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Does Elizabeth line go directly to Reading?

Reading is the new western terminus of the Elizabeth Line, reachable on direct trains in under an hour from central London. When you step off the trains in Reading, the River Thames, the town centre attractions, great shopping and eating out are all within a short walk of the station.



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Travel free on bus, tram, Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line. You can travel free on TfL services with your Older Person's Freedom Pass from 09:00 weekdays and anytime at weekends and on bank holidays.

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Does the Elizabeth line accept the Oyster card? You can use Oyster to get between any stations in zones 1-6, as well as all the way out to Shenfield in the east. Stations beyond West Drayton to the west, however, do not accept Oyster.

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In Zones 1-9, your fare is capped so you can travel as much as you like in one day or week (Monday to Sunday), without paying more. Only contactless can be used to pay as you go on Elizabeth line services between Reading and Iver. Oyster cards are not accepted.

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The average journey time by train between Reading and London Paddington is 41 minutes, with around 387 trains per day. The journey time may be longer on weekends and holidays, so use our Journey Planner on this page to search for a specific travel date.

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First and foremost, it is not a 'tube line' – it is a regular national railway line. But it coexists and operates side-by-side with the London Underground. Perhaps the biggest and most obvious difference are the trains themselves.

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The fares on the central section of the Elizabeth line (Paddington to Liverpool Street) are the same as the fares on London Underground in Zone 1. So travelling from Paddington to Liverpool Street would cost you £2.80 – the same as the Tube.

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The Elizabeth Line offers a reasonable, more budget-friendly option for travelling to Heathrow. It's likely to be the best train to Heathrow if you're coming from East or Central London, as it avoids the need to change at Paddington. It's also the cheapest option if you need to travel at the last-minute.

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Elizabeth Line services to Reading run very half hour from Abbey Wood in East London, stopping at Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street, as well as Paddington, before heading west from London to Reading.

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For example, it costs £27.60 when using contactless between Paddington and Reading at peak times and £12.00 off peak. You can use contactless throughout the Elizabeth line. Oyster cards and valid Travelcards are also accepted, but not west of West Drayton.

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Does the Elizabeth line skip stations? Eagle-eyed travellers will see that between Paddington and Reading, the service skips Acton Main Line, West Ealing and Hanwell. This could catch some passengers out if they don't check all the stops being called before boarding.

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Full or not full, taking the Elizabeth line from Liverpool street to Stratford is so much nicer and faster than the central line. I would take faster, quieter and air-conditioned all day long even if the Elizabeth line were fuller than the Central line at peak.

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