From Sunday 20 May TfL Rail services will start running from Paddington to Heathrow Terminals 2/3 and 4, when the current Heathrow Connect service transfers to TfL. From May, TfL will run two trains an hour between Paddington and Heathrow using the existing Heathrow Connect trains. These will stop at all stations except Acton Main Line. A further two trains an hour will run between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington using the new Elizabeth line trains, replacing part of the Great Western Railway inner suburban route. These trains will call at all stations along the route, except Hanwell. Testing is underway to allow TfL to introduce the new trains to the airport.
This is an identical frequency and stopping pattern to the one TfL customers receive now, with the benefit of a ‘turn up and go’ service for anyone needing assistance. Heathrow Express is not affected by the changes.
Additionally, pay as you go fares will be accepted across the route all the way from Paddington to Heathrow for the first time. Customers travelling to and from Heathrow using pay as you go on TfL Rail services from within Zones 1-6 will never pay more than the daily cap of £12.50. Travelcards covering Zone 6 will also be valid on TfL Rail services to Heathrow.
Standard zonal fares will continue to apply for journeys between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington, with special single fares applying for journeys to and from Heathrow Airport. Fares will be cheaper or in line with the current standard fares charged for Heathrow Connect.
The Mayor has also confirmed that from December 2018 Elizabeth line pay as you go fares within Zones 1-6 will be the same as the fares on existing TfL services, ensuring affordable and integrated travel for passengers. All customer service and travel information on the line will also be fully integrated with TfL’s other services and existing travel concessions and discounts will apply.
Construction of the Crossrail project is now 90 per cent complete. The new trains were driven through the central tunnels last month as part of the testing programme and we remain on schedule to open Elizabeth line services in December this year, transforming the way people travel around London and the South East.
The Elizabeth line will open in stages. From December 2018 three separate services will run: Paddington (Elizabeth line station) to Abbey Wood via central London; Paddington (mainline station) to Heathrow (Terminals 2/ 3 and 4); Liverpool Street (mainline station) to Shenfield.
By December 2019 the Elizabeth line will be fully open, with services running from Reading and Heathrow in the west through the central tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
For more information about the Paddington to Heathrow services and fares please see TfL’s press release here. For further information on the Elizabeth line and the staged opening programme please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/elizabeth-line
