Is the Elizabeth Line a tube line? Short answer: no.

Yes, its roundels look just like the Tube roundels, only they’re purple. And it does appear on Tube maps, but then so do the DLR, the Overground, or the Croydon tram network. But it’s none of those things, so what is it?

So… what IS the Elizabeth Line, if it’s not a Tube line?

Well, it’s been likened to the Paris’ RER: you know, the fast trains that connects the suburbs to the centre of the Paris. So it’s kinda the missing link between the Tube and National Rail services to the suburbs, except that it’s newer, faster, and far more comfortable (air-conditioned trains, yes please!) than either. Oh, and bigger carriages, too, 1.5 times bigger in fact. So far, it only runs from East to West (and back), unfortunately.

But it’s definitely more like a train than a Tube line. It actually runs on large portions of the National Rail network. The Liverpool Street to Shenfield route, for example, departs from a train platform on the concourse, alongside the other train services.

Prior to being rebranded as the Elizabeth line, the services were branded as TfL Rail and the project was known as Crossrail, a project several years in the making.

Currently, there are actually three separate Elizabeth lines:

• From Liverpool Street train station to Shenfield .
• From Paddington train station to Heathrow or Reading.
• From Paddington train station to Abbeywood.

These are scheduled to be connected together some time in 2023 via tunnels in central London. When that’s done, you’ll be able to travel mostly seamlessly from Shenfield to Reading (if you have to change, it’ll be to a different platform in the same station), and it’ll be much faster than taking the Tube.

Is the Elizabeth Line more expensive than the Tube?

No, not for the most part. Journeys on the Elizabeth Line between zones 1 to 6 cost the same as journeys on the Tube.

There’s one important exception: travelling to Heathrow from or through Zone 1 (and vice versa) is more expensive on the Elizabeth line than on the Tube.

On the other hand, the daily fare cap applies to all journeys, whether made on the Tube or the Elizabeth Line, so that’s something.

You can check the cost of the journey on this handy tool on the TfL site.

Is the Elizabeth Line faster than the Tube?

Oh yes.

Some examples:

• Canary Wharf to Liverpool Street: 6 minutes on the Elizabeth Line (direct), 21 minutes on Tube (no direct lines available).
• Canary Wharf to Heathrow: 39 minutes on the Elizabeth Line (direct), 55 minutes on the Tube (no direct lines available)
• Bond Street to Paddington: 3 minutes on the Elizabeth Line (direct), 15 minutes on the Tube (no direct lines available)

Can you use Oyster on the Elizabeth line?

Yes, you can use Oyster on nearly all the stations on the Elizabeth Line. The only exceptions are West Drayton and the stations beyond it – so not from West Drayton to Reading, basically.

You can, however, use contactless (or buy a paper tickets – yes, those still exists!).

How many trains an hour run on the Elizabeth line?

Currently, there are about 12 trains an hour (a train every five minutes).

When fully operational, this will go up to 24 trains an hour at peak times and 20 at off-peak times – that’s a train every 3 minutes or less.

Are all Elizabeth Line stations step-free?

In theory, yes.

Are there toilets on board Elizabeth Line trains?

No – this is where it differs from National Rail trains. Several of the Elizabeth Line stations do offer toilet facilities, though. You can check which ones on this handy TfL PDF map of the network with toilets information.

Is there Wi-Fi on the Elizabeth Line trains?

No, but they’re working on it.

When will the Elizabeth Line be finished?

The scheduled date is May 2023, so not long now, if everything goes to plan. Mind you, the project was 4 years late, so it might be wise not to pencil the date in your diary just yet.

Who runs the Elizabeth line?

MTR Elizabeth line, a subsidiary of MTR Corporation, a Hong Kong based government owned rail operator. Fun fact: they also operate the Stockholm Metro (as well as several networks in Asia)

And that’s a wrap on the Elizabeth line!

There you go – that’s the Elizabeth Line: not a Tube line as such, but a brand-new line for going across London fast and fuss-free, and you pay for it the same way you pay for the Tube. And of course, it’s not the only way to get around London, there are a lot of other options.