TfL Rail

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TfL Rail
TFL Rail roundel.svg
Unit 345007 at Shenfield 7th July 2017 06.jpg
A Class 345 at Shenfield
Overview
OwnerTransport for London
Locale
Transit type
Number of lines2
Number of stations32 (22 managed)
Websitetfl.gov.uk/modes/tfl-rail/ Edit this at Wikidata
Operation
Began operation31 May 2015; 6 years ago (2015-05-31)
Operator(s)MTR Corporation
Reporting marksXR
Technical
System length36 miles 54 chains (59.0 km)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC overhead lines
hide
TfL Rail
Legend
Miles from Liverpool Street
20¼
 Shenfield National Rail
18¼
 Brentwood
Essex
Greater London
150
 Harold Wood
13½
 Gidea Park
12½
 Romford London Overground National Rail
100
 Chadwell Heath
9¼
 Goodmayes
8½
 Seven Kings
7¼
 Ilford
6¼
 Manor Park
5¼
 Forest Gate
4½
 Maryland
40
 Stratford Central line (London Underground) Jubilee Line Docklands Light Railway London Overground National Rail
Pudding Mill Lane portal
00
 Liverpool Street Central line (London Underground) Circle line (London Underground) Hammersmith & City Line Metropolitan Line London Overground National Rail
Crossrail
(under construction)
00
 Paddington Bakerloo Line Circle line (London Underground) District Line Hammersmith & City Line National Rail
Royal Oak portal
4¼
 Acton Main Line
5¾
 Ealing Broadway Central line (London Underground) District Line National Rail
6½
 West Ealing National Rail
7¼
 Hanwell
90
 Southall National Rail
110
 Hayes & Harlington National Rail
Heathrow junction
14¾
 Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 Piccadilly Line National Rail Airport interchange
16½
 Heathrow Terminal 4 Piccadilly Line Airport interchange
140
 West Drayton National Rail
Greater London
Buckinghamshire
14¾
 Iver
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
16¼
 Langley
18½
 Slough National Rail
210
 Burnham
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
22½
 Taplow
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
24¼
 Maidenhead National Rail
310
 Twyford National Rail
360
 Reading National Rail
Miles from Paddington

TfL Rail is the concession operating commuter services on two separate railway lines in London and its environs whilst the planned link-up between these lines is being constructed. This will form part of the Crossrail service when it opens. At that time, the TfL Rail name will be retired and the services will become operated by Crossrail, with the route named the Elizabeth line.[2][3][4] The Elizabeth line was initially due to open in December 2018.

TfL Rail was introduced on 31 May 2015 when it took control from Abellio Greater Anglia of the commuter "metro" service between London Liverpool Street in central London and Shenfield in Essex. The branch comprises the first 14 stations on the Great Eastern Main Line, with interchange at Shenfield for medium- and long-distance services beyond to East Anglia. TfL Rail has also taken over operation of some services from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading. Services are operated by MTR Corporation under contract to Transport for London (TfL). Between May 2016 and May 2017, TfL Rail carried over 47 million passengers on the Shenfield branch.[5]

History[]

In June 2013, TfL announced that Arriva, MTR Corporation, Keolis / Go-Ahead Group and National Express had been shortlisted to bid for the concession to operate Crossrail, which was under construction.[6][7]

In July 2014, TfL awarded the contract to Hong Kong's MTR, for a duration of eight years with an option to extend by an additional two years.[8][9]

MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Ltd was created as a new train operating company and took control of the "metro" service between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield from the previous operator, Abellio Greater Anglia, on 31 May 2015.[10] The existing Class 315 trains were re-painted in TfL Rail livery, and appropriate branding, advertising and message boards were added at the 14 stations along the line. Every station is staffed, from the first train to the last of the day. In June 2017, Class 345 trains began running between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield.[11]

In May 2018, TfL Rail took over operation of the Heathrow Connect service between London Paddington and Heathrow, as well as some GWR services between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington.[12] In December 2019, TfL Rail took over operation of the Great Western Railway stopping services between London Paddington and Reading. In November 2019, Class 345 trains began running between London Paddington and Reading, as a soft launch of the service.[13][14] In July 2020, Class 345 trains began running between London Paddington and Heathrow.[15]

The line will be renamed the Elizabeth line when the central section opens, with the current branches connecting up with the core later.[16]

Route[]

The eastern branch of TfL Rail runs over the existing 20 miles 16 chains (32.5 km) of track on the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The future Elizabeth line route will retain the use of most of this track, except the portion between London Liverpool Street and Stratford, where trains will use new tunnels to connect to the central section of the route.

The western branches operate over part of the Great Western Main Line and the Heathrow tunnel between London Paddington and Heathrow for 16 miles 38 chains (26.5 km), and entirely over the Great Western Main Line between London Paddington and Reading for 36 miles (58 km). The future Elizabeth line route will retain the use of most of this track, except the portion between London Paddington and Acton Main Line, where trains will use new tunnels to connect to the central section of the route.

Stations[]

Stations served or managed by TfL Rail[17]
Station Image Dates Location
Opened Managed from Served from Zone Local authority
Reading
 Reading-3893618-by-Bill-Nicholls.jpg 30 March 1840 Managed by Network Rail 15 December 2019 N/A[a] Reading
Twyford
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
 Twyford - GWR 165121 and 387153.JPG 1 July 1839 Managed by Great Western Railway Wokingham
Maidenhead
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
 2012 at Maidenhead station - forecourt.jpg 1 November 1871 Windsor and Maidenhead
Taplow 2016 at Taplow station - from the south.JPG 1 September 1872 May 2018 Buckinghamshire
Burnham Burnham station.JPG 1 July 1899 Slough
Slough
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
 Slough station building.JPG 8 September 1884 Managed by Great Western Railway
Langley Langley Railway Station.jpg 1845 May 2018
Iver Iver Railway Station.jpg 1 December 1924 Buckinghamshire
West Drayton West Drayton stn main entrance.JPG 4 June 1838 6 Hillingdon
Heathrow Terminal 5[b]
 Heathrow T5 station AB.JPG 27 March 2008 Managed by Heathrow Express Diversions only[b]
Heathrow Terminal 4
  • London Underground Piccadilly line
 Heathrow Terminal 4 stn platform 2 look to London.JPG 23 June 1998 May 2018
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
 Heathrow Central platform.JPG
Hayes & Harlington
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
 345012 at Hayes & Harlington.jpg 1864 or 1868 May 2018 5
Southall HeathrowConnect 360205 Southall 20090513.JPG 1 May 1839 4 Ealing
Hanwell Hanwell station fast tracks look east.JPG 1 December 1838
West Ealing
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
 West Ealing railway station 3.jpg 4 June 1838 3
Ealing Broadway
  • National Rail Great Western Railway
  • London Underground Central line
  • London Underground District line
 Ealing Broadway station (1).jpg 1 December 1838
Acton Main Line Acton Main Line - Platform 4 (2019-01-21).jpg 1 February 1868
Paddington
 Paddington Station rush hour.jpg 4 June 1838 Managed by Network Rail 1 City of Westminster
Liverpool Street
 Liverpool Street – 20180308 152347 (40650187682).jpg 2 October 1874 31 May 2015 City of London
Stratford
  • National Rail Greater Anglia
  • London Underground Central line
  • London Underground Jubilee line
  • London Overground London Overground
  • Docklands Light Railway Docklands Light Railway
 Stratford station (7028902411).jpg 20 June 1839 Managed by TfL 2/3 Newham
Maryland Maryland Station .jpg 6 January 1873 31 May 2015 3
Forest Gate Forest Gate railway station - geograph.org.uk - 367765.jpg 1840
Manor Park Manor Park stn building.JPG 6 January 1873 3/4
Ilford Ilford station Ilford Hill entrance 2021 04.jpg 20 June 1839 4 Redbridge
Seven Kings Seven Kings stn building.JPG 1 March 1899
Goodmayes Goodmayes station building.JPG 8 February 1901
Chadwell Heath Chadwell Heath stn building.JPG 11 January 1864 5
Romford
  • National Rail Greater Anglia
  • London Overground London Overground
 Romford railway station MMB 10 315802.jpg 20 June 1839 6 Havering
Gidea Park Gidea Park Railway Station.jpg 1 December 1910
Harold Wood Harold Wood station geograph-3613485-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg 1 December 1868
Brentwood Brentwood Station - geograph.org.uk - 957508.jpg 1 July 1840 9 Brentwood
Shenfield
  • National Rail Greater Anglia
 Shenfield Station.jpg 29 March 1843 Managed by Greater Anglia C
Abbey Wood 2017-Abbey Wood,construction Crossrail station 5.jpg 30 July 1849 23 October 2017 Not served by TfL Rail[c] 4 Greenwich
  1. ^ Stations between Iver and Reading only accept contactless Pay-as-you-go and are therefore not in the Oyster zones
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Heathrow Terminal 5 is not officially served by TfL Rail, but services divert to this station when Heathrow Terminal 4 is closed, for example during the COVID-19 period
  3. ^ TfL Rail does not provide any services at Abbey Wood, but the Elizabeth Line, its successor service, will do.

Services[]

As of December 2020, the timetabled weekday off-peak service pattern consists of: [18]

Shenfield branch
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Liverpool Street to Shenfield 8 Stratford, Maryland, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Brentwood
During peak times and Sundays, there are alternating services terminating at Gidea Park.
During weekday peak hours, calling patterns are varied, with some stations omitted on certain services.
Reading and Heathrow branches
Route tph Calling at Stock
London Paddington to Reading 2 Ealing Broadway, Southall, Hayes & Harlington, West Drayton, Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford
During peak times, service frequency increases up to 4 trains per hour.
London Paddington to Hayes & Harlington 2 Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall
London Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4[a] 2 Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes & Harlington, Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
  1. ^ During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow Terminal 4 station has been closed, so services towards Heathrow Airport have been diverted to Heathrow Terminal 5

Rolling stock[]

Current Fleet[]

 Class Image Type  Top speed  Carriages  Number  Routes operated  Built  Years in operation
 mph   km/h 
Class 315 Class 315 London Broough of Havering @ Stratford.jpg EMU 75 120 4 6 London Liverpool Street – Shenfield 1980–1981 May 2015–present
Class 345 Aventra Unit 345007 at Shenfield 7th July 2017 06.jpg 90 145 7 or 9 70 2015–2019 June 2017–present
Crossrail Class 345.png
  1. ^ During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow Terminal 4 station has been closed, so services towards Heathrow Airport have been diverted to Heathrow Terminal 5

Past Fleet[]

Former units operated by TfL Rail include:

 Class Image Type  Top speed  Carriages  Number  Routes operated  Built  Withdrawn  Notes
 mph   km/h 
Class 315 Class 315 London Broough of Havering @ Stratford.jpg EMU 75 120 4 46 London Liverpool Street – Shenfield 1980–1981 2018 Scrapped or stored
Class 360 Desiro TfL 360205 at Paddington.jpg 100 160 5 5 London Paddington – Heathrow Terminal 4 2004–2005 2020 Stored
Heathrow Connect Class 360 2 w-pantograph.png

Shenfield branch[]

A Class 315 and Class 345 at London Liverpool Street

TfL Rail took over operations from Abellio Greater Anglia on 31 May 2015.[19] TfL Rail subsequently introduced a fleet of new Class 345 trains.[20][21] On 22 June 2017, Class 345 trains entered passenger service on the Shenfield branch.[22]

The Class 315 trains will continue to be maintained at the existing Ilford depot, but the Class 345 trains will be maintained at Old Oak Common and Ilford depots.

Heathrow branch[]

TfL Rail inherited five Class 360 units from Heathrow Connect when it took over operations on 20 May 2018. These trains were used to operate the existing half-hourly (2tph) service to Heathrow.[23] On 30 July 2020, Class 345 trains entered passenger service on the Heathrow branch.[15] The last Class 360 trains were withdrawn in September 2020.[24]

Reading branch[]

On 26 September 2019, TfL Rail announced that it would take over the Paddington to Reading stopping services on 15 December 2019,[25] using Class 345 trains in place of the Class 387 and Class 165 trains used by Great Western Railway. Before that, on 25 November 2019 six GWR services a day started to operate using Class 345 trains, operated by TfL, to get drivers ready and stock in place for the main 15 December switch over.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ "TfL Rail: What we do". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "MTR Crossrail - Crossrail Rolling Stock". Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  3. ^ Smith, Howard. "Crossrail – Moving to the Operating Railway Rail and Underground Panel 12 February 2015" (PDF). 12 February 2015. Transport for London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  4. ^ Jobson, Robert (23 February 2016). "Crossrail named the Elizabeth line: Royal title unveiled as the Queen visits Bond Street station". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. ^ "TfL Rail". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  6. ^ TfL announces shortlist of bidders to run Crossrail services Archived 27 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Crossrail 25 June 2013
  7. ^ Crossrail shortlist reveals four contenders Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Rail News 25 June 2013
  8. ^ TfL announces MTR to run Crossrail services Archived 22 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Crossrail 18 July 2014
  9. ^ MTR Corporation wins £1.4 billion contract to run Crossrail services Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Rail Technology Magazine 18 July 2014
  10. ^ Blackburn, Ralph (25 May 2015). "TfL to take over Abellio Greater Anglia lines from May 31". Romford Recorder. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. ^ "The future of cross-London travel arrives". Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ "TFL to operate Heathrow Connect services ahead of Elizabeth line opening". Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  13. ^ "TFL Rail to operate services to Reading from 15 December". Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Crossrail Trains Have Started Running to Reading... Early!". 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "First '345' reaches Heathrow". Key Modern Railways. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Our Plan to Complete the Elizabeth Line". Crossrail. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "TfL Rail timetables". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Passengers set to benefit as key commuter rail services transfer to TfL". Transport for London. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  20. ^ Crossrail rolling stock and depot contract to be awarded to Bombardier Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Department for Transport 6 February 2014
  21. ^ Bombardier wins Crossrail train contract Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette 6 February 2014
  22. ^ "The future of cross-London travel arrives". Transport for London. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Crossrail: The Western Approach". London Reconnections. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018.
  24. ^ Heathrow 360s Retired Modern Railways issue 865 October 2020 page 85
  25. ^ "TfL Rail to operate services to Reading from 15 December". Transport for London. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  26. ^ Rosehill, Harry (26 November 2019). "Crossrail Trains Have Started Running To Reading...Early!". Londonist. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.

External links[]

Preceded by
Abellio Greater Anglia
East Anglia franchise
31 May 2015 		Operator of Crossrail concession
2015 – 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Great Western Railway
Greater Western franchise
15 December 2019
Preceded by
Heathrow Connect
Heathrow Airport Holdings & Great Western Railway
20 May 2018
Retrieved from ""