A call for faster trains on the Elizabeth Line
Reading MP wants trains to stop less
The success of the Elizabeth Line has been celebrated in Reading, with a call for quicker train services to be introduced.
The new linked overground and underground train service runs trains to and from London to Reading and Heathrow Airport.
According to the Government, it has contributed an estimated £42 billion to the economy since opening in May 2022.
The performance of the Elizabeth Line has been celebrated by Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, who held a debate into future transport infrastructure projects in Parliament.
Mr Rodda said: “To sum up the scale of what the country has achieved, £19 billion has been invested in this piece of railway, but it has already, in just two years, generated £42 billion of benefits to the economy.
“There are some 700,000 journeys a day.”
Mr Rodda then relayed passenger calls for faster Elizabeth Line train services that stop less and more rail electrification on longer established routes.
Currently, ‘non-stopping’ services are run by the Great Western Railway (GWR), which runs direct trains between Reading and London Paddington.
These journeys typically take 25 minutes, with Elizabeth Line journeys between Reading and Paddington typically taking around 55 minutes.
Mr Rodda raised passenger calls for ‘limited stop’ services on the Elizabeth Line between Reading and the capital.
Simon Lightwood, the under-secretary of state for transport, did not specifically address the prospect of quicker services.
However, he did reveal that more trains have been ordered by Transport for London (TfL) to operate on the line, which will be produced by the Alstom train manufacturer in Derby.
Mr Lightwood said: “Since it the Elizabeth Line opened in 2022, it has enabled more than 400 million passenger journeys.
“It has dramatically improved connectivity—particularly for areas that previously had poor accessibility—and reduced crowding and cut journey times.
“Indeed, it has proven so popular that, with Government support, TfL has ordered 10 additional trains.
“The first train is scheduled to be delivered to TfL in 2026.”
Mr Rodda also echoed passenger requests for more rail electrification on the routes between the south coast and Oxford.
Mr Lightwood replied: “I am sure Mr Rodda is concerned about the issues regarding the overhead electrification on the Great Western main line.
“I am advised that many of those failures are due to dated equipment installed in the 1990s. Network Rail plans to renew the outdated equipment during the next five years to improve reliability for passengers.”
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