Accessibility on the Elizabeth line
The Elizabeth line has been built to provide step-free access to help connect people to more of London. All stations are staffed from first to last service so you can get the help you need throughout your journey.
At the station
Step-free access
All Elizabeth line stations are step free from street to platform.
No boarding ramp is needed at these stations - there is level access from platform to trains:
- Paddington
- Bond Street
- Tottenham Court Road
- Farringdon
- Liverpool Street
- Whitechapel
- Canary Wharf
- Custom House (carriage 5 only)
- Woolwich
- Heathrow
Custom House station is step-free at carriage 5, but manual boarding ramps are available if customers want to use them.
At all other stations on the Elizabeth line, staff will deploy a manual boarding ramp between the platform and train.
If you plan to board independently at a level access station and want to change or get off at an Elizabeth line station that is only step-free from street to platform, you can get help from our Turn-up-and-go service.
If you need step-free access at any station on the Elizabeth line, it's best to board at carriage 5 where there are dedicated wheelchair spaces, regardless of whether you need a manual boarding ramp or not. Carriage 5 generally stops at the middle of the platform.
You can find carriage 5 by looking for:
- Blue wheelchair signs on the train doors
- Blue wheelchair stickers on the floor of the platform, outside carriage 5
- Blue wheelchair signs on station buildings on the platform wall
Step-free access is also now available to the:
- Bakerloo line at Paddington - use Paddington's new Eastbourne Terrace Elizabeth line ticket hall
- Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines (westbound services only) at Barbican - use Farringdon's new Long Lane Elizabeth line ticket hall
Station features
- All stations have Help Points so you can easily get in touch with staff or emergency services when you need to
- Induction (hearing) loops are clearly marked with an induction loop sign. They are located in ticket halls and on platforms at every station in the central section. All help points also have induction loops built in
- Accessible toilets, which can be accessed via a RADAR key, are at Abbey Wood, Custom House, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road and Whitechapel in the central section, as well as all stations on the east and west sections
On the train
The new trains have four dedicated wheelchair spaces in the fifth carriage, close to the doors to allow quick boarding. An emergency alarm button at every wheelchair space on the train can connect you to the driver in an emergency.
Ten multi-use spaces are on each train for those travelling with buggies, luggage and cycles. Wheelchair users can also use these spaces, but there is no specific emergency alarm button at a low level as in the dedicated wheelchair spaces.
Some stations have shorter platforms - customers with buggies, luggage and cycles might find it easier to travel in the first four carriages of the train. The seating arrangement in these carriages also offers space to move around more easily.
Dedicated priority seats are in every carriage. These seats are a different colour to other seats and have a priority sticker above them.
Getting help to travel
Our station staff are always here to help you navigate and understand the Elizabeth line's trains, stations and interchange points.
Customers can use our free travel mentoring service. Our travel mentors can offer advice or assist you on your journey to help you travel independently on this new part of the network.
Staff assistance and manual boarding ramps are needed to board and get off the trains at Paddington and Liverpool Street National Rail stations. They are available to customers arriving at these stations on Elizabeth line services.
Turn-up-and-go
The same 'turn-up-and-go' service used on the Tube and London Overground is available for Elizabeth line customers who need assistance onto and off trains. Everyone is welcome to use the service - there is no need to pre-book, just turn up at the station and ask staff for assistance.
Find out more about turn-up-and-go and pre-booking staff help.
Journey planning
The lines from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield now connect with the central tunnels. In most cases this means you no longer need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street National Rail stations to continue on the Elizabeth line, although you may need to switch between Elizabeth line trains at some stations in the central section. (We recommend Whitechapel because of its layout.).
Some Elizabeth line services still terminate at Paddington and Liverpool Street National Rail stations instead of running directly into the Elizabeth line tunnels. This is mostly at the start and end of the day, with a small number of services running to or from Liverpool Street Network Rail station during morning and evening peak periods.
Check the destination of your train - you may need to change at Paddington or Liverpool Street National Rail stations and walk to the Elizabeth line stations.
Find out more about what this means for your journey on the Everything you need to know about the Elizabeth line page.
Our step-free Tube map includes Elizabeth line stations. Journey planning information, including lift outages, is updated on TfL Go and on our Journey planner.
See our advice on planning a step-free journey.
Feedback
Customers using the Elizabeth line are identifying ways we can improve their journey. This feedback is important, so if you have concerns about your experience on the Elizabeth line, we want to know about them. Get in touch with our contact centre.