UK's Transport for London (TfL) has announced plans to increase the frequency of trains on the Elizabeth Line, which is set to become completely operational from December 2019.
TfL announced the improved frequency following collaboration with the Department of Transport (DfT), Network Rail and other train operating companies to create a final timetable for services.
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The new plan will see off-peak services between Paddington and Whitechapel increased to 20 trains per hour from the originally decided 16 trains.
Two additional trains will also operate between Paddington and Shenfield, and another two between Paddington and Abbey Wood per hour during off-peak times. Peak services to destinations west of Paddington will also be enhanced under the new plan.
Services from Reading will be doubled to four trains per hour, while services to Maidenhead will be increased to six trains per hour.
The trains will also serve all Heathrow Airport Terminals as part of the improved timetable.
Six Elizabeth line trains per hour will serve Heathrow Terminals from December 2019, while four will go to Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and the remaining two will serve Terminals 2, 3 and 5.
TfL has decided to increase the number of trains scheduled for operation on the Elizabeth line from 66 to 70 trains in order to facilitate the additional services.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London, with new state-of-the-art trains moving passengers quickly across key parts of London and the South East.
“I am delighted that we can today announce that Elizabeth line services will be more frequent than originally planned, making journeys even more convenient for people travelling in and out of London, and helping ease pressure on other parts of our busy transport network.”
The improvement in service frequency is expected to ease congestion and provide additional capacity to the new line.
