UK: Heathrow Airport Ltd, Transport for London and the Department for Transport have reached an agreement for Elizabeth Line services to run to Terminal 5, with the total number of rail services to the airport to increase from 18 to 22 trains/h in 2019.
| Planned rail services to Heathrow from December 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | Trains/h | Notes |
| Piccadilly Line | 12 | six serving Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 4, and six serving Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 5 |
| Elizabeth Line | 6 | four serving Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 4, and two serving Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 5 |
| Heathrow Express | 4 | serving Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 5, offering a fast 15 min connection to Paddington |
| Note: Terminal 1 closed in 2015 | ||
New ticket readers are also to be installed from May 2018 so Heathrow Express passengers can use TfL’s Oyster smart card or contactless cards for pay-as-you-go travel. Heathrow Express will continue to sell advance tickets online at reduced price.
The agreement ‘is a big step forward’, said CEO John Holland-Kaye on July 4. ‘Heathrow will be at the heart of an integrated transport network and our passengers will reap the benefits.’
There is an ‘ambition’ to add further services, subject to detailed operational and feasibility studies and a ‘robust’ business case. A joint feasibility study is currently looking at adding two more Elizabeth Line trains/h to Terminal 5, taking the Elizabeth Line service to the airport to eight trains/h. Planning of the proposed western rail access to Heathrow is also continuing.
Heathrow Airport Ltd’s aim is for half of all journeys to and from the airport to be by electric or low-emission public transport by 2030.
| Elizabeth Line journey times to Heathrow Airport | |
|---|---|
| Bond Street | 27 min |
| Liverpool Street | 35 min |
| Canary Wharf | 39 min |
