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.
People Also Ask
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.
Can I use an Oyster or contactless payment card on the Elizabeth line? Yes, Oyster cards are accepted for most journeys, except for stations west of West Drayton.
Elizabeth line fares are the same as the Tube on journeys within TfL's nine fare zones, which extend to Brentwood. But passengers travelling to and from Shenfield in the east, and to or from all stations beyond West Drayton in the west, are charged “special” rates equivalent to national rail fares.
As part of the London Underground network, you can pay for your journey to or from Heathrow on the Elizabeth Line with a single-use paper ticket, an Oyster Card, or a contactless debit/credit card. It's ALWAYS cheaper to use an Oyster Card or your contactless card than it is to buy a paper ticket.
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.
Contactless payment cards are accepted at all stations on the Elizabeth line, or if you use an Oyster card, you can buy a paper ticket if you're travelling beyond West Drayton.
The Elizabeth Line is about half the price of a full-fare Heathrow Express ticket, but takes twice as long to reach Paddington. Trains depart every 30 minutes and it takes just 35 minutes to travel between Paddington Station and Heathrow.
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.
Fares and ticketingThe Elizabeth line has two 'London Terminal' stations on its route - London Paddington National Rail station and London Liverpool Street National Rail station. Tickets for National Rail services to/from London Terminals are not valid on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Liverpool Street.
Elizabeth Line, Thameslink, Southeastern are the main train operating companies running services between Canary Wharf (Elizabeth line) and London Bridge. There are 6 possible routes with the shortest and most direct being Canary Wharf (Elizabeth Line) to London Bridge.
Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line, National Rail, River Bus and IFS Cloud Cable Car. Touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your journey and touch out at the end.
Its development took a total of 13 years and cost around £18.9bn, with the aim of increasing London rail capacity by 10% – but was it worth it? We found that out of those who are aware of it (the Elizabeth Line), 43% agree that it is money well spent, 18% disagree, 30% neither agree nor disagree and 9% are unsure.
Ticket and faresTravel on the Elizabeth line costs £12.80 at all times of the day, for a journey to or from Heathrow airport, where that journey starts, ends or goes through Zone 1. Single journey tickets and Zones 1-6 Travelcards can be purchased from airport station ticket machines.
Trains depart every 30 minutes and it takes just 35 minutes to travel between Paddington Station and Heathrow. The Elizabeth Line is far less frequent than the Piccadilly Line which runs every 5-7 minutes, and slightly less frequent than the Heathrow Express which runs every 15 minutes.
The average journey time by train between London Paddington and Reading is 42 minutes, with around 332 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.
The Elizabeth Line is about half the price of a full-fare Heathrow Express ticket, but takes twice as long to reach Paddington. Trains depart every 30 minutes and it takes just 35 minutes to travel between Paddington Station and Heathrow.