Crossrail's Elizabeth line to Terminal 5, 22tph to Heathrow, Oyster on HEx agreed

[JaJaWa]

http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/8615

New agreement to boost Heathrow rail services

• Heathrow agrees new plan with TfL and DfT to boost rail services to the airport
• Elizabeth line services to serve Terminal 5
  From 2019 at least 22 trains per hour connecting Central London and Heathrow – up from 18 today
• Thousands of rail passengers to benefit from the convenience of Oyster and contactless ticketing – including on the Heathrow Express
• New services will increase choice of routes in and out of airport, strengthening rail network resilience for future generations

Heathrow, Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport have agreed a commitment to boost integrated rail connectivity to the airport, including the addition of two new Elizabeth line trains per hour serving Terminal 5 from December 2019.

Under the plan, services to Heathrow will increase from 18 trains per hour today to at least 22 trains per hour in 2019, of which six will be on the Elizabeth line. A train will depart Central London to Heathrow on average every two-and-a-half minutes – including two Elizabeth line trains per hour to Terminal 5. Journey times to Heathrow from Bond Street will be 27 minutes, Liverpool Street 35 minutes and Canary Wharf will be only 39 minutes away on a direct train. There is also an ambition to add further services in the future. A joint feasibility study is underway to look at delivering a further two Elizabeth line trains per hour to Terminal 5 meaning eight Elizabeth line trains per hour serving Heathrow, as well as additional work on developing western rail access to Heathrow.

An interchange at Old Oak Common will connect High Speed 2 to Heathrow via the Elizabeth line in under 20 minutes, from 2026. Four Heathrow Express services from Paddington will continue to run every 15 minutes offering a fast 15-minute connection between Heathrow and central London.

From May 2018, new ticket readers will be installed at Heathrow, meaning passengers using Heathrow Express and TfL Rail between Paddington and Heathrow will be able to use pay as you go Oyster or a contactless device. The new ways to pay for journeys to the airport will mean more convenience and flexibility for passengers. Passengers travelling on the Heathrow Express will benefit from easier on-the-day ticketing and can still purchase tickets in advance online from as little as £5.50.

The initiative will support Heathrow’s plans to ensure that half of all journeys to and from the airport are by electric or low emission public transport by 2030. Together with planned co-operation in developing Heathrow’s bus service network, passengers travelling to and from Britain’s biggest airport can expect:

• Convenient and flexible ticketing with Oyster and contactless payments on all services
• Easier, more frequent access to all terminals
  Shorter journey times from more places across London and the UK
• More sustainable travel choices
• Improved travel network resilience

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

“This agreement is a big step forward. Together Heathrow, TfL and the DfT are working together to boost rail connections to the UK’s hub, giving our passengers more choices to travel sustainably between Heathrow and London. With 22 trains per hour, an ambition to add even more services and easy to use Oyster and Contactless ticketing, Heathrow will be at the heart of an integrated transport network and our passengers will reap the benefits.”

Mike Brown, London’s Transport Commissioner, said:

“We have been working with Heathrow on how we can deliver the best services for customers to and from the airport. It is great news that we can now confirm that the Elizabeth line will serve all the Terminals.”

Rail services to Heathrow from December 2019:

• 12 Piccadilly Line trains per hour – 6 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and 6 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5
• 6 Elizabeth Line trains per hour – 4 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and 2 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5
• 4 Heathrow Express trains per hour – all trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5

--Ends--


Notes to Editors:

These rail improvements are irrespective of the work on Heathrow’s expansion programme
Any decisions around further additional services to the airport will be subject to detailed operational and feasibility work, and will require a robust business case

 

[Mag_seven]

But will HEX still be charging their exorbitant fares though?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I don't think the detail of the Metro article is quite right.
It says 4tph Crossrail trains to T5, but in fact it's 2tph (plus 4tph to T4).
Plus they are working on adding another 2tph to T5.
Here's the HAL press release: http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/8615

Rail services to Heathrow from December 2019:
12 Piccadilly Line trains per hour – 6 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and 6 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5
6 Elizabeth Line trains per hour – 4 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and 2 trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5
4 Heathrow Express trains per hour – all trains serving Terminals 2, 3 and 5

Western access to Heathrow gets a passing mention.

 

[theironroad]

Well 2 crossrail trains a hour to T5 is far better than the 0 being shown on crossrail maps online where T5 isn't directly served. I couldn't figure why T5, where the majority of BA services operate from, wasn't connected to central London and the city with a direct service. I imagine it was all about hex trying to keep its monopoly.

So this is good news.

 

[Mikey C]

A definite improvement, I imagine BA were very keen to get Crossrail services to their terminal T5

 

[swt class 450]

This will be brilliant. Hopefully it will completely put the awful rip off Heathrow Express out of business. Within a few years i can see HX shutting down and Crossrail providing 12tph to Heathrow Airport.

Six Crossrail trains an hour will be amazing. And eight will be even better. Is there any idea when the 8tph (4tph to T4 and 4tph to T5) might start? Would this be when Old Oak Common opens or sooner than that? A equal service every 15 minutes from T4 and T5 (and every 7 to 8 minutes from T123) would be very convenient (especially as T5 is one of the major terminals). It is a shame they are not doing 8tph from the beginning.

Have the fares for Crossrail been announced yet? Will these be the same as the Piccadilly Line (for £3.10 [off peak] and £5.10 [peak] on Contactless and Oyster and for £6.00 Single and £12.00 Return with cash)?

 

[hwl]

Six Crossrail trains an hour will be amazing. And eight will be even better. Is there any idea when the 8tph (4tph to T4 and 4tph to T5) might start? ...It is a shame they are not doing 8tph from the beginning.

Have the fares for Crossrail been announced yet? Will these be the same as the Piccadilly Line (for £3.10 [off peak] and £5.10 [peak] on Contactless and Oyster and for £6.00 Single and £12.00 Return with cash)?

8tph will need someone to get the cheque book out to pay for things hence the reference to "business case" in the Heathrow press release.

No ticket pricing announcements as yet.

 

[RichardN]

Will these be the same as the Piccadilly Line (for £3.10 [off peak] and £5.10 [peak] on Contactless and Oyster and for £6.00 Single and £12.00 Return with cash)?

I doubt it, it pointedly refers to pay as you go Oyster, which implies a Travelcard loaded onto Oyster won't be enough.

 

[swt_passenger]

A definite improvement, I imagine BA were very keen to get Crossrail services to their terminal T5

Do you really think so? I thought the main reason they wanted to charge an arm and a leg for access to THEIR tunnel was to deter TfL expansion. Perhaps someone at HAL has been taken to one side and told to toe the TfL/DfT line with a view to future airport expansion decisions after all...

 

[hwl]

Do you really think so? I thought the main reason they wanted to charge an arm and a leg for access to THEIR tunnel was to deter TfL expansion...

BA were very keen and lobbying for it for very long time as it is better for passengers.

The tunnels belong to Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) who wanted to charge lots...

 

[JaJaWa]

Do you really think so? I thought the main reason they wanted to charge an arm and a leg for access to THEIR tunnel was to deter TfL expansion. Perhaps someone at HAL has been taken to one side and told to toe the TfL/DfT line with a view to future airport expansion decisions after all...

BA = British Airways (whose planes use Terminal 5)
HAL = Heathrow Airport Limited (formerly BAA)

 

[Kite159]

Good news on Oyster being accepted to Heathrow via the tunnels

I would imagine the HEX platforms at Paddington getting barriers, with a similar situation at Victoria with passengers getting charged a premium for using Oyster/Contactless when they tap in/out at those gates.

(Useful for those passengers who want to travel on a fast non-stop service to Heathrow, not having to fight it out at Paddington low-level with commuters for Ealing Broadway)

 

[swt_passenger]

BA = British Airways (whose planes use Terminal 5)
HAL = Heathrow Airport Limited (formerly BAA)

You're quite right, I did quickly read the original point as BAA...

But it does show a bit of a different line being taken by HAL since the fairly recent court case, I should think.

 

[rmt4ever]

I don't think the detail of the Metro article is quite right.
It says 4tph Crossrail trains to T5, but in fact it's 2tph (plus 4tph to T4).
Plus they are working on adding another 2tph to T5.
Here's the HAL press release: http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/8615


Western access to Heathrow gets a passing mention.

The Picc is a joke to Heathrow Central. Nobody takes the T4 train to get there as it's longer than waiting for the T5 train behind. For example off peak:

Train for T4 then T123 leaves Acton Town at xxx5, arrives T4 at xxx9- technically the end of that journey/trip. Then departs T4 starting the next trip to Cockfosters at xxx7 (8 min layover) arriving at Heathrow Central at xxx3.

So if you leave Acton on the 1415 for example you will get to Central at 1453.

Or, wait for the T5 train at 1421 and get to Central at 1446 !!

So why would anyone take the T4- Central train if they need terminals 1 or 3??? Effectively meaning the small terminal 4 gets a train to itself every ten minutes, whilst all the other terminals only have a train to share every ten minutes. It is ridiculous !

 

[matt_world2004]

Doesnt this mean a frequency increase for crossrail on the western branches or does it mean a cut in trains between west drayton and reading.

 

[sjoh]

I would imagine it simply means an extension of a few of the Paddington terminators - so, neither.

 

[matt_world2004]

I would imagine it simply means an extension of a few of the Paddington terminators - so, neither.

How does extending the paddington terminators not lead to an increase in frequency on the western branches ?

 

[edwin_m]

The Picc is a joke to Heathrow Central. Nobody takes the T4 train to get there as it's longer than waiting for the T5 train behind. For example off peak:

Train for T4 then T123 leaves Acton Town at xxx5, arrives T4 at xxx9- technically the end of that journey/trip. Then departs T4 starting the next trip to Cockfosters at xxx7 (8 min layover) arriving at Heathrow Central at xxx3.

So if you leave Acton on the 1415 for example you will get to Central at 1453.

Or, wait for the T5 train at 1421 and get to Central at 1446 !!

So why would anyone take the T4- Central train if they need terminals 1 or 3??? Effectively meaning the small terminal 4 gets a train to itself every ten minutes, whilst all the other terminals only have a train to share every ten minutes. It is ridiculous !

Crossrail passengers wanting T5 when the first train is for T4 will need to alight at T123 and get the next train to T4, remembering that HEX is free between the terminals. So while it's not ideal there is at least no risk of being overtaken, except from Paddington and then only if you are prepared to pay the higher HEX fare.

 

[SprinterMan]

How does extending the paddington terminators not lead to an increase in frequency on the western branches ?

Extending trains that terminate at Paddington from the East, e.g. 2 of the Shenfield trains that terminate at Paddington.

Adam

 

[matt_world2004]

Extending trains that terminate at Paddington from the East, e.g. 2 of the Shenfield trains that terminate at Paddington.

Adam

Thats increasing the frequency on the western branches

 

[Barn]

Do we know where the Heathrow trains will go to the East? I had heard that pretty much all Heathrow trains will go to Abbey Wood (to serve Canary Wharf) and pretty much all Reading / Maidenhead trains will go to Shenfield. Is that still the case?

 

[SprinterMan]

Thats increasing the frequency on the western branches

Ah, I misread your post :P

 

[DarloRich]

this seems to be good news

 

[theageofthetra]

Will non protected priv Oyster discount apply on these Crossrail services as they do on London Overground?

 

[Muzer]

Here's a good write-up of the current aspirations of Crossrail frequencies/etc.: https://www.londonreconnections.com/2017/one-of-the-family-crossrails-transition-to-being-a-tube/

 

[theironroad]

Will non protected priv Oyster discount apply on these Crossrail services as they do on London Overground?

Should do. Afaik the crossrail operation will be a TOC Like london overground so should be treated as such for staff travel. Obviously they can put restrictions on travel like other tocs do.

 

[matt_world2004]

Should do. Afaik the crossrail operation will be a TOC Like london overground so should be treated as such for staff travel. Obviously they can put restrictions on travel like other tocs do.

There would be no obligation for them to be accepted in the core. Indeed the crossrail core is going to cause problems touch in at ealing broadway and out at bond street, does it charge you the un priv rate or the priv rate

 

[theironroad]

There would be no obligation for them to be accepted in the core.

Intriguing. Why do you say that?

 

[theironroad]

There would be no obligation for them to be accepted in the core.

Intriguing. Why do you say that?

. Travel on TfL

Updated – 19 June 2017

This page contains details to help you understand how and where you can use your National Rail Staff Travel privileges on the Transport for London (TfL) services, specifically London Underground (LUL) and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
Overview

Transport for London (TfL) run or are responsible for various different travel modes which are Arriva Rail London (a franchised National Rail Train Operating Company operating the London Overground franchise), TfL Rail (operated by MTR Crossrail, a franchised National Rail Train Operating Company), London Underground (tube), Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Buses, Trams, Coaches, River Bus, Taxis (London black cabs) and Cycles.

For the purposes of staff travel, Arriva Rail London (formerly London Overground) and TfL Rail (which is known as MTR Crossrail and will open in December 2018 as the Elizabeth Line) are part of the National Rail network. In addition, TOC services on Dual Availability Routes are also included as a part of the National Rail network. For the avoidance of doubt, LUL and DLR services operated on Dual Availability Routes are not part of the National Rail network.

 

[matt_world2004]

Intriguing. Why do you say that?

Because the core is not part of the national rail network,