 | |
 Class 360Desiro atEaling Broadway in 2011 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Franchises | Open access operator Not subject tofranchising 12 June 2005 - 19 May 2018 |
| Main route | London Paddington –Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 |
| Fleet | 5Class 360s |
| Stations called at | 8 |
| Parent company | Heathrow Airport Holdings First Great Western |
| Reporting mark | HC |
| Successor | TfL Rail |
Heathrow Connect was a train service in London provided jointly byHeathrow Express andGreat Western Railway (GWR), betweenPaddington station andHeathrow Airport. The service followed the same route as the non-stopHeathrow Express service but called at certain intermediate stations, connecting several locations in West London with each other, the airport, and Central London. It ran every half-hour throughout the day and evening. The service was launched on 12 June 2005 and ceased on 19 May 2018, when it was absorbed into theTfL Rail concession, in advance of the service becoming operated by theElizabeth line which opened on 24 May 2022.
In the late 1990s,British Airports Authority (BAA) built anairport rail link fromHeathrow Airport toLondon Paddington station. This opened in June 1998, with non-stopHeathrow Express trains taking just 15 minutes between Heathrow and Paddington.[1]
In 2004,First Great Western Link and BAA (the operators of Heathrow Express) planned a stopping service between Heathrow and Paddington, using train paths previously occupied by stopping services fromSlough.[2] BAA spent £35 million on the project, including the purchase of five newSiemens DesiroClass 360 trains.[3]
In June 2005, theHeathrow Connect branded stopping service between Heathrow and Paddington was launched.[4] Although cheaper than Heathrow Express, the journey took around 25 minutes from Paddington, and ran less frequently. One benefit of the new service was that residents of West London (including airport staff) could reach the airport without needing to backtrack via Paddington.[4][5] Trains were owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings through Heathrow Express.[6]
From the opening ofHeathrow Terminal 5 in 2008, Heathrow Connect provided a shuttle service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 to connect with Heathrow Express.[2]
In May 2018, Heathrow Connect service were absorbed intoTfL Rail ahead of the newCrossrail project.[7] In May 2022, TfL Rail services were rebranded as theElizabeth line, with through trains running through central London from November 2022.[8] Heathrow Express services will continue to terminate at London Paddington.[8]
Heathrow Connect had a complex operating structure:Heathrow Airport Holdings (formerly BAA) supplied the rolling stock and on-board staff through itsHeathrow Express subsidiary, and owned the track from Airport Junction to the terminals. GWR collected the revenue for journeys between Paddington andHayes & Harlington, while Heathrow Airport Holdings collected the revenue for journeys between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow.[9]
Fares between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington were the same as for GWR services, but the single fare between Hayes and Heathrow was £6.30 as of January 2018[update].Oyster cards,Travelcards andFreedom Passes were not valid between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, but could be used throughout the rest of the route. When the service was first introduced in 2005, the fare for the 3-mile (4.8 km) journey from Hayes to Heathrow was £6, which at £2 per mile made it one of the most expensive train journeys in the world.[10]
The service was designed principally for the use of airport staff and West London residents for travel to Heathrow or Paddington. With a staff ID card, discounted fares were available for the journey between Hayes and Heathrow.[5]
Heathrow Connect was marketed as a cheaper way to reach Paddington from Heathrow and vice versa, with a single fare of £10.30 (less than half the Heathrow Express fare, but almost double the price of aLondon Underground journey) and a journey time of 25 minutes against the Express time of 15 minutes. Passengers were also permitted to use their Railcards to access discounts. Originally it was not intended to be used as a cheaper (but slower) alternative to the Heathrow Express service from Paddington to Heathrow: every Connect service was overtaken by an Express service en route, and at Paddington trains were originally advertised on departure boards as running to Hayes & Harlington only. Standard-class travel between Heathrow Airport terminals was free, and this included Heathrow Connect services.
The current Elizabeth line service continues the fare structure of Heathrow Connect, being priced approximately halfway between that of the Underground and the Heathrow Express for a typical journey between central London and Heathrow.
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Heathrow Connect used the relief lines of theGreat Western Main Line between Paddington and Airport Junction, replacing some stopping services operated byFirst Great Western Link. As part of the original Heathrow Express project, these lines wereelectrified at25 kV AC overhead as a diversionary route, and featuredAutomatic Train Protection. An additionalflyover bridge was built in 2008 as part ofCrossrail works to enable trains to enter or leave the airport spur without crossing any of the Great Western Main Line tracks.[11]
Services initially terminated atHeathrow Central. Following Heathrow Express services being diverted toTerminal 5, from March 2008 Heathrow Connect services were extended toTerminal 4.[12][13]
The service pattern, as of October 2016[update], was as follows:
Heathrow Connect used five-carClass 360/2electric multiple units. Four were built bySiemens Mobility inKrefeld, Germany forAngel Trains as demonstratorDesiros. One was brought toNorthampton Kings Heath Siemens Depot in 2002 beforeSouth West Trains'Class 450s were delivered. The others were used at theWildenrath Test Centre.[15]
All four were purchased by Heathrow Connect and rebuilt before being sent to England.[16][17] A fifth five-car set was delivered in November 2005, but did not enter service until December 2006.[18] A fifth carriage was added to the original four four-car sets in 2006.[19][20]
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Quantity | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| 360/2Desiro | .jpg) | EMU | 100 | 161 | 5 | 360201–360205 | 5 | London Paddington –Heathrow Terminal 4 | 2004–2005 |
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On 20 May 2018, TfL Rail took over the services operated by Heathrow Connect as a precursor to the full opening of theElizabeth line,[21][22] which at that time was expected to take place in December 2018.[23]
Fares on the service were integrated into the TfL fare scheme, and therefore matched the fare scheme of London Underground services,[24] with the exception of a premium for single journeys to and from Heathrow using Pay As You Go (Oyster and contactless). Passengers are able to use Oyster cards, Travelcards and Freedom Passes to travel between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow.
TfL Rail had originally planned to replace the Class 360 units withClass 345s, but due to delays with the signalling system in the Heathrow Airport tunnels and late delivery of Class 345 units, a contingency plan was implemented. The Class 360s were used between London Paddington and Heathrow, supplemented by two Class 345 trains per hour running between London Paddington and the extended bay platform at Hayes & Harlington,[25] until enough Class 345s were delivered. The Class 360s were fully replaced in September 2020.[26]
For the eventual opening of the core of the Elizabeth line in May 2022, the service was given Elizabeth line branding and train paths were extended via the new tunnels at Paddington through Central London, calling at stations such as Bond Street, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf toAbbey Wood. The line has fully opened as of November 2022.[27] Eastbound trains from Heathrow will terminate atShenfield or Abbey Wood.[21]
Media related toHeathrow Connect at Wikimedia Commons
