Date announced for Crossrail milestone
Elizabeth line passengers can finally head into central London from November
After years of delays, Slough and South Bucks passengers have finally been told when they will be able to travel into the heart of London on the new Elizabeth line.
Transport for London
(TfL) revealed on Tuesday that the long-awaited Crossrail connection is set to link the area with the capital from Sunday, November 6.
This means that people travelling from Slough on the Elizabeth line can remain on one train into central London tunnels without having to change at Paddington.
The £18.9billion project has been hit with a series of major setbacks and was meant to be complete back in 2018. There have also been reports of the scheme suffering funding shortfalls as costs spiralled.
TfL said the new connection will offer reduced journey times and better connectivity on the railway.
Leader of Slough Borough Council, councillor James Swindlehurst, said he ‘shared the general frustration’ following the four-year delay to the project, but was looking forward to Crossrail ‘opening up access’ to the town.
During peak times there will be six trains per hour (one every 10 minutes) travelling between Slough and central London, while offpeak will see four trains per hour (one every 15 minutes) connecting the two locations.
Customers will also be able to use the Elizabeth line seven days a week as
Sunday services commence for the first time from November 6.
The final Crossrail timetable will see 24 trains per hour during the peak between Paddington and Whitechapel and is on track to be in place by May 2023, TfL said.
The full line – which will eventually stretch from Reading to Shenfield in Essex – is also not expected to open until May next year.
Much of the area’s regeneration has been built on the promise of Crossrail’s arrival, with thousands of new flats and infrastructure complete or planned across East Berkshire and South Bucks.
Cllr Swindlehurst told the Express that the arrival of the line will help to unlock Slough’s full potential after a turbulent few years of the pandemic.
“We know it is advantageous to the town; it opens up opportunities and jobs and that will add value to our people,” he said.
“Things are still settling down after COVID; people have not fully returned to the offices, but we always felt Crossrail was a game-changer for Slough.”
He added: “I am delighted, it can’t come soon enough – it is part of getting Slough back to the position we were prepandemic and helps our residents rebuild their opportunities.
“It will be transformative. I share the general frustration that it has over-run but we are very enthusiastic about it’s impacts on the town and the potential improvements it will make.”
Cllr Swindlehurst said that 20 per cent of people in Slough do not have access to cars and therefore opening up more public transport opportunities was good for the town.
“Having Crossrail and other projects will help Slough to remain a really viable place as we grow,” he said.
Andy Byford, London’s transport commissioner, added: “I am excited to see the Elizabeth line unlock quicker and better journey options, greater accessibility, and further connectivity to jobs and leisure for even more people.
“This will be another giant leap for London’s public transport system, which supports economic growth in the capital and right across the country.”
A total of nine new stations have been created in central London for the Elizabeth line, while a number of stations in Berkshire and South Bucks – including Iver and Burnham – have been refurbished with purple TfL branding.
Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP, said: “From November, even more passengers will be able to benefit from this fantastic line with the introduction of Sunday services, direct journeys to Berkshire and Essex and a brand new station at Bond Street.”
Great Western
Railway, which also runs services at Slough, said the announcement was ‘incredibly exciting’ and will deliver ‘even greater connectivity’ for passengers.