TfL Rail

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
A TfL Rail 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/
Operation
Began operation31 May 2015 (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
TfL Rail
Miles from Liverpool Street
20¼
 Shenfield
18¼
 Brentwood
Essex
Greater London
150
 Harold Wood
13½
 Gidea Park
12½
 Romford
100
 Chadwell Heath
9¼
 Goodmayes
8½
 Seven Kings
7¼
 Ilford
6¼
 Manor Park
5¼
 Forest Gate
4½
 Maryland
40
 Stratford
Pudding Mill Lane portal
00
 Liverpool Street
Crossrail
(under construction)
00
 Paddington
Royal Oak portal
4¼
 Acton Main Line
5¾
 Ealing Broadway
6½
 West Ealing
7¼
 Hanwell
90
 Southall
110
 Hayes & Harlington
Heathrow junction
14¾
 Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
16½
 Heathrow Terminal 4
140
 West Drayton
Greater London
Buckinghamshire
14¾
 Iver
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
16¼
 Langley
18½
 Slough
210
 Burnham
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
22½
 Taplow
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
24¼
 Maidenhead
310
 Twyford
360
 Reading
Miles from Paddington

TfL Rail was introduced on 31 May 2015 when it took control from Abellio Greater Anglia of the commuter "metro" service between 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 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 Liverpool Street and Shenfield.[11]

In May 2018, TfL Rail took over operation of the Heathrow Connect service between Paddington and Heathrow, as well as some GWR services between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington.[12]

In December 2019, TfL Rail took over operation of the Great Western Railway stopping services between Paddington and Reading. In November 2019, Class 345 trains began running between Paddington and Reading, as a soft launch of the service.[13][14]

In July 2020, Class 345 trains began running between 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 Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The future Elizabeth line route will retain the use of most of this track, except the portion between 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 Paddington and Heathrow for 16 miles 38 chains (26.5 km), and entirely over the Great Western Main Line between 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 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 30 March 1840Managed by Network Rail15 December 2019N/A[lower-alpha 1]Reading
Twyford 1 July 1839Managed by Great Western RailwayWokingham
Maidenhead 1 November 1871Windsor and Maidenhead
Taplow1 September 1872May 2018Buckinghamshire
Burnham1 July 1899Slough
Slough 8 September 1884Managed by Great Western Railway
Langley1845May 2018
Iver1 December 1924Buckinghamshire
West Drayton4 June 18386Hillingdon
Heathrow Terminal 5[lower-alpha 2] 27 March 2008Managed by Heathrow ExpressDiversions only[lower-alpha 2]
Heathrow Terminal 4 23 June 1998May 2018
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
Hayes & Harlington 1864 or 1868May 20185
Southall1 May 18394Ealing
Hanwell1 December 1838
West Ealing 4 June 18383
Ealing Broadway 1 December 1838
Acton Main Line1 February 1868
Paddington 4 June 1838Managed by Network Rail1City of Westminster
Liverpool Street 2 October 187431 May 2015City of London
Stratford 20 June 1839Managed by TfL2/3Newham
Maryland6 January 187331 May 20153
Forest Gate1840
Manor Park6 January 18733/4
Ilford20 June 18394Redbridge
Seven Kings1 March 1899
Goodmayes8 February 1901
Chadwell Heath11 January 18645
Romford 18446Havering
Gidea Park1 December 1910
Harold Wood1 December 1868
Brentwood1 July 18409Brentwood
Shenfield 29 March 1843Managed by Greater AngliaC
Abbey Wood 30 July 184923 October 2017Not served by TfL Rail[lower-alpha 3]4Greenwich
  1. Stations between Iver and Reading only accept contactless Pay-as-you-go and are therefore not in the Oyster zones
  2. 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: [18]

Shenfield branch
RoutetphCalling atStock
Liverpool Street to Shenfield8Stratford, 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
RoutetphCalling atStock
Paddington to Reading2Ealing 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.		345
Paddington to Hayes & Harlington2Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall
Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4[lower-alpha 1]2Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes & Harlington, Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
  1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow Terminal 4 station has been closed with services towards Heathrow Airport 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 EMU 75 120 4 16 Liverpool Street–Shenfield 1980–1981 May 2015–present
Class 345 Aventra 90 145 7 or 9 70 2015–2019 June 2017–present
  1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow Terminal 4 station has been closed with services towards Heathrow Airport 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 360 Desiro EMU 100 160 5 5 Paddington–Heathrow Terminal 4 2004-2005 2020 Stored

Shenfield branch
A Class 315 and Class 345 at 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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "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.
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
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.