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Post by interval99 on Aug 24, 2023 20:28:21 GMT
This line is certainly growing in popularity. Far busier than last time I was up London, queues on platforms and now more standing whereas seats were plentiful before. Still wonderfully fast for getting across London and the vast platforms are so much better than the cramped standard tube so very glad it's there but at this rate by next year it will be as jammed up as the underground.
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Post by andys on Aug 25, 2023 7:00:12 GMT
It's great when it works, but it seems that one minor disruption anywhere can bring the whole line to a halt for hours.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 25, 2023 8:52:14 GMT
I've used it twice this week when going to the west end to see shows. Slightly longer walk to the theatres than if I got the central line but journey time nearly halved. Plus the central line trains were hot as hell.
Both times trains were a lot busier than they had been on previous journeys but still managed to get a seat and it had air con.
Without doubt my favourite line and seems really clean as well. No rubbish on the floors and seats.
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Post by Mark on Aug 25, 2023 9:21:19 GMT
When it works it's great but I've had issues on two days in the past week. On the way back from La Cage last Weds it was almost comical, the announcer at Paddington kept saying he hoped the next westbound wouldn't be cancelled. We waited 45 minutes for a Westbound train.
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Post by Jan on Aug 25, 2023 9:42:30 GMT
One odd thing about it is that not all trains stop at all stations, in the West sometimes a train misses out Acton and/or West Ealing and/or Hanwell - this is poorly communicated, is not indicated on the network map, and you have to check every train that comes.
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Post by Mark on Aug 25, 2023 11:06:09 GMT
One odd thing about it is that not all trains stop at all stations, in the West sometimes a train misses out Acton and/or West Ealing and/or Hanwell - this is poorly communicated, is not indicated on the network map, and you have to check every train that comes. Only the Heathrow trains stop at those stations. |
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Post by christya on Aug 25, 2023 11:11:37 GMT
I used the Elizabeth line in from Heathrow to Tottenham Court Road over the weekend, and it made a hell of a difference. So much nicer to be able to ride in forward facing seats, too, rather than those godawful central facing ones.
I'll probably fly down a lot more now, the travel time from Heathrow is about what it would normally take me to walk from Kings Cross, and not much more than using the tube from there when you count all the walking bits.
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Post by toomasj on Aug 25, 2023 13:30:32 GMT
It’s an outstanding service. First true improvement to transport in London for decades (or longer)
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Post by n1david on Aug 25, 2023 14:05:14 GMT
It’s an outstanding service. First true improvement to transport in London for decades (or longer) You don't rate the Boris cablecar from nowhere to nowhere then? Shame on you! |
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 26, 2023 9:52:21 GMT
Perhaps the best, perhaps not, but not the first true improvement in decades, surely?
DLR
Jubilee Line extension
Croydon Tramlink
London Overground
Oyster card
St Pancras and King's Cross Stations
The extension of Blackfriars Station to both sides of the Thames
London Bridge Station
Bike hire stations on every corner
Thames Clippers
Step-free access
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 11:22:05 GMT
Perhaps it's because I don't live in London, but even the Elizabeth Line shocks me as to how primitive it is in the 21st century.
The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, there are no on-board toilets, and the time to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tottenham Court Road (just under 19 miles) is a staggering 37 minutes. That's an average speed of just 31mph. And all this for how many millions!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2023 11:29:02 GMT
I'm trying to think of what local commuter rail in the 21st Century has toilets? I can think of none although I have not ridden a local train in Japan or China for awhile.
As a frequent visitor to the UK, I find the line to do everything I need from it and a welcome change from the more expensive Heathrow Express. The newer stations are fantastic and I love how quiet the ride is.
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 12:01:59 GMT
I'm trying to think of what local commuter rail in the 21st Century has toilets? Pretty much the majority of UK ones outside London! |
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Post by theatrescribe on Aug 26, 2023 12:27:38 GMT
Perhaps it's because I don't live in London, but even the Elizabeth Line shocks me as to how primitive it is in the 21st century. The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, there are no on-board toilets, and the time to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tottenham Court Road (just under 19 miles) is a staggering 37 minutes. That's an average speed of just 31mph. And all this for how many millions! The trains can run as fast as 90mph (and run at 60mph in the central section) - the reason the average speed might be lower is because the trains have to... stop at stations. It was never meant to be a direct line. Incidentally, the same journey by car would often take you over an hour. |
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Post by lynette on Aug 26, 2023 12:47:01 GMT
Perhaps it's because I don't live in London, but even the Elizabeth Line shocks me as to how primitive it is in the 21st century. The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, there are no on-board toilets, and the time to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tottenham Court Road (just under 19 miles) is a staggering 37 minutes. That's an average speed of just 31mph. And all this for how many millions! Toilets? It’s a tube train. I’ve been on Japanese trains and they are certainly fab but they are for longer journeys. The tube is for short journeys. We do suffer from a lack of public loos for sure but you can access loos in cafes, pubs etc all over London and even in stations. I’ve got a very acceptable loo in my local station. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2023 13:19:20 GMT
I'm trying to think of what local commuter rail in the 21st Century has toilets? Pretty much the majority of UK ones outside London! The majority? I hardly think that is the case for subway lines around the world. I've traveled to many countries and have never encountered on on city rail. For longer trips? Of course. |
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 14:52:44 GMT
Perhaps it's because I don't live in London, but even the Elizabeth Line shocks me as to how primitive it is in the 21st century. The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, there are no on-board toilets, and the time to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tottenham Court Road (just under 19 miles) is a staggering 37 minutes. That's an average speed of just 31mph. And all this for how many millions! The seats are perfectly OK for the journeys the trains are designed for. I don't find them uncomfortable. 37 minutes from T5 to Tottenham Court Road is pretty good given the number of stops the train makes on the way. Paddington to T5 on the Heathrow Express is about 20 minutes; by the time you've got off the Heathrow Express at Paddington, made your way to the Elizabeth Line platforms, and got on the next eastbound train, you haven't saved much more than perhaps five minutes. Given that Heathrow Express uses the fast lines between Hayes and Harlington and Paddington and the Elizabeth Line doesn't, that's a huge achievement. Speed, anyway, was never the point. The Elizabeth Line represents - on its own - a 10% increase in rail capacity in central London in terms of the number of people per hour the network is capable of moving. On that basis, it is a huge success. (Yes I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough.) |
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 16:44:00 GMT
Pretty much the majority of UK ones outside London! The majority? I hardly think that is the case for subway lines around the world. I've traveled to many countries and have never encountered on on city rail. For longer trips? Of course. In the UK, most local commuter railway services are not subway/metro, and most have toilets. For those of us with weak bladders, even the tube is a problem. I've had journeys of over an hour on the tube, after a night in a pub, where, despite using toilet facilities immediately before, I've had to interrupt the journey midway (and pay twice!) to find another toilet. While I love coming to London, I could never live there. It's just so slow to get around, whatever the mode of transport, even with this new line. It would drive me mad. I'm used to being able to do the 100 miles to London in under an hour, and to get to local cities fast by car. |
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 16:52:32 GMT
...I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough. Windsor is a good example. I travelled there from central London to see Frank and Percy, and I was surprised that the train there took so long, about an hour in fact. |
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Post by ruthieh on Aug 26, 2023 16:56:28 GMT
From Paddington to the west end this is a game changer. Last night, Wizard of Oz, admittedly starting at 7, 5 mins walk to Bond Street, back to Paddington, and managed to get the 10.03 to Didcot. We were home by 11. Pre Lizzie Line, there is no way…
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 17:03:18 GMT
...I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough. Windsor is a good example. I travelled there from central London to see Frank and Percy, and I was surprised that the train there took so long, about an hour in fact. Waterloo to Windsor is usually around an hour. Via Slough, the journey time is generally significantly less than that. The quickest connections from Windsor to Paddington via Slough - which admittedly use GWR trains rather than the Elizabeth Line - take 30 minutes. What *is* a game-changer from here is the Elizabeth Line for journeys *across* London. I went to meet my cousin and her husband in Stratford the other day (it's a convenient halfway point between where I live and where they live, with good train connections for me and easy parking for them). Getting there from Paddington is much quicker and easier than it used to be. Coming home from the West End after a show, it's very convenient to get on the Elizabeth Line and just change at Slough. Getting to the Barbican is much easier. And so on. In terms of journey time, the benefits from here are marginal - but it is often significantly more convenient than going to Paddington or Waterloo and then getting on the tube. And there's air conditioning all the way, and in summer that can be a big deal. |
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 17:05:50 GMT
From Paddington to the west end this is a game changer. Last night, Wizard of Oz, admittedly starting at 7, 5 mins walk to Bond Street, back to Paddington, and managed to get the 10.03 to Didcot. We were home by 11. Pre Lizzie Line, there is no way… Exactly. Travelling in the same direction (though not as far), I find the Elizabeth Line often means that after a show I am home half an hour earlier. That quick jump from the West End to Paddington makes a huge difference. |
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Post by alece10 on Aug 26, 2023 17:46:39 GMT
My journey to the west end is pretty quick as I live in East London. Central line to Tottenham Court Road is 20 mins. Lizzie Line is 12 mins. Central line is hot as hell and so noisy in places you can't even hear someone sitting next to you talking.
Lizzie line has air con, quiet, spacious and I swear people are better behaved especially where litter is concerned.
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Post by sph on Aug 27, 2023 2:26:04 GMT
My journey to the west end is pretty quick as I live in East London. Central line to Tottenham Court Road is 20 mins. Lizzie Line is 12 mins. Central line is hot as hell and so noisy in places you can't even hear someone sitting next to you talking. Lizzie line has air con, quiet, spacious and I swear people are better behaved especially where litter is concerned. God yes! The Central Line is so noisy you'd think you were on the space shuttle. The Elizabeth Line is so quiet and smooth. I can hardly believe I put up with the Central Line for so long. A tin can being forced through a drainpipe. |
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Post by tmesis on Aug 27, 2023 6:17:10 GMT
It comes into its own when there is a rail strike like yesterday, when it still runs normally.
I normally come in on the Reading line to Waterloo from Virginia Water but it’s easy to drive to Burnham or Langley and start my journey from there. Don’t tend to use Slough as it’s easier to get free parking from the other two starting points.
However it was very busy last night, probably because of the strike.
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