# TfL Rail

TfL Rail was the concession which operated commuter services on two separate railway lines in London, England and its environs whilst the Crossrail construction project linking these lines was underway. It ran from 2015 until May 2022, upon the opening of the Crossrail central section, when TfL Rail was rebranded as Elizabeth line and the name was discontinued.
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 comprised 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 had also taken over operation of some services from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading. Services were 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.

## 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.
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.
MTR Corporation (Crossrail) 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. 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.
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. 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. In July 2020, Class 345 trains began running between London Paddington and Heathrow.
The two branches became part of the Elizabeth line when the central section opened on 24 May 2022, with the current branches connecting up with the core later.

## Route

The eastern branch of TfL Rail ran 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 western branches operated 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).

### Stations

Stations served by TfL Rail :
| Station | Image | Dates | Dates | Dates | Location | Location |
| Station | Image | Opened | Managed from | Served from | Zone | Local authority |
| Reading | | 30 March 1840 | Managed by Network Rail | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Reading |
| Twyford | | 1 July 1839 | Managed by Great Western Railway | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Wokingham |
| Maidenhead | | 1 November 1871 | Managed by Great Western Railway | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Windsor and Maidenhead |
| Taplow | | 1 September 1872 | May 2018 | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Buckinghamshire |
| Burnham | | 1 July 1899 | May 2018 | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Slough |
| Slough | | 8 September 1884 | Managed by Great Western Railway | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Slough |
| Langley | | 1845 | May 2018 | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Slough |
| Iver | | 1 December 1924 | May 2018 | 15 December 2019 | N/A | Buckinghamshire |
| West Drayton | | 4 June 1838 | May 2018 | 15 December 2019 | 6 | Hillingdon |
| Heathrow Terminal 5 | | 27 March 2008 | Managed by Heathrow Express | Diversions only | 6 | Hillingdon |
| Heathrow Terminal 4 | | 23 June 1998 | Managed by Heathrow Express | May 2018 | 6 | Hillingdon |
| Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | | 23 June 1998 | Managed by Heathrow Express | May 2018 | 6 | Hillingdon |
| Hayes & Harlington | | 1864 or 1868 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 5 | Hillingdon |
| Southall | | 1 May 1839 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 4 | Ealing |
| Hanwell | | 1 December 1838 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 4 | Ealing |
| West Ealing | | 4 June 1838 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 3 | Ealing |
| Ealing Broadway | | 1 December 1838 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 3 | Ealing |
| Acton Main Line | | 1 February 1868 | May 2018 | May 2018 | 3 | Ealing |
| London Paddington | | 4 June 1838 | Managed by Network Rail | May 2018 | 1 | City of Westminster |
| Sections disconnected |||||||
| London Liverpool Street | | 2 October 1874 | Managed by Network Rail | 31 May 2015 | 1 | City of London |
| Stratford | | 20 June 1839 | Managed by TfL | 31 May 2015 | 2/3 | Newham |
| Maryland | | 6 January 1873 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 3 | Newham |
| Forest Gate | | 1840 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 3 | Newham |
| Manor Park | | 6 January 1873 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 3/4 | Newham |
| Ilford | | 20 June 1839 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 4 | Redbridge |
| Seven Kings | | 1 March 1899 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 4 | Redbridge |
| Goodmayes | | 8 February 1901 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 4 | Redbridge |
| Chadwell Heath | | 11 January 1864 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 5 | Redbridge |
| Romford | | 20 June 1839 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 6 | Havering |
| Gidea Park | | 1 December 1910 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 6 | Havering |
| Harold Wood | | 1 December 1868 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 6 | Havering |
| Brentwood | | 1 July 1840 | 31 May 2015 | 31 May 2015 | 9 | Brentwood |
| Shenfield | | 29 March 1843 | Managed by Greater Anglia | 31 May 2015 | C | Brentwood |
* ↑ Stations between Iver and Reading only accept contactless Pay-as-you-go and are therefore not in the Oyster zones
* 1 2 Heathrow Terminal 5 was not officially served by TfL Rail, but services were diverted to this station when Heathrow Terminal 4 was closed during COVID-19

## Former services
### Shenfield branch

TfL Rail took over operations from Abellio Greater Anglia on 31 May 2015. TfL Rail subsequently introduced a fleet of new Class 345 trains. On 22 June 2017, Class 345 trains entered passenger service on the Shenfield branch.
The Class 315 trains continued to be maintained at the existing Ilford depot, but the Class 345 trains are 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. On 30 July 2020, Class 345 trains entered passenger service on the Heathrow branch. The last Class 360 trains were withdrawn in September 2020.

### Reading branch

On 26 September 2019, TfL Rail announced that it would take over the Paddington to Reading stopping services on 15 December 2019, 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.

### Route tables

Prior to the opening of the Elizabeth line on 24 May 2022, the timetabled weekday off-peak service pattern consisted of:
Shenfield branch :
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Liverpool Street to Shenfield | 8 | StratfordMarylandForest GateManor ParkIlfordSeven KingsGoodmayesChadwell HeathRomfordGidea ParkHarold WoodBrentwood | 345 315 |
| Reading and Heathrow branches ||||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Paddington to Reading | 2 | Ealing BroadwaySouthallHayes & HarlingtonWest DraytonIverLangleySloughBurnhamTaplowMaidenheadTwyford | 345 |
| London Paddington to Hayes & Harlington | 2 | Ealing BroadwayWest EalingHanwellSouthall | 345 |
| London Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4 | 2 | Acton Main LineEaling BroadwayWest EalingHanwellSouthallHayes & HarlingtonHeathrow Terminals 2 & 3 | 345 |
* ↑ During peak times, service frequency increased up to 4 trains per hour
* ↑ During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow Terminal 4 station was closed, services diverted to Heathrow Terminal 5

## Rolling stock
### Fleet carried over to the Elizabeth line

| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Top speed | Carriages | Number | Routes operated | Built | Years in operation |
| Class | Image | Type | mph | km/h | Carriages | Number | Routes operated | Built | Years in operation |
| Class 315 | | EMU | 75 | 120 | 4 | 8 | Liverpool Street – Shenfield | 1980–1981 | 1980–2022 |
| Class 345 Aventra | | EMU | 90 | 145 | 7 or 9 | 70 | Liverpool Street – Shenfield Paddington – Reading Paddington – Heathrow Airport | 2015–2019 | June 2017–present |

### Past fleet

Former units operated by TfL Rail include:
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Top speed | Carriages | Number | Routes operated | Built | Withdrawn |
| Class | Image | Type | mph | km/h | Carriages | Number | Routes operated | Built | Withdrawn |
| Class 360 Desiro | | EMU | 100 | 160 | 5 | 5 | London Paddington – Heathrow Terminal 4 (Heathrow Connect) | 2004–2005 | 2020 |