New Transport for London figures show ongoing growth on Elizabeth line
Transport for London this week released station usage figures up to last month showing strong growth continues on the Elizabeth line.
You can view the data here though today I’ll focus upon Abbey Wood station which continues to see strong increase in passengers numbers.
The line has been a spectacular success and Abbey Wood sees more passenger usage than Canary Wharf on the line as well as National Rail stations serving entire cities such as Newcastle, Sheffield and Bristol. These figures highlight continuing growth as new records are set.
Data in the release starts in early 2024 and on an average weekday in late January and February after the holidays Abbey Wood would see around 15-16k tap-ins per day.
A number that has incrementally grown until it started to reach 18-19k per day by this year. The number then kept edging up until the 20,000 entries in one day barrier was broken on 15 May 2025.
Weekends
Looking at weekends shows Saturdays are now almost as high as weekdays in 2023-24. That explains why TfL are to increase Saturday service frequencies from December.
In terms of usage Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the most popular as expected but the gulf with Monday and Fridays isn’t huge.
Over recent months records continue to be broken and on 3 July another record was set with 20,450 station entries. By August 2025 the 20k level was broken on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sundays are also setting new records.
What’s impressive about this is it could well be modal shift from cars given many of the long planned new housing plots around Abbey Wood station are going nowhere fast.
Numerous plots remain vacant around the station with housing plans – if they even exist – going nowhere despite planning approval long given.
Interchange
People are travelling in though and bus use around Abbey Wood saw huge growth in recent years according to TfL with 100 per cent increases in passengers.
However Southeastern services linking to the Elizabeth line were cut in 2022 no sooner had the new line opened and most of those service reductions remain in place and will continue to do so after December’s timetable change.
People are also driving in or being dropped off and congestion around the station has noticeably increased. It took Greenwich and Bexley councils some time to enact parking restrictions with one in Bexley borough only just being introduced.
Paving space on the Greenwich side of the borough boundary (though apparently under Bexley council control) is often a car park. Expensive paving installed as part of public realm work is cracked and broken. Enforcement is often non-existent. Even if on private land, cars are accessing it from the public highway.
Roads like Eynsham Drive and Felixstowe Road on the Greenwich side of the borough boundary are often lined with cars and not always well (or legally) parked.
Cycling levels are also low and Bexley Council still havn’t opened up cycle parking areas installed under the Harrow manorway flyover five years ago. It’s probably fair to say both boroughs have made an absolute hash of the gift given by the new line.
Still, people are using the station and ever more at that. When all the many long empty housing sites around the station are finally built out that’ll also provide a further boost for the station. What’s the limit? 25k a day? Higher? We’ll see in years to come.
Worth noting the design capacity of the station is 52,000 per day (of which many will be interchanges, and makes sense given how efficient it is at getting people in/out) – but I can imagine that the design ‘capacity’ of the surrounding bus/parking infrastructure is much lower which is why it needs attention. I recall there being plans originally to have more spacious bus stops where the crossing now is. It would only take another 15k homes within commuting distance (including the developments downstream in Erith/Dartford etc) to reach station capacity; I think this could be sooner than we think!
52k is entry and exit I presume? 20k entries is now matched by exits around the same so 40k a day usage. Add in new homes both in walkable proximity (south Thamesmead and Abbey Wood) and continued growth from Kent and other areas of SE London (600 homes at Crayford underway, 8k Belvedere of which 2k approved either outline or detailed, 6k in Erith etc) and should reach it relatively soon. Much planned in Dartford as well.
Not as urgent as Woolwich but I’ve always stated a second entrance should have been included. Very easy to do as well given vacant council land sits beside the western platform end beside Mottisfont Road. Sadly I doubt anyone in Greenwich Council (local cllrs included) nor Tfl have ever walked past it or know the area. Public land, vacant space, beside platform and nothing. Not even safeguarding for the future as far as I’ve ever seen in documents.
No you’re right – the 52k is entry and exit so it will be at 80% capacity now! Completely agree about second entrances; as far as I’m aware that land is now with a CLT who are planning to develop into maisonettes. In my view there needs to be a proper masterplan covering the remaining parts of Cross Quarter as well as the emerging development sites to the south (Abbey Arms, BT Centre). If integrated properly you could deliver big density on small footprints leaving more space for public realm and things like station access.
Hi, I’m a local resident. You’re totally right that the public realm around the station is being totally neglected. Two key things I would like to see:
– a western exit from the station, at the opposite end of the platforms to the main entrance. This would be very useful for all the local commuters who arrive on foot (appreciate this will require some engineering to add a footbridge; there is space for a small ticket barrier on the northwest side of the station. Travellers from the south side of the station could then cross over using the existing footbridge further down the rail line).
– a wider pavement and seating at bus stop D on Harrow Manorway. This is where all the Bexley commuters get the bus from and at rush hour the pavement is overcrowded and unsafe. Given the main road can’t be narrowed, this would probably involve either repurposing or laterally extending the mostly unused bike rack shelter.
I’m no cyclist so I have no particular idea how to improve cycle access but I think the main thing would be to make it a safe space; nobody in their right mind would leave their bike all day either at the bike stands on Harrow Manorway or the other ones under the road.
The other thing I would add is that there have been a lot of jokes over the years about how the good people of Bexley don’t want a Tube line. This data shows that their political leadership may not , but many residents do!
And 10 more Class 345s ordered to add the total from 70 Class 345 9-Car trains to 80 on the Elizabeth Line. Which they could enter service by the end of this year or in the beginning of next year.
Maybe it’s time to think about extending the Elizabeth Line to Dartford and Gravesend and with 10 more Class 345s on order to increase extra capacity on the Elizabeth Line. I have been on the Elizabeth Line lots of times before and it’s such an easy way to get into Central London from Essex, Kent, Reading and Heathrow Airport.
The Elizabeth Line has been a great success and very well used by passengers. With plenty of scope to be extended in the future..
With passenger usage up at both Abbey Wood and Woolwich Stations on the Elizabeth Line
I would now like to see some more bus route frequency increases to meet the demand of passengers travelling to and from the Elizabeth Line Stations. Sadly we are still seeing bus service cuts at TFL with
Route 229 seeing a frequency reduction from January 2026 which serves Abbey Wood. Station. Route 472 being axed completely from January 2026.
Many areas of the Borough still do not have a direct bus route to Woolwich Town Centre and the Elizabth Line Station including areas of Kidbrooke and Eltham to name just a couple of areas with out a direct bus services to an Elizabeth Station.
Despite several requests to TFL, Network Development Managers and local Councillors and MP’s asking them to support local bus services improvements to Woolwich Town Centre and Woolwich Elizabeth Line Station as well as Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Woolwich Common .All to no avail.Which is a real shame as it would better integrate public transport services..
With so many developments currently nearing completion or construction due to start soon demand will continue to grow on the Elizabeth Line and bus services getting to and from the Elizabeth Stations from around Greenwich and Bexley Boroughs.
Now at one time. The Elizabeth Line was going to Expand from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet. But its very unlikely now. But I Think it Should Expand to Chelmsford and Stansted Airport in the future. 1. To Help people get out of their Cars and unto Public Transport. And 2. To Help Reduce overcrowding on London Underground and other Main London Railway Stations as well. Now what my Dad once said to me about the M25. Probably by the year 2030s. Looks like nobody be available to move at all?
Crossrail 2 would be the best option to see the extension to Stansted Airport, Harlow Town, Bishops Stortford and possibly Hertford East. Plus there were plans to extend the Elizabeth Line to Southend Airport and Southend Victoria but that’s not going to happen at all.
You can still change at Shenfield or Stratford coming from Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Ipswich, Colchester, Norwich, Braintree, Wickford, Southminster and Southend Victoria.
And to use the Elizabeth Line from Shenfield or Stratford to head straight into Central London, Reading, Maidenhead, Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
Well yes that’s what the Elizabeth Line is suppose to do with the extension to Dartford and Gravesend and possibly as far as Rochester. Whilst Thameslink provides the Rainham service from Luton and St. Albans City.
Which I think that Thameslink should continue on providing the Gravesend, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham service as well Southeastern. And the Elizabeth Line to introduce more extra trains to improve the service and to increase the capacity.
As 10 more Class 345s are to be added to add the total number of trains on the Elizabeth Line from 70 to 80 Class 345.