In 10 weeks time Crossrail finally goes full purple, linking up all its tunnels in all directions.
Until now only trains from Abbey Wood have passed through Paddington but from 21st May trains from Shenfield will too as the final configuration takes hold. What's more TfL have already published the full timetable on their website (my thanks to the ever-eyes-peeled Ian Visits) so we can take a look and see what's in store.
Most importantly the bloody annoying dawdle approaching Paddington from the west will be ending, and this may be the only good news you need to know. But here's a more in depth summary as the core ramps up to the max.
Two trains an hour from Shenfield will extend through Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 5. This is the big change. The other six trains an hour will still terminate at Paddington. They will not be going further, now or in the future.
Meanwhile from Abbey Wood the trains that currently go to Terminal 5 will instead go to Terminal 4. That's it. That's all they're tweaking.
So you will now be able to get to Heathrow on one train from Romford, Ilford or Stratford but it might be a bit of a wait. Your best bet is still to catch the first train and change in the core as necessary.
Service patterns at peak times will be similar but more plentiful. Heathrow remains unchanged but other branches get more trains. This means peak core services will hit the magic total of 24 services per hour, i.e. one train every 2-3 minutes.
Here's another way of looking at the new timetable, as seen from three stations along the route.
Ilford(off peak)
every 7½ mins to Shenfield
every 7½ mins to at least Paddington
every 30 mins to Heathrow T5
At peak times expect a train every 4 minutes. The morning timetable includes six half-hourly trains from Gidea Park to ground level Liverpool Street (and six back in the evening).
Canary Wharf(off peak)
every 7½ mins to Abbey Wood
every 7½ mins to at least Hayes & Harlington
every 15 mins to Heathrow T4
every 15 mins to at least Maidenhead
every 30 mins to Reading
At peak times expect a train every 5 minutes, which is as good as the service used to be off-peak when the line opened.
Farringdon(off peak)
every 4 mins to at least Whitechapel
every 7½ mins to Shenfield
every 7½ mins to Abbey Wood
every 4 mins to at least Paddington
every 7½ mins to at least Hayes & Harlington
every 15 mins to Heathrow T4
every 30 mins to Heathrow T5
every 15 mins to at least Maidenhead
every 30 mins to Reading
Hayes & Harlington and Ealing Broadway will get 10 trains an hour to Paddington and beyond. Travelling from Ealing Broadway to Paddington will take no more than 12 minutes because the new timetable no longer contains any 8 minute waits at Westbourne Park.
Only trains to/from Heathrow Terminal 4 stop everywhere. The following stations are all skipped by at least two trains an hour.
Off-peak service 2tph: Taplow, Iver 4tph: Hanwell, Acton Main Line 6tph: West Ealing 8tph: Southall
One day a Crossrail station will open at Old Oak Common and all this will change. But for the remainder of the decade, at least, this is what you're getting.
