27.03.14
Crossrail extended to Reading
After years of debate, the Crossrail route is to be extended to Reading following recommendations by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL).
The extension will see the east-west rail line serve two additional stations, Twyford and Reading, serving a total of 40 stations along the entire route, when the line fully opens in 2019.
Rail minister Stephen Hammond said: “Crossrail reaching Reading is further proof of our commitment to deliver a transport network fit for the 21st century.”
The extension will also help to meet increasing passenger numbers by providing greater capacity than the previous plans. There will be two trains an hour from Reading and passengers will be able to travel into, and beyond, central London without the need to change at Paddington.
Mike Brown MVO, managing director London Underground and London Rail, added that extending Crossrail to Reading will provide passengers with more journey options and will create better connections and direct services.
Crossrail will be fully operational by the end of 2019, and the line will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10% connecting Reading and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
The current planning assumption is that new Crossrail trains will be introduced to run Crossrail services as follows:
- Liverpool Street to Shenfield – May 2017
- Heathrow to Paddington (mainline platforms) – May 2018 (when the Crossrail concession takes over the Heathrow Connect service)
- Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Abbey Wood – December 2018
- Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Shenfield – May 2019
- Full through service (including services to Reading) – December 2019
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