Passengers can now travel directly from Essex to Heathrow on Elizabeth line

The Elizabeth line celebrates its first birthday on May 24

(PA) (PA Archive)

Passengers can now travel directly from Essex to Heathrow airport as part of changes to London’s Elizabeth line.

Updates to the line’s timetable mean trains will run from Shenfield in Essex, through east London to Heathrow Terminal 5 all day. The airport will now receive six Elizabeth line trains per hour.

The new timetable also means trains will now run roughly every two-and-a-half minutes at peak times across Paddington and Whitechapel in central London.

More than 150 million journeys have been made on London’s Elizabeth line since it opened last May and around 3.5 million Elizabeth line journeys happen each week.

Elizabeth line workers had planned strike action on its one-year anniversary on May 24 following a dispute over pay, but the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) said it has received a revised pay proposal from Rail for London Infrastructure and will now consult members.

More than 2.5 million journeys were made on the route in its first week and now around 600,000 journeys take place on weekdays.

On Monday, the project’s final full timetable was introduced, meaning the Crossrail project has been completed.

There will be 24 trains per hour between central London stations, with 16 trains per hour running off-peak.

Peak hours will also be extended on the line. There will also be more services from Reading at peak hours.

The project is on track to break even by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the Elizabeth line is now the most popular railway in the country and it has transformed travel across London and the south east of England.

He said: “An incredible 3.5 million journeys are made a week, as passengers enjoy the modern trains, beautiful step-free stations and reduced journey times.

“The Elizabeth line is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades and has proven to be much more than just a new railway – providing a crucial economic boost to the whole country and playing a vital role in drawing people back on to London’s public transport.

“The introduction of the final full timetable marks the completion of the Crossrail project, and I’m delighted that passengers will have even more frequent services to get them across the capital and beyond.”