TfL Elizabeth line: Tube stations including Reading that don’t accept Oyster card

The Elizabeth line celebrated its two year anniversary last week having completed more than 350 million journeys in its first two years of operation.

The £20bn line, which connects Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east to Reading and Heathrow in the west, first opened on May 24 2022.

On average, there are around 700,000 passenger journeys on the line every weekday, with the busiest day recorded on April 18 2024 when there were 787,000 journeys across the line. The busiest station is Tottenham Court Road, followed by Liverpool Street. Fares on the Elizabeth line mirror those on the rest of the London Underground, within Zones 1 to 6. However outside these zones customers have to pay the same as those on pre-existing TfL rail services.

Does the Elizabeth line accept the Oyster card?

You can use Oyster to get between any stations in zones 1-6, as well as all the way out to Shenfield in the east. Stations beyond West Drayton to the west, however, do not accept Oyster.

If you are wanting to travel on to Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford or Reading you will need to buy a paper ticket or use contactless.

The Elizabeth line is also part of TfL’s capping system, which limits the amount you’ll be charged in any given 24-hour period for using its services. Currently, for zones 1-6, this stands at £14.90.

Elizabeth line success

During its first full year of operation, the Elizabeth line saw more than 150 million passenger journeys. In 2023/24, there were 210 million journeys made on the Elizabeth line, a dramatic increase. 

In addition, passenger demand is already above post-pandemic expectations, and TfL expects passenger journeys to increase by another 8% over the next year, reaching 226 million.

TfL commissioner Andy Lord previously told LondonWorld that the Elizabeth line had “exceeded expectations” in a post pandemic sense.

“It has carried one in six of all UK rail passengers on its own,” he said.

“The service is good, customer feedback is excellent and the new timetable we’ve put in place in May has increased the frequency of trains from Heathrow and Reading, its reduced journey times and increased the number of trains to 24 an hour in the peak period which is a remarkable achievement just 12 months after we opened the railway.”