Crossrail fares

Eventually the ‘Elizabeth Line’ will be one of a family of Crossrail lines, in the same way that the ‘Northern’ is just one of a family of Tube lines - but not yet.

In that respect, I was interested to see new signs at Tottenham Court station a few weeks back. Currently covered over, it’s possible to see that underneath they actually point to ‘Crossrail’.

There are many questions currently unanswered about its fares. Oyster/ Contactless will be available throughout, but fares outside Zone 6 will be priced by Great Western Railway so might be available on all trains including inter-city.

However, four per hour Heathrow-Paddington services start in May 2018, and I have been sent (anonymously) a paper outlining potential changes.

What is really interesting is that although various single fare options are discussed, all Heathrow’s Crossrail stations will definitely go into Zone 6. Travelcards, Freedom Passes, Oyster and Contactless will all be valid on Crossrail to/from Heathrow, including normal peak and offpeak caps.

Heathrow Express will remain totally separate and be outside Travelcard, although it will accept Oyster/Contactless for single fares, which will be higher than Crossrail’s.