‘Landmark’ Elizabeth line link-up launches
After years of delays, town gets direct services to and from central London
It was a ‘landmark’ weekend for Maidenhead travellers as the town was connected with central London via direct trains, marking a key milestone for the much delayed Elizabeth line project, writes Kieran Bell.
The £18.9billion scheme has been years in the making and was meant to be complete back in 2018 to increase travel links into the heart of the capital.
Berkshire commuters will now not need to change at Paddington after the line extended to the central tunnels from Sunday, in what railway chiefs described as a ‘genuinely historic change’ for the region.
Transport for London (TfL) says that the through running of services into the central sections is a ‘complex process’ as they will be fully intertwined with national rail infrastructure for the first time.
During peak times there will be six trains per hour (one every 10 minutes) travelling to and from Maidenhead.
Off-peak, there will be four trains per hour travelling to and from Maidenhead.
The predicted journey time from Maidenhead to Bond Street is 57 minutes, while Taplow to Tottenham Court Road is scheduled to take 56 minutes.
A new timetable is due to be brought in next May, which will offer ‘slightly quicker’ and more frequent trains, TfL said, while services operated seven days a week from Sunday.
The extension of the line last week was met with mixed reactions from some travellers, with delays reported due to industrial action which was subsequently called off.
Meanwhile, some commuters travelling to work noted that they would prefer to catch faster Great Western Railway services which reach Paddington in less time but require a change.
Meanwhile, holders of certain season tickets have also raised concerns about still needing to get off trains and ‘tap out’ at Paddington before continuing their journeys.
The full line and final timetable – which will stretch from Reading in the west to Shenfield in Essex – is expected to open in May 2023.
Speaking to the Advertiser, Elizabeth line director Howard Smith said he was always confident the project could be delivered despite the financial and time pressures.
“We are offering something that is a genuinely historic change. It is a really big step,” he said.
He added: “The one thing that everyone wants on the railway is frequency, a through service and a reliable service – and that is what we aim to provide.
“I don’t think I have ever had a feeling that we were never going to get there; once you get it open you are talking about something that will be there for centuries going forward.”
Mr Smith – who started his involvement with Crossrail back in 2004 – said the arrival of the Elizabeth line has caught the international eye.
“It has its moments and setbacks, but the chance to do something of really world class quality in the UK is a privilege,” said Howard.
“We have had delegations from various parts of Europe, America, and New Zealand, so to have something in the South East that people travel from around the world to see is a gain for the country.”
Mr Smith said that people are ‘welcome to make your choice’ when it comes to choosing the Elizabeth line for journeys amid faster services elsewhere.
“We are not assuming that everybody will use the line, but we are producing a high quality offer,” he added.
“You can get in your seat at Maidenhead and be in that same seat as you arrive at Bond Street and Canary Wharf.
“I think we can be fairly confident that people will look back and say the Elizabeth line was a jolly good thing to do.”
The railway chief added that he is seeing a change in travel patterns as more people return to the office and make use of hybrid working, while there has also been an increase in ‘reverse commuting’ from London to the home counties.
Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, added: “I’m delighted that customers from the capital and the South East will be able to take advantage of quicker and more accessible journeys using our transformational new railway.
"Linking destinations in the east and west directly with central London, alongside Sunday services and even higher frequency services, has been eagerly awaited.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper added at the weekend: “Today (Sunday) marks a landmark moment as passengers from across the South East can benefit from more frequent services and direct state-of-the-art Elizabeth line services seven days a week.”