Elizabeth line performance
Travel information
Elizabeth line train times can be found using TfL's travel tools or on the National Rail website. At stations, information on platforms and train times are available on the digital screens or the public address announcements. We also have staff available at every Elizabeth line station who can assist customers with train information.
Customers can pay for travel on Elizabeth line in different ways:
- Contactless payment and paper tickets can be used on all Elizabeth line services
- Oyster cards can be used on all Elizabeth line services except between West Drayton and Reading
- Information on ticket prices is available in our Fares pages and also from staff at every Elizabeth line station
- Ticket machines are available at every Elizabeth line station and ticket offices are available at all stations between Paddington and Heathrow/Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield
We offer a Turn Up and Go service for customers who need assistance. When the customer arrives at the station, a member of staff will be available in the ticket hall. Customers should speak to staff who will be happy to help and ensure another member of staff is available at your destination station.
All information on accessibility and facilities for customers with reduced mobility can be found on our Transport accessibility pages or in the accessible travel commitments on the MTR Elizabeth travel information page.
Information on travelling with bicycles is available on the Cycles on public transport page.
All Elizabeth line stations are fully staffed from the first train to the last train. If you are travelling and have queries about ticketing or anything else, speak to a member of staff. Our contact centre can also help - see the Contact us - Tube, Rail, Overground, DLR, Trams, Stations page.
We have help points strategically placed on platforms. The information button can be used to speak to a member of staff for train information. The emergency button can be used to seek help in an emergency.
When things go wrong with the train service, we aim to restore the service as quickly as possible and provide customers with up to date and accurate information. We will advertise the status of the service on the TfL website to warn customers if the service isn't running normally. In severe disruption, we will arrange for customers to use their tickets free of charge on alternative services.
Our staff at stations and on trains will give customers live information. We will explain what has caused the disruption, what impact it is having on the train service and what the best advice is for customers to complete their journey.
In some cases, customers will be able to claim a refund for disrupted journeys. Information on refunds is on the London Overground and Elizabeth line delays page.
Information on how to claim lost property on Elizabeth line services is on the Lost property page.
Punctuality
Our customers and users expect a safe and reliable transport network and we put customers at the heart of everything we do.
Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022:
- 94.2% of trains arrived at their destination within 5 minutes of their scheduled arrival time
- 91.9% of trains arrived at their destination within 3 minutes of their scheduled arrival time
- 86% of trains arrived at their destination within 1 minute of their scheduled arrival time
- 3% of trains were cancelled
There are occasions, usually outside of our control, where trains may be delayed or disrupted. During these times, MTR Elizabeth line works with Network Rail to run as normal a service as possible. A set of contingency plans have been pre-agreed with Network Rail and other operators who share the route. These are designed to be implemented as soon as an incident has occurred and are created to allow all operators to run services for customers. The impact of these plans will be communicated clearly to customers and in a timely manner.
If there are delays or cancellations, we aim to give customers as much notice as possible and simply and clearly explain what the problem is, what the impact is and what our advice is. We will make announcements at the stations and on trains. More information on how we deal with delays can be found in the Passenger information during disruption procedure on the MTR Elizabeth line website.
If customers are able to claim refunds, announcements will be made at stations.
Cleanliness of trains and stations
Our trains and stations are cleaned regularly. Twice a day our stations are lightly cleaned - floors are swept and mopped, all touchable surfaces are cleaned and bins are emptied. Every four weeks our stations undergo a deep cleaning regime which includes scrubbing the floors, washing the windows, cleaning CCTV cameras and cutting back overgrown vegetation outside the station.
The train exteriors are regularly washed. A light clean of the train interior, which includes wiping grab poles, windows and surfaces, emptying bins and clearing litter, is done before the start of every journey. A deeper clean of the interior is done every seven days where the seats are vacuumed, floors are washed and any soiled seat covers are replaced.
The cleaning regimes were enhanced in March 2020 to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus.
Customer satisfaction survey
MTR Elizabeth line continuously monitors customer satisfaction through regular surveys. TfL does monthly audits of stations and trains and our own customer satisfaction surveys. Customers are asked for their views on every aspect of their journey on the Elizabeth line - for example how safe and secure they felt, the availability and helpfulness of staff, what the information provision is like and how reliable the service is. We use the feedback to continuously improve our service and the facilities available for our customers.
In 2021/22, MTR Elizabeth line received these satisfaction scores from customers for:
- Their experience on the Elizabeth line: 76.6%
- Punctuality of the trains: 76.7%
- Information onboard trains: 74.9%
- Information at stations: 75%
- Cleanliness at stations: 73.1%
- Cleanliess onboard trains: 72.8%
- Their levels of personal security at stations and onboard trains: 75.4%
- Information provided during delays: 70%
The format of the surveys changed in 2020 and are now done online, as opposed to face to face.
Complaints and compensation
All complaints, commendations and compensation requests received by customers are managed by our contact centre. Having fully investigated any complaints, we aim to respond to a customer within 10 working days with a full explanation.
In 2021/20, we received a total of 585 customer complaints. Of these, 94.7% were closed within 20 working days.
Our top 5 complaint categories were:
| Complaint category | Number of complaints received (1/4/2021-31/3/2022) |
|---|---|
| Service performance | 237 |
| Built environment | 124 |
| Staff | 141 |
| Accident, safety and security | 53 |
| Engineering works, events and closures | 14 |
Improvement actions
We took action to reduce the number of complaints in the top categories:
Service performance
Train service reliability was strong during the 12 months to 31 March 2022, although it was lower than the previous year. Because of this we have seen an increase in service performance complaints year-on-year. Overall, we saw some of the lowest complaint rates in the UK Rail industry and some of the UK's strongest train service reliability scores.
The Elizabeth line launched in May 2022 and this will deliver huge benefits for London. There is also a significant focus on building on strong train service performance - ensuring that we deliver a reliable service for our customers.
The attitudes and helpfulness of the staff at station
Stations are staffed from first to last train, helping to ensure we have colleagues who are always available, knowledgeable and helpful.
Of the small number of complaints that we do receive about staff (relative to the millions of interactions our colleagues have with customers each year) we always ensure that we thoroughly investigate every complaint and that we take remedial action where necessary. This often involves additional coaching, training and support for colleagues or an increase in mystery shopping.
Built environment
Preparing to launch the Elizabeth line has seen a multi-billion pound investment in our existing eastern and western section stations, the launch of new trains and the creation of new Elizabeth line stations.
During the improvement work period we have seen a small number of complaints relating to noise or other inconveniences.
We work closely with our delivery partners to mitigate any challenges with noise and to support customers to minimise disruption from station works (for example, through strong and effective customer communications and alternative transport during planned closures).
Accidents, safety and security
As a railway, we had a focus on keeping our customers and colleagues safe and secure during the coronavirus pandemic. This included the development and delivery of our coronavirus customer proposition - for example, face covering campaigns, the provision of hand sanitiser at all of our stations and enhanced cleaning regimes.
Of the small number of complaints received about safety and security, many of these were related to the pandemic, including complaints that some customers were not wearing face coverings. As part of our response to this, we put in place a face covering compliance team and the provision of extensive behavioural marketing campaigns.
Engineering work
Lastly we have had a slight increase in engineering work complaints. These relate to when we have put a rail replacement service in place instead of our normal train service. We ensured the customers were given adequate warning of the engineering works to support them with planning their journey.
Information on complaints and compensation requests is on the Contact us - Tube, Rail, Overground, DLR Trams, Stations page.
Assistance
We're committed to assisting all customers who travel on the Elizabeth line. We have boarding ramps at all our stations and fully support and participate in the national Passenger Assist system to ensure our customers can have assistance regardless of which train operator they are travelling with.
We can help customers got on and off trains. We don't have a reservation system onboard our trains but we have seats clearly marked for customers with reduced mobility or disabilities.
Customers can book assistance in advance by speaking to the contact centre - find out how to Contact us about accessibility - or booking through National Rail. Booking is not mandatory however and customers are welcome to turn up at a station and ask for assistance.
More information on assistance available to customers can be found in the Accessible Travel Policy on the MTR Elizabeth line Travel: Passenger information page or on our Transport accessibility pages.