The next phase of the Elizabeth line will be rolled out on Sunday 6 November — meaning direct trains from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington.
The £19 billion east-to-west line — running through Berkshire, Central London and Essex — finally opened in May 2022, but not entirely. At the moment, services are broken up, so that passengers have to change at Liverpool Street or Paddington to continue onward journeys.
From 6 November, you'll be able to travel from Reading and Heathrow out to Abbey Wood, without changing at Paddington. Or from Shenfield to Paddington, without changing at Liverpool Street.
The November phase of the line is the penultimate one. By May 2023, the service should be seamless, meaning you can travel from any station on the line to any other station without changing trains.
The fact that 6 November is a Sunday is significant, too; until now, there has been no Sunday service on the Elizabeth line, but now it'll run seven days a week.
That's not the only good news: train frequency between Paddington and Whitechapel will almost double — from the current 12 trains per hour, up to 22 trains per hour in peak times.
