The Elizabeth line is one of London’s newest. It uses some older tracks and a new underground set of tunnels to connect Reading and Heathrow in the west (including Slough, change for Windsor) to Docklands, Woolwich, Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. There are many interchanges.
In central London is has stops at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street.
For payment, you can use Oyster apart from the bit west of West Drayton or contactless anywhere. Touch in and touch out.
There’s a frequent service. It varies between busy and jam packed. It also has a patchy record for reliability and can be closed at times for works.
It is not an Underground service, just normal trains that happen to run underground for the central part of the journey.
The stations are enormous and the platforms long. Getting down to them can involve long escalators and even longer walks.
Although it’s a bit beyond our site’s purpose, there are a few words to be said about the Piccadilly line going to Heathrow, because it could be confusing.
Trains heading west from central London on the Piccadilly line split at Acton Town. Make sure you are not going on the trains that head north towards Uxbridge. Check on the indicators, on the front of the train and station announcements that it’s a Heathrow train.
The line also splits after Hatton Cross. You will need to know which airline you are travelling on and which terminal they are using for that flight. This is especially complicated if it’s a code share. There are posters on the trains showing which terminal you need, but don’t believe them alone. Check your actual flight on the day.
Also be aware that there is no wireless on the train, only at stations. Some parts of this route are above ground, so your phone may get a signal, but not all of the route, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
Some trains from Hatton Cross go to Terminals 2 and 3, then on to Terminal 5. The signs will say “T2 & 3 and T5” or similar.
Other trains go to Terminal 4 first, then turn back, apparently heading towards London, before stopping at Terminals 2 and 3. The signs will say “T4 and T2 & 3”.
There is no Terminal 1 any more, even if the on-platform indicators say there is.
You can see from the map extract that there’s a kind of one-way loop that takes your round the houses, well, the airport a bit. It’s often called the “T4 loop”. Don’t be confused that the train seems to be going back the way you came.
If you are going to T2 or T3 you can take any train. Our experience is that T5 trains are quicker but less frequent, but it depends.
If you are going to T4 you have no choice.
If you are going to T5 you have no choice.
If your required train is not shown you can go as far as Hatton Cross and then change. It won’t be any faster, but it will at least get you close.
Use the extra large spaces on the train for any suitcase or big bag you may have, but keep an eye on it.
Make sure you have a valid ticket or payment method. Make sure you allow plenty of time in case of delays.
