Rome Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Elizabeth Line - London's newest railway
How to get around using the Elizabeth Line in London
The Elizabeth Line is the first new railway line in London in years. Part of the crossrail project that has been beset with delays, the first part of the Elizabeth Line became operational on 24 May 2022.
The Elizabeth Line has 41 stations and covers from Abbey Wood to Heathrow and Reading and from Shenfield to Heathrow. The new line can take an additional 10% capacity to central London travel rail networks.
For the visitor to London, there are stations of note, particularly Heathrow, Paddington and Liverpool Street.
For commuters, the Elizabeth Line connects the east and west of London to the centre of the city. This helps to reduce travel times and make journeys into London much easier.
Elizabeth Line overview Visitor Oyster Price caps Fares 2023
About the Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line is advertised as a state of the art railway. As you would expect the new service and stations are clean, spacious and well designed. The new rail line now adds additional capacity in the region of 10%, so helps to offer a better service across the whole network.
Although the Elizabeth Line is designed to connect west and east London to central London, those visiting central London on sightseeing trips can also find some benefits from the new line.
Using the Elizabeth Line to get from Stansted Airport to Heathrow Airport
For any traveller flying in to Heathrow and needing to transfer to Stansted Airport or vice-versa, things just got a lot easier with the Elizabeth Line. Previously, getting from Stansted Airport to Heathrow would involve getting a National Express coach and ignoring the train altogether. This is still the cheapest way to transfer, but if you want to use a train, with the Elizabeth line you now have a quicker option.
Using the Stansted Express into London you can arrive quickly at Liverpool Street and then from here use the Elizabeth Line to Paddington and through to Heathrow (or vice-versa)
When did the Elizabeth Line open?
The Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022.
What are the opening hours on Elizabeth Line?
The Elizabeth line is open seven days a week, with Sunday and evening services now fully up and running.
The last weekday services that will run through are:
- 23:41 - westbound from Shenfield to Paddington
- 22:57 - eastbound from Reading to Abbey Wood
- 23:01 - eastbound from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Abbey Wood
- 22:06 - westbound from Abbey Wood to Reading
- 23:06 - westbound from Abbey Wood to Maidenhead
How much does the Elizabeth Line cost?
The Elizabeth line is not a tube line, it is a railway, a very modern one, however some people refer to it as a tube line. Costs to ride on the train will basically be the same as other London trains.
So, for zones 1-6 you can expect to pay the same as you would for any station you previously used for that journey. The Elizabeth Line will also have a cap on fares, just like other London lines, so once you reach the cap for the day all other travel is free (zones 1-6). Learn about using the Oyster and fare caps.
Map of the Elizabeth Line
Buy Visitor Oyster or Travelcard in advance
BUY VISITOR OYSTER CARD & TRAVELCARD FOR LONDON
Visiting London? Save time and money on London public transport
• Visitor Oyster Card • Travelcard for 1 day anytime / off-peak or 7 days anytime • Group day travelcards available
Price caps for Oyster & contactless card payments, compared to Travelcard prices
| 1-day Travelcard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zones | Oyster daily cap | Peak* | Off-peak | 7-day cap** |
| Zone 1-2 | £8.10 | 15.20 | 15.20 | £40.70 |
| Zone 1-3 | £9.60 | 15.20 | 15.20 | £47.90 |
| Zone 1-4 | £11.70 | £15.20 | £15.20 | £58.50 |
| Zone 1-5 | £13.90 | £21.50 | £15.20 | £69.60 |
| Zone 1-6 | £14.90 | £21.50 | £15.20 | £74.70 |
* Travelcard peak fares apply for any travel made Monday to Friday before 9.30am. All other travel is off-peak.
** Prices for a 7 day Travelcard. Also the 7 day cap for contactless payment cards between Monday to Sunday - not available on Oyster.
SPECIAL CAP FOR BUS TRAVEL ONLY: £5.70 (When you only travel on London's buses on 1 day).
CHILDREN'S OYSTER CAPS: Off-peak: £1.70 (zones 1-9). Peak: approx half of adult cap.
Oyster Card & Contactless Payment Card Fares -
Compared to Single Cash Fares from 5 March 2023
|
Fare 1 Journey Oyster/Contactless |
||||
|
Zone |
Peak* |
Off-Peak |
Cash Fare at any time |
|
|
Within One Zone |
Zone 1 |
£2.80 |
£2.70 |
£6.70 |
|
Zone 2 |
£3.40 |
£2.80 |
£6.70 |
|
|
Across Zones |
Zone 1 to 2 |
£3.40 |
£2.80 |
£6.70 |
|
Zone 1 to 3 |
£3.70 |
£3.00 |
£6.70 |
|
|
Zone 1 to 4 |
£4.40 |
£3.20 |
£6.70 |
|
|
Zone 1 to 5 |
£5.10 |
£3.50 |
£6.70 |
|
|
Zone 1 to 6 |
£5.60 |
£3.60 |
£6.70 |
|
|
Zone 2 to 6 |
£5.10 |
£3.50 |
£6.40 |
|
|
Gatwick Express Train - Anytime Single from £18.50 Heathrow Express Train £25.00 Southern/Thameslink trains zone 1 stations from £18.30 |
||||
No return fares.
ANY BUS JOURNEY: £1.75 (no fare zones)
* Peak fares apply Monday to Friday between 6.30am and 9.30am and 4pm to 7pm except public holidays
Should your journey not use TFL services (London buses/trams, Underground, Overground, DLR and TFL Rail), completely, for example part of your journey is via a different operator, most likely a railway company, then the standard Oyster/Contactless single fare based on zones may not be followed.
Children travel free if under 11 year old or are between 11 and 15 years with an Oyster 11-15 Photocard. On services operated by the railways such as Gatwick trains for example, only children under 5 travel free, child rate fares are available with the appropriate age Oyster Zip card.
Children's fares (11-15 yrs old) with an Oyster 11-15 Photocard on Oyster for any trip within zones 1 to 6 is £0.85 off peak, £0.90 peak
