Elizabeth line sections to be joined up in November

Passengers will be able to travel from Heathrow directly to Canary Wharf in 51 minutes during the week

Sections of the Elizabeth line are set to be joined up, cutting the need for passengers to change trains, it has been announced.

From 6 November, trains will go from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood, and from Shenfield to Paddington, Transport for London (TfL) said.

Bond Street station will open in the autumn while more trains will also run.

The line had been due to open in 2018 but the £18.8bn project missed multiple targets amid ballooning costs.

The Abbey Wood to Paddington section opened to passengers on 24 May, with the full line running in three separate sections and trains running in the central section every five minutes.

• All you need to know about the Elizabeth line

• Elizabeth line: 1 million journeys made in central section in five days

As well as reducing the need for passengers to change trains, from November the Elizabeth Line will start operating in central London on a Sunday for the first time, turning it into a daily service.

The frequency of services in the central section between Paddington and Whitechapel will increase to up to 22 trains per hour in peak times and 16 trains per hour during off-peak periods.

This will rise to 24 trains per hour under the final timetable from next spring, TfL said.

Meanwhile, the new Bond Street station, which will have two new ticket halls at street level at Davies Street and Hanover Square, is set to open "ahead of the new services on the railway", the transport body said.

From 6 November, trains will be more frequent and Sunday services will start

London's transport commissioner, Andy Byford, said he was "excited to see the Elizabeth line unlock quicker and better journey options".

He added: "This will be another giant leap for London's public transport system, which supports economic growth in the capital and right across the country."

More than 11 million trips have been made on the line so far, which equates to more than 200,000 daily journeys, TfL added.

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