Elizabeth line: 'Shenfield is a commuter's paradise'

For many commuters between East Anglia and London, Shenfield has become synonymous with rail replacement buses. Now years of building work on the Crossrail project is in the past and the Essex town is connected to the Elizabeth line, which runs through London and to Reading. What does the new route mean for people and businesses there?

Lauren Kelly, 31, lives with her partner in Brentwood and drives to Shenfield station to catch a train into London.

Although the route is now up and running, she and fellow Shenfield commuters will have to wait until the autumn for a direct service into Central London.

Once connecting tunnels are completed, passengers will no longer have to change at either Liverpool Street or Paddington to continue their journey.

"It's about 23 minutes into Liverpool Street," says Ms Kelly.

"We have an 18-month-old baby so keeping our commute short each way is important to us.

"We tend to travel at random times around our business so we don't tend to hit rush hour anyway, but I can see how it [more lines and faster trains] would be beneficial."

Leo Lambert, 21, is manager of the Foureighty coffee shop in Shenfield, which opened just over a year ago.

He says he was "a little bit worried" people might stop shopping locally post-lockdown but is now considering extending his opening hours.

"We've thrived through that, and businesses like us have pulled people back into their communities," he says.

Mr Lambert. who has lived in the town all his life, says he is proud that Shenfield is part of the Elizabeth line.

"It is a commuter's paradise, basically," he says.

Bryan Naylor, 62, arrived at Shenfield for work, having travelled from Romford.

"I live up at Leyton and the Central line is always packed. So hopefully it will take a lot of people off that line," he says.

He also plans to use the line to travel to Heathrow Airport once that section opens.

"From Stratford, I think I can get there in about 20 minutes, or something stupid like that, and it will be great," he says.

Alex Bullions, 21, moved to Shenfield nine months ago.

"The big changes will be when we go to Heathrow... I guess we'll enjoy more of the benefits then," he says.

"For me travelling to central London, I commute between Liverpool Street and Paddington quite a lot, so that will make life a lot easier for me and make things quicker overall, so it's a really good thing."

Nish Patel has run the Shenfield Wine Company in Shenfield for the past 16 years.

He says frequent weekend closures on the train line, a lack of parking and Shenfield being used as a rail replacement bus stop for years as Crossrail was built have had an impact on trade.

He expects the majority of people from around Essex to use the Elizabeth line to travel to Heathrow Airport.

"There are commuters from outlying villages and places like Basildon who already come to Shenfield, but the one thing we know about commuters is that they don't shop in Shenfield," he says.

"So do we have any benefit from it? I can't see any."

He says the town already has a "fantastic train service" to London "so what's the point?".

Shenfield, on the edge of London and close to the A12 and M25, has a population of about 5,400.

It has a cricket club and the Broadway serves as a local shopping area, while the High Street has a plethora of independent shops.

It is a desirable place to live due to good schools in the area.

Jacob Farson, an estate agent with Beresfords, says: "It's probably the most-asked question - how is Crossrail affecting pricing?

"My view on it is that it's probably had its impact already."

Residents in Shenfield are already "very blessed" with the "exceptionally good service" that gets them to Liverpool Street in 23 minutes on a fast train.

He is concerned the journey may now take longer as the Elizabeth line will be calling at several other stations.

"It's not as attractive as it was probably led to believe at the start for people already living here," he says.

"It's just a tube service effectively. My other half [who works in Green Park] - she won't be using it."

"Having said that, once it's all up and running and we can get a direct service straight to Paddington or to Heathrow, that will be beneficial to people here," he adds.

"There'll certainly be people moving here with that at the back of their mind."

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