TfL Rail will operate services to Reading from 15 December

3 Dec 2019 01:07 PM

New service is the next step in the delivery of the Elizabeth line in 2021.

From Sunday 15 December current Great Western Railway (GWR) stopping services between London Paddington and Reading will be operated by TfL Rail. This is the next step in the delivery of the Elizabeth line.

Between 15 December 2019 and 2 January 2020, existing fares will apply. Children under 11 who are accompanied by an adult, as well as customers who are eligible for the Freedom Pass, will be able to travel for free to Reading on the TfL service.

Customers will be able to use contactless pay as you go between London Paddington and Reading from 2 January 2020.

From this date, TfL Rail fares will be aligned with the National Rail fares to Reading, which have now been confirmed as £24.40 for a peak adult pay as you go journey between Reading and London Paddington (with the off-peak fare of £10.60). Daily and weekly capping are expected to be introduced in spring 2020.

Pay as you go with Oyster will not be extended to services beyond West Drayton due to limitations with the system, which is now more than 15 years old.

Customers using Oyster pay as you go wishing to travel to or from stations beyond West Drayton will need to buy a paper ticket, or use contactless from 2 January 2020, covering the entire length of their journey.

During peak times, Monday to Friday (not on public holidays) between 06:30 and 09:30, and between 16:00 and 19:00, services to and from Reading will run every 15 minutes and two trains an hour will run during off-peak times.

From Sunday 15 December some train and departure times will change, so customers are advised to check before they travel.

Howard Smith, Operations Director for TfL Rail, said:

“Running TfL Rail services to Reading is an important step towards opening the Elizabeth line and reinforces the key transport links between these two areas for local people and businesses.

“Customers will benefit from the free travel for under-11s and the convenience of pay as you go contactless fares from the New Year.”

A new edition of the Tube map will be produced in December reflecting changes to the transport network, including the addition of TfL Rail services to Reading.

Network Rail will be undertaking some Christmas engineering work between 24 December and 31 December.

There will be no service on TfL Rail between London Paddington, Slough and Heathrow Terminal 4 on Tuesday 24 December and Friday 27 December with replacement buses operating. There will be no service on the entire line on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Notes to Editors:

• Services to and from Reading will call at London Paddington, Ealing Broadway, Southall, Hayes & Harlington, West Drayton, Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford and Reading. Services will not call at West Ealing, Hanwell and Acton Main Line.
• Some fast services will continue to be operated by GWR from Reading, Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough to London Paddington.
• All TfL Rail fares will be in line with GWR fares with contactless pay as you go accepted on both operator's services from 2 January 2020.
• Pay as you go fares information for TfL Rail services between London Paddington and Reading will be added to TfL's single fare finder in advance of services commencing on 15 December 2019 - tfl.gov.uk/farefinder
• When introduced from 2 January 2020, contactless pay as you go will be an alternative to printed single and return tickets despite daily and weekly capping not being initially available.
• By spring 2020, daily and weekly capping for contactless pay as you go users will be introduced for journeys between London Paddington and stations to Reading. Until that point, journeys between West Drayton and Reading will not be capped. While TfL is working to deliver capping, customers who should have benefitted from daily capping will automatically be reimbursed to ensure they pay the best fare for their travel.
• Customers with a Travelcard season ticket valid for only part of their journey will need to buy a printed ticket for the remainder before boarding the train.
• TfL Rail currently operates between London Paddington, Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Terminals 2&3 and 4 as well as Liverpool Street to Shenfield in the east.
• For information about Network Rail's Christmas engineering works visit https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/planned-works/christmas-engineering-works-2019/