How the Elizabeth Line has changed Reading

Since the Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022 it has become the UK's busiest rail service with an estimated 750 million passenger journeys.

The line provides a direct service from Reading into central London, but after years of planning and delays is the Berkshire town finally feeling the benefits of an additional connection to the capital?

When Crossrail's service first began running in 2019, Reading Borough Council said the line would "further cement Reading's position as a major economic player in the South East".

With the Elizabeth Line's construction completed, it has attracted major companies to the town, such as accounting giant PwC, that opened a new office at Station Hill in 2025.

Senior partner Gareth Murfitt said Reading was becoming "increasingly attractive for investment".

PepsiCo also relocated its Reading head office from Green Park to Station Hill last year.

The town's smaller businesses say this is having a positive impact on them.

At the family-run Shed Cafe just a short walk from Reading station, co-owner Peter Hefferan says he has noticed a significant difference since the line opened.

"Things are picking up," he says.

"There's a lot of development going on in town with new flats being built, targeted at young professionals.

"Any new big corporation that comes in, we always see that in terms of new customers, which is good for us."

The town is also seeing increased demand for homes as a result of the Elizabeth Line.

Dan Channer, managing director of Reading estate agent Haslams, says it saw significant changes during the line's construction.

"When the line opened, we saw a jump in the number of people registering with us - about 15 to 20% year-on-year," he says.

"[But] the main impact of Crossrail was actually 2013 to 2016 when it fed into the hype of the hot housing market and prices went up by 50%.

"We love the Elizabeth Line. But it's really just part of why Reading is such a great place to live."

However, the line hasn't been good news for everyone.

In 2025 it was revealed rental prices five stops down in Slough had risen by almost a third, from £1,167 in June 2022 to £1,529 in June 2025.

Whilst Reading might not be a tourist hotspot, the Elizabeth Line does appear to have had a positive effect.

Matthew Williams, manager of Reading Museum, believes more Londoners - particularly organised groups - are making day trips to the town since it appeared as a tube stop.

"We are receiving a lot of interest in Reading's Bayeux Tapestry and promoting the Norman original on loan at the British Museum," he adds.

Reading's Economy and Destination Agency (REDA) says Crossrail's impact on Reading has been growing since the project was originally conceived.

"[People] have been re-discovering attractions like Reading Abbey and Britain's Bayeux Tapestry," says REDA chief executive Nigel Horton-Baker.

"The Elizabeth Line has been a catalyst for the renewing of the town that's been taking place for a number of years, and now it's succeeding."