Visitors to London who are also transport enthusiasts (‘railfans’) sometimes ask for advice as to the ‘best’ things to see on London’s railway network. This page is part of a guide which aims to answer that question.
If this is the first time you have reached these pages then it is best to go to the Opening Page which sets the scene, explains the difference between the small and the large profile trains, offers advice on the best type of ticket to buy and photography tips.
Alternatively, it is possible to view everything on one page
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| Elizabeth Line (Crossrail Line 1) |
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Crossrail as a name in the London context refers to two (or three) new subterranean railway lines which will travel across central London and in the suburbs extend over existing heavy rail routes. The primary aims are to increase passenger capacity to attract more people to travel by train and reduce overcrowding on London's existing railways. The concept of introducing trains to the many areas which are remote from any railway service is seen as a secondary (less important) side effect.
The plan is that all the Crossrail deep level 'tube train' tunnels will be large enough for full size main line trains and operated as part of the main line / 'National Rail' network - not London Underground trains.
Map modified by me, original source & license: David Arthur / Wikipedia encyclopædia CC-BY-SA-2.0-CA https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CrossrailLine1Map.svg
The map includes two stations which are not yet open, more about these stations is explained elsewhere on this page.
Click map to see larger version in a new window! 
| General Information |
To make life easier for passengers Crossrail line 1 has been given a name, in the same way that London's underground lines also have individual line names - The Elizabeth line
The Elizabeth line comprises three sections of railway:- The Great Western Main Line:
To the west of London from Reading / Heathrow Airport to new underground platforms deep under Paddington station.
Three of the busier stations along this route are also served by trains operated by Great Western Railway (West Drayton, Hayes & Harlington and Ealing Broadway) - at Paddington these trains use the existing surface station. Other trains operated by GWR travel far beyond London to Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, South Wales / Penzance - West Country.
A short branch off this route leads to Heathrow Airport, this is served by Elizabeth line and the non-stop Heathrow Express trains. - A (mostly) new-build section of railway:
This section of railway is between Paddington station in west London and Abbey Wood which is on the southern side of the river Thames in south-east London. It passes below the centre of London and then extends via Liverpool Street station, Whitechapel, London's second financial district on the Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf), the Excel exhibition centre (Custom House), the historic refurbished 1878 Connaught Tunnel and the historic dockyard area of Woolwich. - The Great Eastern Main Line:
To the east of London this route starts at Liverpool Street station although most Elizabeth line trains join it via a link between Whitechapel and Stratford stations. Elizabeth line trains travel as far as Shenfield. Because of the very high numbers of passengers using this section of railway some Monday - Friday rush hour trains continue to travel to / from the surface Liverpool Street station.
This route is also served by Greater Anglia whose trains then travel far beyond London to Southend On Sea / Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and beyond. Most Greater Anglia trains call at Stratford, a few also call at Romford and Shenfield and passengers for these stations benefit from significantly shorter journey times than when travelling on Elizabeth line trains.
The new-build section opened to passengers on 24th May 2022, and on the same day the historic western and eastern sections were renamed from TFL Rail to Elizabeth line.
Filmed from a footbridge over the railway and depot between Ilford and Seven Kings stations.
This eastbound train had stopped just outside the west London tunnel mouth, this location is an easy walk from Royal Oak Underground station.
| Below / Above Ground |
Entirely below ground in central London (just to the west of Paddington station - just to the west of Stratford station). But above ground on the pre-existing sections of railway to Reading via west London and to Shenfield via east London.
The Abbey Wood route rises to the surface a little to the west of Custom House station but includes two more underground sections in Docklands and when passing below the River Thames.
The Heathrow Airport route is above ground from Paddington until it reaches the airport area, from where it is wholly underground.
| Claustrophobia |
Information for people who are happy to travel on trains which are above ground but experience claustrophobia
when in tunnels.
West London passengers can avoid the tunnels to Paddington station by travelling on Great Western trains to Paddington station. Unfortunately since 2023 all GWR trains run non-stop between Slough and Paddington and hence no longer stop at any suburban stations in London.
East London passengers can avoid the tunnels to Liverpool Street (via Whitechapel) by travelling on Greater Anglia trains between Stratford and Liverpool Street. But note that part of Liverpool Street station has been built over so is not fully in daylight and some of the approach route has also been built over - but this is many tracks wide, so it feels more travelling below a wide bridge than in a tunnel. These comments also apply to the 'rush hours only' Elizabeth line trains which travel direct between Stratford and Liverpool Street stations.
| Impressive Station Architecture |
The new-build Elizabeth line stations include much impressive architecture which in many ways totally redefine the 'beingness' of an underground railway station. There is far too much to show everything but this web page offers a selection of views.
Most of the new station buildings feature works of art, only some of these are detailed on this page, more information can be found here:
https://www.crossrail.co.uk/
Most underground Elizabeth line platforms are very deep and many of them require passengers to use two flights of escalators between the street and the platforms.
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wayfinding signage with integral uplighters for passageway lighting and smooth inside curves where tunnels and passageways meet.
The two outer views come from Tottenham Court Road station. The middle view comes from Whitechapel station.
| January 2024 Update |
The choice of white walling at some of the brand-new stations was great but barely a year after services had began ghostly shadows had began to form where passengers who were seated whilst waiting for a train were leaning back on to the platform walls.
The affected stations were Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.
The solution adopted at the first four stations was to install body-shaped geometric patterns based upon the colours of the services that call at the station on the white wall. Whitechapel adopted a different solution which is seen below.
waiting passengers leaning back on the wall.
based on the colours of the lines that serve this station.
| June 2024 - More Trains |
Because of increasing passenger demand another ten Class 345 trains are to be built so that services can be increased.
Whilst the stated reason for the new trains is true it is not the whole story.The national government politicians agreed to provide funds for the new trains during a general election campaign. This is a time when politicians hoping to be re-elected are traditionally very keen on performing actions that show them in an especially good light. In addition, the factory which builds these trains was experiencing a downturn in orders for new trains, so it being awarded the contract to build these new trains at this specific time was seen as being important for ensuring continued employment of many thousands of people who work in the train-building factory ... and at countless other businesses in the extended supply chain.
| Central London Core Stations |
A brief look at each of the stations Paddington - Whitechapel. All of these stations already existed and have been upgraded for the new service.
Paddington
At Paddington the departures taxi rank was relocated so that a brand-new 20 metre deep cut'n'cover box-style station could be dug out of the ground alongside (close to platform 1) the existing Network Rail main line railway station.
A 120 metre long steel and glass canopy provides weather protection over the 'hole in the ground' whilst also allowing daylight to filter down into the ticket hall.
Located 10 metres above ground this canopy is decorated with every known type of cloud formation. Called Cloud Index and created by Spencer Finch this artwork is intended to mimic the ever-changing sky.
This 2025 image also shows the metal barricades that were added at a later date to 'encourage' certains groups of people to use the lifts.
new underground Paddington station.
The Elizabeth line platforms include a fully accessible walking interchange passageway with the deep-level Bakerloo line platforms.
The 'out of station interchange' (OSI) facility on the PAYG smart card ticketing system means that interchanging passengers will still be charged a simple through fare for their entire journey - but only if they do not take too long to walk between exit and entrance card readers - in most cases the time limit is 20 minutes when walking towards London Underground ticket gates and 40 minutes when walking towards National Rail ticket gates.
This time difference is because National Rail trains are less frequent and passengers may have to wait a while before being informed from which platform their train will depart.
A small number of early morning / late evening Elizabeth line
trains still serve the main National Rail Paddington station.
Bond Street
At Bond Street two brand new station buildings with ticket halls have been built at opposite ends of the station platforms.
The Western ticket hall is in Davies Street close to the West One Shopping Centre and the existing London Underground station.
The Eastern ticket hall is in Hanover Square and is so close to Oxford Circus station that passengers are allowed to use the Oyster PAYG / smartcard ticketing system 'out of station' interchange facility to change between the trains at these two stations and (providing they do not take too long) they will be charged for one seamless through journey. This will especially benefit Victoria line passengers as this line does not have any other interchange stations with the Elizabeth line.
and high ceilings with semi-recessed lighting. Davies Street is on the left and Hanover Square on the right.
The Davies Street entrance includes three artworks by Darren Almond:
- Horizon Line: This is located above the ticket hall end of the escalators between here and the intermediate landing. This comprises a large grid of fragmented numbers cast in 144 individual hand-polished aluminium tiles.
- Time Line (From Under The Glacier) is seen by passengers ascending the escalators from the intermediate landing which includes the interchange passageway to the Jubilee and Central lines.
- Shadow Line (Reflect From Your Shadow) is located above the escalators down to the Elizabeth line platforms from the intermediate landing which includes the interchange passageway to the Jubilee and Central lines.
Time Line and Shadow Line draw upon the tradition of naming early British locomotives with cast bronze nameplates, although here the aim is to offer (quote:) poetic phrases that offer a philosophical proposition to each passerby.
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Tottenham Court Road
At Tottenham Court Road station the Elizabeth line also has two ticket halls located at each end of the station platforms. The western ticket hall is brand new and located partway along Oxford Street - with its location officially described as being in Dean Street, Soho. This ticket hall only serves Elizabeth line trains.
The eastern ticket hall is not brand new as it has served the Central and Northern lines for many years. However it was very cramped and at busy times became very crowded. So it was completely rebuilt and enlarged at the same time as the construction of the Elizabeth line. This ticket hall is fully underground - reached via several brand new and much older street accesses. Its location is known as St Giles Circus but many people will know this as being the busy road junction where Oxford Street / New Oxford Street / Tottenham Court Road / Charing Cross Road meet.
The rebuilding of this station ticket hall caused much controversy because it entailed closing the much-loved Astoria theatre and removing distinctive mosaic tiling (by Edward Paolozzi) from the Central line escalator shafts and both Central and Northern line platforms. In 2022 a new theatre (called @SohoPlace) opened to replace the Astoria theatre. Some of the mosaic tiling still exists at older parts of the station but whilst the Central line escalators are still where they were before the rebuilding the mosaic tiling was not reinstated.
The eastern ticket hall includes a direct interchange link between Elizabeth and Northern line platforms. But not between Elizabeth and Central line platforms. This is because this facility already exists at Liverpool Street and Bond Street stations.
Shiny glass wall buildings are often highly reflective and this structure conforms to that rule. This explains why part of much older buildings on the opposite side of the road and Centerpoint Tower can also be seen.
Passengers are expected to use the direct interchange passages between these two lines at Bond Street and Liverpool Street stations.
Note the black colour, apparently a design idiom - black was chosen to match the late night nature of many businesses in this area.
Also seen is the very deep escalator shaft with an accessibility lift (top left of the image) - quite literally a deep 'hole in the ground'!!
Farringdon
Farringdon is another Elizabeth line station that has two ticket halls located at each end of the station platforms.
The western ticket hall also serves Thameslink trains and is opposite the historic Metropolitan Railway station building.
The eastern ticket hall is brand new and located next to the historic Smithfield Market. The walking route between the Elizabeth line platforms and this ticket hall includes a direct lift access from the westbound London Underground platform at Barbican station. Anyone (whether a train passenger or not) who uses this link to walk (rather than travel by train) between the stations will still be charged a Zone 1 train fare!
The new western station entrance at Farringdon is especially noted for its artwork which was created as a homage to the goldsmiths, jewellers and ironsmiths who work at nearby Hatton Garden, which is the centre of the UK jewellery trade.
The roof is formed of a 350-tonne precast concrete structure that is suspended in mid-air from a steel frame without the need for column supports. The geometry of the ceiling reflects the alignment of the Thameslink service and the Elizabeth line.
The back-lit etched glass artwork in the side wall glazing is named Avalanche. Created by British artist Simon Periton this comprises a frieze sequence of large diamonds, with the intricate features of each gem having been digitally printed in ceramic ink.
The side wall decorative glazing by Simon Periton
named Avalanche - as described left.
Left: This view also includes a Class 700 Thameslink train.
Right: This view also shows the roof over the top of the Elizabeth line escalator shaft.
The exterior glazing artwork was also created by Simon Periton. The design features an intricate pattern that reflects the Victorian-era metalwork of the historic Smithfield market directly opposite the station building. The transparent artwork allows passengers to see through to the coffered ceiling - which is based on the Brutalist architecture on the nearby Barbican Centre.
Right: The exit at Barbican station is directly on a former City Widened Lines part of an island platform that is also used by westbound Underground trains.
Liverpool Street
The Elizabeth line platforms at Liverpool Street station have three exits:
- Escalators / lifts to Liverpool Street Underground station, offering direct interchange with the Central, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines plus (through ticket gates and more escalators) Liverpool Street National Rail station and a brand-new street entrance in Broadgate.
- Escalators / lifts to a rebuilt (enlarged) ticket hall at Moorgate, offering direct interchange with the Northern, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, National Rail Great Northern (suburban) plus (through ticket gates) exit to the street.
- A passageway (walking!) directly from the far western end of the Elizabeth line platforms to the Northern line platforms at Moorgate station.
The two exits which use escalators / lifts are at opposite ends of a long distributor passageway centrally located between the station platforms.
To an extent the interchange passageway between the Elizabeth and Northern line platforms is of questionable benefit, as many passengers will find it just as easy to interchange via the escalators / lifts and rebuilt Moorgate ticket hall. However this route can become very busy during the rush hours, and the large cave-like cavern with its very high ceiling part-way along the walking route creates an element of grandiose wonderment that counteracts the mundane blandness of the rest of the walking route. This cavern is seen further down this page.
Whilst it is also possible to enter the station from the street and use Elizabeth line passageways to walk between Liverpool Street and Mooorgate stations, people who walk (rather than travel by train) between the two stations will still be charged a Zone 1 train fare!
The ceilings in the new and rebuilt ticket halls include grooved and angled sections of pre-cast concrete panels. The reason for this is to create a greater sense of space and movement and to mimic the core design of the pinstripe suits which some city workers (especially in the banking / financial sectors) frequently regard as being a mandatory part of their dress code.
The construction works for the new station entrance and passageways also included allowing a period of time for an archaeological dig, during which time some ancient artifacts going back as far as the Roman era over 2000 years ago were discovered and recovered.
The escalator shaft on the left also has a glass wall inclined lift (see below for more information).
The escalator landing seen on the right forms the Liverpool Street end of the long distributor passageway centrally located between the station platforms.
trains still serve the main National Rail Liverpool Street station.
Whitechapel
This very old station was extensively rebuilt and modernised as part of the Elizabeth line project. However the original 1876 entrance has been retained, renovated and cleaned so as to better match the heritage-style buildings in Whitechapel Road.
The rebuilding project included installing the new Elizabeth line platforms, a new (and much larger) ticket hall and gateline, improved interchange between the very busy Underground and Overground platforms and completely re-jigging the Underground station so that instead of four platforms for District / Hammersmith & City line trains there is now a very wide island with just two platform faces. A new cripple siding (for a failed train) was built near West Ham station to replace facilities removed from this station.
Whitechapel station adopted a unique solution to the issue of white-wall stations having ghostly shadows caused by seated passengers leaning back on to the wall whilst waiting for their train. This is by having large artworks (with clear glass or plastic screens) behind the central part of the seats and adding off-white covers over the two white side panals - as seen in the middle image below.
There was going to be a second ticket hall and station exit at the other end of the Elizabeth line platforms but this was cancelled so as to reduce the overall cost of the Elizabeth line project.
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Left: A platform view filmed on the day that passenger services through the central London tunnels opened.
Middle: The same part of the platform showing the solution to the ghost image problem, as described in the text above.
Right: Brand new passageway leading from the Elizabeth line and London Overground platforms to the subsurface Underground platforms and station exit.
has been preserved with 'Women Of TfL' posters replacing the upper floor windows.
| Abbey Wood Branch |
The branch to Abbey Wood is a brand new service which partially re-uses older railway infrastructure in the London Docklands area.
Canary Wharf and Woolwich are brand new station buildings, although other nearby stations with similar names already existed.
Custom House and Abbey Wood stations already existed and have been extensively rebuilt. Bus services from Abbey Wood serve Thamesmead, which is a large residential area in south-east London that does not have any railways at all.
Canary Wharf
This box-shaped station sits on an artificial island that was created by draining the West India Quay north dock. 18 metres below water level it is part of a multi-floor structure that on upper levels includes retail and leisure space plus a roof garden
The ticket hall has multiple accesses, including some at each end of the building. However, as already exists with the Jubilee line and several DLR stations in this area, the Elizabeth line station does not include direct interchange passageways with any other railway services. Instead the other stations are easily reached by exiting from this station and walking through the various indoor shopping centres and / or outdoor footpaths. The 'out of station interchange' (OSI) facility on the PAYG smart card ticketing system means that interchanging passengers will be charged a simple through fare for their entire journey - but only if they do not take too long to walk between exit and entrance card readers - in most cases the time limit is 20 minutes.
above Canary Wharf Crossrail / Elizabeth line station.
More information: https://canarywharf.com/arts-events/crossrail-place-roof-garden/
The Crossrail Place roof garden features plants from many of the countries once visited by ships that unloaded goods in the dock that has now been repurposed into this Elizabeth line station plus retail complex. The West India Quay north dock sits almost exactly on the Meridian line and the roof garden planting has been arranged according to which hemisphere the plants come from, with Asian plants such as bamboos to the east, and plants such as ferns from the Americas to the west.
Custom House
Custom House is next to the Excel exhibition centre and was already served by the Docklands Light Railway (Beckton branch). The Elizabeth line occupies space that was previously used by a railway that dates back to 1855 and closed in 2006. However the older station had two side platforms so the site was completely rebuilt for the new service, with the two railway services now having one double-sided island platform each, centrally located between each pair of tracks.
It would have been much better for the passengers had this station been designed to have cross-platform interchange between the two railway services. This would also have reduced the numbers of passengers walking around the station. However, the railway industry did not want this. Apparently it is seen as 'inconvenient' when trains operated by different railway companies share the same platforms plus because the DLR was already running the safety people said that it was too dangerous to have construction workers close to a live railway. However that argument could be considered somewhat hollow, because the DLR station was rebuilt as part of the Crossrail project and whilst the DLR station was closed during this time the trains continued to pass through this station.
Perhaps another reason for not wanting cross-platform interchange between the two railway services at Custom House is that the DLR and Elizabeth line have very different ticketing regimes. The DLR is an open system whereas the Elizabeth line is largely a closed system - which means that to enter or leave the stations passengers must pass through ticket gates which check that they have a valid method of fares payment.
Silvertown City Airport?
The route between Custom House and where the Elizabeth line passes below the river Thames at North Woolwich reuses part of a very old section of passenger and goods railway through London's docklands.
This section of railway used to have a station at Silvertown, close to the footbridge from where these photographs were taken, but in 2006 this section of railway was closed for rebuilding as part of the Elizabeth line - with the works included demolishing the station.
This area is now served by the nearby DLR (Docklands Light Railway) station for London City Airport (LCY). DLR trains from here travel on two routes; Bank - North Woolwich and Stratford International - North Woolwich. In addition, as can be seen there are local buses too, although this being London passengers who travel on both trains and buses are charged two sets of travel fares.
The portals on the southern side of the Thames are at Plumstead.
Refurbishing this tunnel for the Elizabeth line was a challenging task not helped by the risk of encountering unexploded WW2 bombs and the proximity of the site to the London City Airport runway.
A Future Station Here?
The owners of City Airport would very much like for there to be an Elizabeth line station serving their airport. It is understood that they even offered £50m to pay for a new station to be built to serve their airport. But the offer was refused.
However it might yet happen... if it does there will be a 300 metre walk along residential streets between the airport and the railway station.
The Elizabeth line Wikipedia route map (above) includes this station as 'proposed'.
Woolwich
Woolwich is a simple low-rise minimalist brick-built box-shaped station with a single entrance. The ticket hall has skylights so that it is bathed in natural daylight.
The facade above the station entrance comprises a 30 metre wide bronze-clad portal which features a rifling pattern reminiscent of the cannons which were cast on the Arsenal site.
The area in front of the station entrance is known as 'Dial Arch Square' and it includes a lawned area plus seating.
Woolwich station platform.
Abbey Wood
The ticket hall at Abbey Wood was rebuilt as part of the (then) Crossrail scheme and opened in March 2018. Internally it makes extensive use of wood with the inside of the ceiling using larch, plus the waiting area and platform seats also using wood. In many ways this mirrors the extensive use of wood for the rebuilding of London Bridge main line station, which is one of the main London stations served by the SouthEastern and Thameslink services that call at this station.
The promotional material for this station includes a mention of the snazzy modern glass and metal platform shelters as if they are significant. Of course weather protection for station platforms is a welcome feature - especially when it is functional too. The view (below - right) showing the wet platform surface suggests that for at least part of the station these glazed platform canopies are actually about as useful as the proverbial chocolate teapot - they may have eye candy but they totally fail to protect passengers from heavy rain!
Other facilities here include a retail shop, café and toilets.
| Other Information |
Old Oak Common Station?
This proposed station is very likely to be built and become the western terminus of Elizabeth line trains which at present terminate at Paddington station.
The reason for this is that a major High Speed Two (HS2) station is being built here and the Elizabeth line will offer an excellent speedy connection with other parts of London.
It is expected that the wider Old Oak Common regeneration zone will also include stations on the Central and Bakerloo Underground lines as well as London Overground North London line, West London line and Euston - Watford line. Whether all these will be brand new stations or existing stations scattered around the wider regeneration zone remains to be seen.
The Elizabeth line Wikipedia route map (above) includes this station as opening in 2026.
Kensal Town?
Also in west London this station is desired because at present trains pass through this area without stopping and this significantly restricts travel opportunities. Previously this area was served by British Rail trains on the London - Reading route at Westbourne Park station but these were closed in 1992 and whilst Underground Hammersmith & City / Circle line trains still call here journeys to destinations such as Ealing Broadway or Heathrow Airport require travelling via Paddington station - the opposite direction of travel!
Kensal Town is a proposed station name, it might also be called Ladbroke Grove, Kensal or Portobello Central.
| Accessibility |
All of the brand-new Elizabeth line stations are fully accessible from the street to the trains. Stations on older sections of railway are only accessible between the street and the platform. Because of the physical differences in shape and size between different types of passenger and freight / goods trains it is not always possible to offer full accessibility on routes used by so many different types of rolling stock.
| Platform Doors - Next Train Information |
The platforms at all underground stations feature platform screen doors.
Because of the length of the platforms it was decided to locate the 'next train' information above each set of platform doors.
display shows the 'train departing' message.
The original style of platform door passenger information display (PID) messages listed the next few trains and used a sideways scrolling graphical display to show the stations served by the first train plus interchange possibilities - both at the stations the train served and any station that the station passed through without stopping!
The image below-right dates from the Paddington - Abbey Wood preview service which began when the central core of the Elizabeth line opened in May 2022.
The yellow scrolling message on this day was: Welcome to the Elizabeth line. Enjoy your journey today!
Bond Street station remained closed when the preview service began and therefore is crossed out.
Unfortunately even when the full service began all stations that were skipped continued to be identified with a similar barely visible white 'cross out' line. Maybe there was a reason for this,
nevertheless it was a bad mistake that led to much confusion and passengers boarding trains that did not stop at their destination stations.
It would have been better had the cross out been a large X or a red line - not white.
Whilst visually attractive many passengers found that the scrolling messages were too much of a gimmick that failed in one of the most important functions - they did not make it easy to quickly work out whether a train already at the station would call at their destination station.
Scrolling 'next train' messages located above platform screen doors - as used for the first (approximately) 20 months of the Elizabeth line.
A much larger (easier to read) version of this image
can be found at this link
A montage of four images showing part of the scrolling route map with interchange possibilities for an eastbound train travelling between
Tottenham Court Road and Forest Gate, on the route towards Shenfield. To take these photographs the camera was set to -2 f stops.
This montage dates from summer 2023, when the full service was running.
It uses images from Tottenham Court Road station solely because that is where I was when I decided to take the photographs.
In late 2023 / early 2024 a new style of 'next train' passenger information was rolled out. The message is fixed (ie: does not scroll sideways). It still lists the next four trains but only the stations called at by the next three trains. For a while only some display screens used this format but it is now universal.
Although a much plainer format many passengers will prefer this as it is easier to find one's destination station on a static list of names than a scrolling list of names. This will help passengers who are unfamiliar with the service feel more assured that they will be boarding the correct train for their journey.
The only drawbacks are that for some longer services with many stations the list of station names scrolls over two pages and that this new display style does not show interchange possibilities at the various stations served by the trains.
The upper display shows eastbound trains.
The lower display shows westbound trains - note how easy it is to see that the train to Heathrow terminal 5 calls at three fewer stations than the train to Terminal 4.
Both photographs were taken at Liverpool Street station,
at different times of the day.
A much larger (easier to read) version of this image
can be found at this link
on the passenger information displays.
Two short films showing the passenger information displays in action have been placed on the ‘YouTube’ film / video website and can either be watched via the embedded displays or on the YouTube website in new windows by clicking the links below the films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPAGDy-Ok0
2) An Elizabeth line train going to Maidenhead arriving at Whitechapel station
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HYrwYX_4O4
| Long Walks |
Several Elizabeth line stations in the central core require passengers to use several flights of escalators when travelling between the street and the platforms. This is nothing new however, as the same applies at some of the deep level tube stations.
For various reasons - including needing to avoid sewers and pre-existing tunnels - passengers interchanging with other lines at some central London stations have long or even very long walks. This situation also already exists at some London Underground stations, especially those which are served by London's newer Tube lines - the Victoria & Jubilee lines (eg: Green Park, Oxford Circus and the merged Trafalgar Square & Strand which is now called Charing Cross).
What is new for the Elizabeth line is that some of the interchange passageways include seats so that weary passengers can rest for awhile.
Northern line (Bank branch) at Moorgate includes several 'bum rest' perches, proper seats and this very grand large cave-like cavern
with a very high ceiling that creates an element of grandiose wonderment which counteracts the mundane blandness of
the rest of the walking route. This cavern was possibly originally part of a works access when the Elizabeth line was being built.
| Ownership and Ticketing |
It is important to know that the Elizabeth line is a National Rail (main line railway) service and NOT a London Underground service.
This means that its status is the same as the London Overground in that in addition to all the usual London tickets and passes (Oystercards, etc) passengers with discounted fares railcards that are valid nationwide can use them on Elizabeth line trains, as can prepaid passes such as the All Line Rover, BritRail and Eurail passes.
At Custom House Elizabeth line passengers must still pass through ticket gates - even if they are interchanging with the DLR.
| Historic Portions Refurbished |
The railway routes Paddington - Reading and Liverpool Street - Shenfield are both long-established, having existed for over 100 years and have at least four tracks, with one pair of tracks (per route) dedicated to fast (longer distance) trains and the other pair of tracks for slow (local) trains. Mostly Elizabeth line trains will use the slow (local) tracks.
As part of the Crossrail project these two existing railway routes have been upgraded. The first stage towards this occurred at the end of May 2015 when control of the London Liverpool Street - Shenfield suburban service was taken over by Transport for London and started using the temporary brand name of TFL Rail.
The Elizabeth Line Clock
At Chadwell Heath Station
The design brief for this clock was to emulate the 1940's Central line clocks where the London Transport Bullseye symbol (nowadays known as the TfL Roundel) replaces all the numbers - except No. 9, which instead is replaced by the heraldic logo of the CHSRA
(Chadwell Heath South Residents’ Association)
The clock is located on platform No.3, which is used
by westbound Elizabeth line trains travelling towards
Central London, Paddington station, Heathrow Airport, etc.
Installed in summer 2024 this clock was inspired by the 1940s clocks which replaced the numbers with the London Transport Bullseye symbol and can be seen at Gants Hill, Bethnal Green, Wanstead and Redbridge Central line stations.
Built by Mobatime in Switzerland, the clock was commisioned by the Chadwell Heath South Residents’ Association (CHSRA) who wanted some form of public art in the station to celebrate the arrival of the Elizabeth line.
It was funded by the London Borough of Redbridge Neighbourhood CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) Fund which is designed to finance projects that benefit the wider community.
Much assistance also came from Transport For London (TfL) who were very enthusiastic to see this project realised. TfL also suggested replacing the number 9 with the CHSRA heraldic logo.
80cm (31½ inches) in diameter the clock features LED lighting and is kept accurate via Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) synchronisation.
These links lead to further sources of information about the Chadwell Heath Station Clock - this includes full information on the CHSRA heraldic logo:
https://www.chsra.org.uk/elizabeth-line-clock
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the-elizabeth-lines-new-heritage-inspired-clock-arriving-at-chadwell-heath-station-73340/
To make this route suitable for the much longer new trains many (but not all) station platforms have been lengthened - as explained under the heading 'Short Platforms' below.
Also, to the east of London the overhead wire power supply system which dates from the late 1940's has been renewed with many (but not all) of the portals from which the wires hang having been replaced and the installation of brand new registration arms (of a very different design) - even on the older portals.
The line to the west of London has also benefited from much investment, both as part of the Crossrail project and as part of an electrification project that extends to faraway destinations not served by the Elizabeth line.
at Manor Park station.
The train in the left is a Class 720 operated by Greater Anglia - these are the same family of trains as those used on the Elizabeth line but with a different door configuration and seating inside the train.
This was one of the last parts of the project to be completed, construction only began in 2019 and
was then significantly delayed by the 2020 virus pandemic.
(one each side of the tracks) at the opposite end of the station.
This floor mat is located at the platform 1 Ilford Hill entrance which
also serves the East London Transit bus stops.
Built 1836 - 1837, the Grade 1 listed Warncliffe Vidauct is 890 ft / 270m long and 56 ft / 17m wide. It has eight semi-elliptical arches and crosses the valley of the river Brent.
This was the first major structural design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the first building contract to be let on the recently established Great Western Railway (GWR) project to build a railway
between London and Bristol and the first structure to be completed. As from 1839 the viaduct also carried the cables for the first commercial electrical telegraph.
More information:https://victorianweb.org/technology/bridges/43.html
| Short Platforms |
For various reasons it was decided that some stations would not have their platforms lengthened to accept 9 coach trains. This means that when calling at these platforms the doors in some carriages at the back of the train remain closed and passengers must walk through the inside of the train until they find a doorway that is allowed to be opened. Exact details of which doors open / remain closed varies according to the individual stations. Ideally regular passengers will quickly learn where they need to be to always be near a door that opens at their destination station.
The reasons for not lengthening every station platform include the cost of the works, lower expected passenger numbers (at that station), physical constraints and sheer impracticality. At some stations it was felt that the cost of the works would be unjustifiably high. For example, Maryland has road bridges at each end of the platforms and at least one of these would have needed completely replacing. Maryland is not an especially busy station and experience at stations where longer trains call at short platforms on the Underground and DLR has shown that requiring alighting passengers to walk-through to a different part of the train can provide a viable alternative solution. Another station where platforms are not being lengthened is Hanwell - in west London. This too is not an especially busy station.
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| A sign (at Ilford station) informing passengers about the trains being longer than some station platforms. | |
At some stations the trains are longer than the platforms and as a result some (or all) of the doors in some carriages remain closed. This is Seven Kings. |
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A sign listing all the stations that have short platforms and how many sets of doors will not open when calling at them. |
As with all images on this website clicking the images will open larger versions in new windows,
doing this will make it possible to read the information shown on the signs.
| Long Platforms |
The brand new subterranean stations have been built with platforms long enough for 12 coach trains, should passenger numbers rise very significantly. But, just about every surface station would also need their platforms lengthening before such even longer trains could be brought in to service.
In this view the section of platform screen wall behind the back of the train does not have doors as trains do not stop alongside it.
At Farringdon the platforms are 244 metres in length.
Tottenham Court Road eastbound features a gentle curve.
| Elizabeth Line Trains |
The Elizabeth line uses 70 air-conditioned trains which feature a fully walk-through internal design, electronic (visual and audible) real-time information, CCTV, Wi-Fi and 4g. However there are no USB power sockets. Each carriage is 24 metres long and to help minimise station stop dwell times they have three pairs of plug doors on each side.
Each train has four wheelchair spaces with tip-up / folding seats for other passengers plus ten groups of folding / tip-up longitudinal seating (spread out throughout the train) which create multi-user spaces for luggage (eg: on airport journeys) and parents with children in pushchairs / buggies / strollers.
The first of the new trains arrived in London in December 2016 and the final new train arrived in December 2021. The train type is the Bombardier Aventra. In the British train naming scheme these trains are known as Class 345.
Longitudinal seats have fixed armrests whilst transverse seats have folding armrests.
This includes the coaches with the wheelchair spaces.
When first introduced in to service these trains had just 7 coaches and were about 160 metres long.
This was much longer than the 5 coach Class 360 trains they displaced on the former Heathrow Connect service between Paddington and Heathrow Airport...
...and about the same length
as the 8 coach Class 315 trains they displaced on the London - Shenfield route.
However their 7 coach format was only a temporary stop-gap until many station platforms could be lengthened. By May 2022 all but three trains had been lengthened to be 200 metres long with 9 coaches, 450 seats and an estimated total passenger capacity of 1,500 people.
Because of their length Class 345 trains have a fire door midway along
the train, splitting them in to 5 carriage and 4 carriage sections.
The primary visual clue to this are the 'door open' buttons on either side of the door.
By way of comparison, when the line between Liverpool Street and Shenfield was electrified in 1949 it used 9 coach trains that were 163 metres long and had 528 seats in their original format and 504 seats (in 2 + 2 format) after rebuilding when the electric
power supply system was changed from 1500v DC to a mix of 6.25Kv AC and 25Kv AC. Part of the reduction in seating capacity was because there were more longitudinal seats as this facilitated an increase in standing space.
Although a similar length, the 8 carriage Class 315 trains had 632
seats - mostly in 3 + 2 format - but far less space for crush loaded standing passengers in the rush hours.
| Signalling |
The brand new deep level tube train tunnels and the Abbey Wood branch use radio Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) moving block signalling with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and Automatic Train Protection (ATP). To allow train frequencies to increase the signalling is designed for up to 30 trains per hour.
The historic sections of railway on either side of London are equipped with the legacy Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) and all trains are driven in the traditional way - by a human train driver.
The section of railway Hayes & Harlington - Heathrow Airport is equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2.
As an aside, although passengers passing through Heathrow Airport's railway stations must agree to be filmed by their security cameras the Airport staff become 'very upset' if they see anyone using their own cameras - even if just filming the trains.
| Two Overlapping Services |
It was always expected that the Elizabeth line will usually operate as two overlapping services:
1) Shenfield - Paddington / Heathrow Airport and
2) Abbey Wood - Paddington / Heathrow Airport / Reading.
All trains travel as far west as Paddington station, and some trains from both Shenfield and Abbey Wood continue on to Heathrow Airport, but only trains from Abbey Wood also serve stations between West Drayton and Maidenhead / Reading.
The reason for this is to reduce the likelihood of delays in one part of London from causing delays in another part of London. Passengers wanting a destination not served by their train will be able to change train by waiting on the platform served by trains travelling in the same direction at any of the six Central London core stations.
In the rush hours there are also a few additional trains on the Great Eastern Main Line that serve the existing main line (above ground) Liverpool Street station instead of travelling via the tunnels. This is because this extremely busy route needs more trains than those which travel through the tunnels and the platforms at the existing main line Liverpool Street station are more convenient for the many people who work in the local area.
Part of the funding for the construction of the Elizabeth line has come from London's second financial centre at Canary Wharf. One of the conditions of their investment is that at least 50% of trains on the Abbey Wood branch serve Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Express Still Remains
Although the 'all stations' Heathrow Connect (HeC) no longer exists as a specialist named train service the Heathrow Express (HeX) continues as a dedicated non-stop premium service which links Paddington station with Heathrow Airport. Being a premium service it also charges much higher / premium fares. The HeX trains also include a First Class seating area and one of the perks offered to 1st Class passengers is priority access (avoiding the queues) to security / passport control at Heathrow Airport.
| Sampling Class 345 TFL Rail / Crossrail / Elizabeth Line Trains |
Three films showing the Class 345 trains when first introduced have been placed on the ‘YouTube’ film / video website and can either be watched via the embedded displays or on the YouTube website in new windows by clicking the links below the films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsIDjCImUBs
2) The first day of service - and looking at some of the trains they replaced
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NblaJ2hMd78
3) Exploring the new trains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhn_7VLkPRk
These links lead to interesting sources of information about the introduction of these trains in to passenger service:
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=120221&page=70
https://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/29937/crossrail-elizabeth-line-opening-24th
