ReadingShenfield
About 122 minutes on the Elizabeth line, changing at Liverpool Street - £20.20 off-peak (£34.30 peak) with contactless.
Journey time
about 122 min
Changes
Change at Liverpool Street
Adult single
£20.20 off-peak (£34.30 peak)
Weekday frequency
every ~21 min
What it costs
£20.20 off-peak (£34.30 peak) for an adult single with contactless. Peak fares apply when you touch in between 06:30 and 09:30 or between 16:00 and 19:00, Monday to Friday. Everything else is off-peak, including all day Saturday and Sunday and public holidays.
Oyster works everywhere on the Elizabeth line except west of West Drayton. For Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford and Reading, use contactless or a paper ticket.
Daily and weekly capping limits what you pay across all TfL services, so several journeys in a day often cost less than the singles added up.
Where you change
No direct train runs between Reading and Shenfield. Take an Elizabeth line train to Liverpool Street and change there for Shenfield. Allow about 5 minutes for the change; the typical wait is 9 minutes.
The 122 minutes above is measured across real connections in the timetable - each train matched to the next one you could actually catch, not two journey times added together.
Departures from Reading
Departures that connect at Liverpool Street for Shenfield. First 05:45, last 22:58 on weekdays.
Mon-Fri 05:45 – 22:58 · 48 trains
Saturday 05:59 – 22:57 · 35 trains
Sunday 07:53 – 21:29 · 28 trains
The two stations
Common questions
How long does the Elizabeth line take from Reading to Shenfield?
How much is the Elizabeth line from Reading to Shenfield?
Do I need to change trains from Reading to Shenfield?
What time are the first and last trains from Reading to Shenfield?
Times from the national timetable data (2026-08-21); fares from the TfL single fare finder. Engineering work can change weekend times - check the live board on the day.