June 12 will see the launch of a new multi-stopping 'Heathrow Connect' rail service linking Heathrow with a number of west London train stations and London's Paddington. This new service will supplement the two current choices - the Piccadilly Tube line and the non-stop Heathrow Express train service - making it easier and quicker for travellers from west london to reach heathrow.
Heathrow Connect trains will run between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 every 30 minutes, with stops at Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Hayes & Harlington. Passengers for Terminal 4 can, at the end of the line, simply change to the Heathrow Express. The total journey time from Paddington to Heathrow will be about 25 minutes.
The new service will answer critics of the two current services, who have long complained about having to backtrack to Paddington for a fast airport service. Passengers heading to Heathrow from areas to the west of the airport will no longer have to travel via London or rely the bus connections from Reading station - instead, they will be able to take the new train from Hayes & Harlington for a connection to Heathrow.
Perhaps because of fears about competition with the nonstop Heathrow Express (which costs £14), no through fares from Paddington to Heathrow have yet been published. Unhelpfully, the new service will not use the same platforms as the Heathrow Express either. The single fare for the six-minute journey between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow is £6.
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