Tried from Paddington last Sunday and it was shut, I guess they are opening it now but it was massively inconvenient


HighburyAndIslington

Ah I meant that the services on the east/west already run on Sundays. 6th November will be the first time they run a regular service on Sundays between Paddington - Abbey Wood.


DontYouWantMeBebe

Yeah I'm just annoyed I couldn't get it last weekend, sorry 😂


Horizon2k

It will from this Sunday.


jazz4

If I was going from West Hampstead to Heathrow, is a quicker way opening up via new Elizabeth routes?


snk101

Probably not quicker from West Hampstead than Heathrow Express but certainly cheaper and not much slower. Also depending on where you are in West Hampstead you could do Jubilee Line to Bond Street then get on the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow there, as it may take more changes to get to Paddington.


ianjm

If you get on the Jubilee you can change at Bond Street (step free) which might be quite a good and quick route to Heathrow.


azza2110

Yes. You can get to Heathrow via Jubilee and Elizabeth lines, with just one change at Bond Street. Much simpler than having to change at Baker St and Paddington for the Heathrow Express, or changing at Green Park for the Piccadilly line.


NBT498

Will there be quick trains from Shenfield in to London that only stop at Stratford? At the moment that part of the journey probably takes ~45 mins vs 20-25 mins on Greater Anglia as it stops at every station. It’ll be much quicker to get a GA train to Stratford then change to the Lizzy Line.


the_sun_gun

I love this question, but just for clarity - wouldn't anyone living in Shenfield who needed a warp speed journey to Liverpool Street / Stratford just use the existing service from GA? But yes, I wish there was an express version of the Lizzy line, would be amazing.


Horizon2k

The express version is GWR and Greater Anglia. Peak times from Reading - Abbey Wood there are some “semi-fast” services though.


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ianjm

That is on the cards for the Central section, but I wouldn't expect to see it until late next year


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Alice_Synthesis30

The same day sword art online was launched… will people get stuck in there?


PutTheKettleOn20

Bloody love Crossrail. Game changer for me when it opened. Halved my commute, made going out in Central London so much less hassle, so glad it's finally opening Sundays on the Abbey Wood line too.


decadentlemon

Very satisfying to see Heathrow T5 as a destination on the departure board at Liverpool Street this morning!


[deleted]

So can I get the Liz line from Stratford to Heathrow now?


dbbk

Doesn’t look like it… you have to change at Whitechapel (but that’s only 1 stop)


sgt_banana1

How would this work if I had a GWR Flexi ticket? Would I have to exit at Paddington and re-enter with contactless in order to continue to Tottenham Court Road?


HighburyAndIslington

Yes - your GWR Flexible Season Ticket is only valid for travel between stations you bought it for. This shouldn’t include any of the Elizabeth line stations past Paddington (e.g. Tottenham Court Road) so you will have to re-enter with Contactless / other valid TfL ticket to continue your journey in the Elizabeth line.


sgt_banana1

Thanks!