Does The Elizabeth Line Need More Frequent Trains In The Central Section?
Currently, the Off Peak service on the Elizabeth Line is at follows.
- Reading and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
- Maidenhead and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
- Heathrow Terminal 4 and Abbey Wood – 4 tph
- Heathrow Terminal 5 and Shenfield – 2 tph
- Paddington and Shenfield – 6 tph
Note.
- tph is trains per hour.
- There are eight tph to Abbey Wood and Shenfield.
- There are six tph to Heathrow Airport.
But there are only 16 tph through the Central Tunnel between Paddington and Whitechapel stations.
These are typical Off Peak frequencies on other Underground and rail services across London.
- Bakerloo Line – 16 tph – Queen’s Park and Elephant & Castle – 20 tph in the Peak.
- Central Line – 24 tph – White City and Leytonstone – 35 tph in the Peak.
- Jubilee Line – 24 tph – Stratford and West Hampstead.
- Northern Line – 16-20 tph – All routes except Kennington and Battersea Power Station.
- Piccadilly Line – 21 tph – Arnos Grove and Acton Town.
- Thameslink – 16 tph – St. Pancras and Blackfriars.
- Victoria Line – 33 tph – Seven Sisters and Brixton – 36 tph in the Peak.
From these figures, it appears that the Elizabeth Line’s 16 tph is on the low side, when compared to the Central, Jubilee and Victoria Line.
This morning about 11:00, I went between Moorgate and West Ealing stations.
- I went to see FirstGroup’s fast-charge system for battery-electric trains.
- The trains were full both ways.
- There was only the odd seat available.
I know it’s Half Term, but I do think that more services need to run on the Elizabeth Line.
The Anonymous Widower 
I believe 20 tph Off Peak through the Central Section was originally proposed, so there should be some room for additional services. I’m not sure though you can compare a Main Line railway like the Elizabeth line with the Tube, The former has to share tracks with freight and other services in some places outside the Central Section.
Comment by JohnC | February 13, 2024 |
That’s why I only talked about the Central Section, as there it is dedicated track and the theoretical frequency must be over thirty, if Dear Old Vicky can achieve 33 tph.
Comment by AnonW | February 13, 2024 |
Tube train capacity is lower though compared to a 345 but agree its remarkable how well its used whatever the time of the day and must represent a fair shift off other services. Yes im sure new traffic has been generated but whilst TfL like to, and rightly so, promote how close CrossRail is to covering its operating costs earlier than expected I wonder how long before the other side of the equation is revealed in losses on tube and bus routes.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | February 13, 2024 |
The Elizabeth Line is certainly suffering from London Overground Syndrome!
Comment by AnonW | February 13, 2024 |