TfL Rail facts for kids

Quick facts for kids TfL Rail
Unit 345007 at Shenfield 7th July 2017 06.jpg
Info
Owner	Transport for London
Locale	Greater London Berkshire Buckinghamshire Essex
Transit type	Commuter rail / rapid transit
Number of lines	2
Number of stations	32 (22 managed)
Operation
Began operation	31 May 2015; 10 years ago (2015-05-31)
Ended operation	23 May 2022; 3 years ago (2022-05-23) (rebranded as Elizabeth line)
Operator(s)	MTR Corporation
Reporting marks	XR
Technical
System length	36 miles 54 chains (59.0 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC

TfL Rail was a train service that ran in London, England, and nearby areas. It operated from 2015 until May 2022. TfL Rail was a temporary service. It helped connect two separate railway lines while the big Crossrail project was being built.

When the main part of Crossrail opened in May 2022, TfL Rail changed its name. It became the Elizabeth line, which is the new, modern railway service.

TfL Rail started on May 31, 2015. It took over the local train service between London Liverpool Street in central London and Shenfield in Essex. This part of the line had 14 stations. You could change trains at Shenfield for longer journeys.

TfL Rail also started running some trains from Paddington to Heathrow Airport and Reading. The trains were run by a company called MTR Corporation. They worked under a contract with Transport for London (TfL). Between May 2016 and May 2017, over 47 million people used the Shenfield line.

History of TfL Rail

How TfL Rail Started

In June 2013, TfL looked for companies to run the new Crossrail service. Several big train companies, like Arriva and MTR Corporation, were chosen to bid.

In July 2014, TfL chose Hong Kong's MTR to run the service. They signed a contract for eight years. There was also an option to extend it for two more years.

MTR Corporation created a new train company just for this. On May 31, 2015, this new company took over the local train service. It ran between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The previous company was Abellio Greater Anglia.

Changes and New Trains

The existing Class 315 trains were repainted with TfL Rail colours. New signs and information boards were put up at all 14 stations. Every station had staff working from the first train to the last.

In June 2017, newer Class 345 trains started running on the London Liverpool Street to Shenfield line. These were more modern trains.

Expanding Westward

In May 2018, TfL Rail also took over the Heathrow Connect service. This service ran between London Paddington and Heathrow. They also took over some GWR services. These ran between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington.

In December 2019, TfL Rail took over more services. These were the local trains between London Paddington and Reading. In November 2019, the Class 345 trains started running on the Paddington to Reading line. This was a test run before the full service began. By July 2020, Class 345 trains were also running between London Paddington and Heathrow.

Becoming the Elizabeth Line

The two separate TfL Rail lines became part of the Elizabeth line. This happened when the central part of the Crossrail project opened. The big change happened on May 24, 2022. Eventually, the old TfL Rail lines connected directly to the new central section.

TfL Rail Routes

TfL Rail operated on two main routes. The eastern route ran for about 20 miles (32 km) on the Great Eastern Main Line. This was between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

The western routes used parts of the Great Western Main Line. One route went to Heathrow, covering about 16 miles (26 km). The other went to Reading, covering about 36 miles (58 km).

Stations Served

TfL Rail served many stations across its routes. Some stations were managed by TfL, while others were managed by different railway companies. Here is a list of the stations that TfL Rail served:

Stations served by TfL Rail

Station	Image	Dates			Location
		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			Wokingham
Maidenhead		1 November 1871				Windsor and Maidenhead
Taplow		1 September 1872	May 2018			Buckinghamshire
Burnham		1 July 1899				Slough
Slough		8 September 1884	Managed by Great Western Railway
Langley		1845	May 2018
Iver		1 December 1924				Buckinghamshire
West Drayton		4 June 1838			6	Hillingdon
Heathrow Terminal 5		27 March 2008	Managed by Heathrow Express	Diversions only
Heathrow Terminal 4		23 June 1998		May 2018
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3
Hayes & Harlington		1864 or 1868	May 2018		5
Southall		1 May 1839			4	Ealing
Hanwell		1 December 1838
West Ealing		4 June 1838			3
Ealing Broadway		1 December 1838
Acton Main Line		1 February 1868
London Paddington		4 June 1838	Managed by Network Rail		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		2/3	Newham
Maryland		6 January 1873	31 May 2015		3
Forest Gate		1840
Manor Park		6 January 1873			3/4
Ilford		20 June 1839			4	Redbridge
Seven Kings		1 March 1899
Goodmayes		8 February 1901
Chadwell Heath		11 January 1864			5
Romford		20 June 1839			6	Havering
Gidea Park		1 December 1910
Harold Wood		1 December 1868
Brentwood		1 July 1840			9	Brentwood
Shenfield		29 March 1843	Managed by Greater Anglia		C

Former Train Services

Shenfield Line Services

A Class 315 and Class 345 train at London Liverpool Street station.

TfL Rail took over the Shenfield line services from Abellio Greater Anglia on May 31, 2015. Later, TfL Rail introduced a new fleet of Class 345 trains. These Class 345 trains started carrying passengers on the Shenfield line on June 22, 2017.

The older Template:British Rail Class 315 trains were kept at the Ilford train depot. The newer Class 345 trains were looked after at both Old Oak Common and Ilford depots.

Heathrow Line Services

TfL Rail took over the Heathrow line services on May 20, 2018. They got five Class 360 trains from the Heathrow Connect service. These trains ran every half hour to Heathrow.

On July 30, 2020, the new Class 345 trains began running on the Heathrow line. The last Class 360 trains were removed from service in September 2020.

Reading Line Services

On September 26, 2019, TfL Rail announced they would take over the local services. These ran from Paddington to Reading. This change happened on December 15, 2019.

TfL Rail used their Class 345 trains for this route. Before this, Great Western Railway used Template:British Rail Class 387 and Template:British Rail Class 165 trains. To get drivers ready, six GWR services started using Class 345 trains from November 25, 2019.

Trains Used by TfL Rail

TfL Rail used different types of trains during its operation. Some of these trains are still used by the Elizabeth line today.

Trains Carried Over to the Elizabeth Line

These trains continued to be used when TfL Rail became the Elizabeth line.

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Number	Routes operated	Built	Years in operation
			mph	km/h
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

These trains were used by TfL Rail but were later removed from service.

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

See also

In Spanish: TfL Rail para niños