Sadiq Khan says future of Heathrow Express should be ‘reconsidered’ due to Elizabeth line success

[thenorthern]

Saw this in the news a few days ago.

https://www.mylondon.news/

Sadiq Khan says future of Heathrow Express should be ‘reconsidered’ due to Elizabeth line success​

A joint report from Sadiq Khan and Transport for London has called on the government to decide whether the current Heathrow Express is the best use of “valuable” train paths into Paddington​

Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) said the future of Heathrow Express should be “reconsidered” in light of the Elizabeth line’s success. The Mayor of London and TfL have called on the government to decide whether the current service is the best use of “valuable” train paths into Paddington station.

The joint report regarding the expansion of Heathrow Airport does not explicitly call on the route to be axed, but it does say alternative options should be considered that can increase ridership at a lower cost to customers at the airport.

Heathrow Express is owned by the airport’s managing company itself, but currently outsources its day-to-day operation to Great Western Railway. The current service contract was signed in 2018 and is due to expire in 2028.

The Elizabeth line has become TfL’s key route from Central London to Heathrow since it opened in 2022. Ten more trains are due to enter service throughout 2026 and 2027 ahead of the HS2’s launch from Old Oak Common, which will potentially bolster services heading towards the airport.

Sadiq Khan says future of Heathrow Express should be ‘reconsidered’

A joint report from Sadiq Khan and Transport for London has called on the government to decide whether the current Heathrow Express is the best use of “valuable” train paths into Paddington

www.mylondon.news

Bit of a silly idea from the Mayor of London if you ask me. While the Elizabeth Line may only take around 11 min more than the Heathrow Express to get from Paddington to Heathrow Central, it's first and foremost a commuter line not an airport rail link. Meaning the services can and do get overcrowded between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington which isn't ideal for those catching a flight with a large amount of luggage. Also having high frequency expensive non-stop/limited stop express shuttle services from city centre stations to the airport is relatively common in most European capital cities.

Secondly, Network Rail's train paths into Paddington are the responsibility of Network Rail and the Department for Transport not the Mayor of London. Sir Sadiq Khan seems to be concerned with matters that aren't devolved to him which he does a lot with railway-related issues.

 

[Horizon22]

The plan would I believe be to take over the paths, running non-stop from Paddington (Elizabeth line) to Heathrow T2/3. The issue of pathing would still remain as it would require some sort of Relief <> Main crossover and/or a complete rejig of the Eliazbeth line timetable.

Secondly, Network Rail's train paths into Paddington are the responsibility of Network Rail and the Department for Transport not the Mayor of London. Sir Sadiq Khan seems to be concerned with matters that aren't devolved to him which he does a lot with railway-related issues.

Doesn't mean he can't lobby for it on behalf of Londoners, if that is what he believes to be best.

 

[rmHawk765]

The plan would I believe be to take over the paths, running non-stop from Paddington (Elizabeth line) to Heathrow T2/3. The issue of pathing would still remain as it would require some sort of Relief <> Main crossover and/or a complete rejig of the Eliazbeth line timetable.

I imagine the difference in top speed will prevent the 345s from simply being slotted into the existing paths, not to mention having to crossover onto the UM first as you say.

 

[iamraymond]

Oh nice, yet another thing for him to nause up!

 

[Horizon22]

I imagine the difference in top speed will prevent the 345s from simply being slotted into the existing paths, not to mention having to crossover onto the UM first as you say.

Yes there's definitely a whole sway of operational issues that will need to be resolved, let alone convincing HAL of the plan who I'm pretty sure would be happy to even have the Heathrow Express run as a "loss leader"

 

[Crithylum]

Yet another thread where we will eventually find out that the HX paths are unable to be used by anything else.

West of the junction, the holes in the timetable are needed for the Didcot semi-fasts to crossover onto the reliefs.

And don't get me started on how much of a disaster crossing between the reliefs and mains near Paddington will be without enormous infrastructure investment.

 

[talldave]

The plan would I believe be to take over the paths, running non-stop from Paddington (Elizabeth line) to Heathrow T2/3. The issue of pathing would still remain as it would require some sort of Relief <> Main crossover and/or a complete rejig of the Eliazbeth line timetable.



Doesn't mean he can't lobby for it on behalf of Londoners, if that is what he believes to be best.

As a Londoner I can assure you he cares not one iota about what's best for Londoners. He cares only about Sadiq Khan.

 

[Horizon22]

As a Londoner I can assure you he cares not one iota about what's best for Londoners. He cares only about Sadiq Khan.

Evidently he does a bit, or people believe he does considering he got over 1m votes in 2024. Just because you don't, doesn't mean you can speak for all Londoners!

 

[swt_passenger]

[…]
The issue of pathing would still remain as it would require some sort of Relief <> Main crossover and/or a complete rejig of the Eliazbeth line timetable.

That’s a good enough reason to kick it into the long grass, surely? It doesn’t pass the first quiz question, can it even work?

 

[brad465]

If anything is going to destroy HEx it's not an intervention by Khan, or any other future mayor, it's Old Oak Common. Presumably HEx will have to serve there for pathing and connectivity reasons, which will defeat the Express nature, making the Lizzie, which will also serve OOC, as attractive but with lower cost to use.

 

[fgwrich]

I imagine the difference in top speed will prevent the 345s from simply being slotted into the existing paths, not to mention having to crossover onto the UM first as you say.

I did think that, despite the newer traction equipment the 345s are 20 MPH slower than the 387s (90mph vs 110mph).

I do also agree in principle - Hex has become expensive and is a shadow of itself under joint GWR / Heathrow operation, with more passengers using Lizzie Line the novelty factor has somewhat worn off. I do also feel that a proportion of the comments across the internet is simply the usual level of hate directed towards Khan by people who wouldn’t normally make use of the HEX anyway.

 

[Horizon22]

That’s a good enough reason to kick it into the long grass, surely? It doesn’t pass the first quiz question, can it even work?

It's definitely difficult to achieve; I wouldn't go as far as impossible, but it won't be easy. And as you say, it might be put into the "too difficult to solve" box.

 

[Djgr]

Here's a question.

If the Heathrow Express didn't exist today, would we invent it?

 

[rmHawk765]

I did think that, despite the newer traction equipment the 345s are 20 MPH slower than the 387s (90mph vs 110mph).

I believe it is to do with the gearing being optimised for acceleration over top speed, which is why the 720s can do 100mph but not the 345s. Not like the 720s are particularly slow accelerators, but they are shorter I guess. I'm not really too sure why they weren't built to at least 100mph, apart from linespeed on the current routing technically never reaching that.

Personally I think an airport link for tourists or business passengers who likely need central London should be separate from a busy commuter line. Just get on any train at Hayes & Harlington in the morning peak... full of not just commuters but also people with large luggage and whatnot. So I do think that the concept of a 4tph express service to Heathrow has to stay.

I see almost nothing wrong with the current HEx service, apart from the one obvious flaw of pricing. I see no clear reason why a return journey for two adults on HEx should cost £20 more than the same on XR (excluding advance tickets). Other than that, the trains themselves are much better suited to an airport link in my opinion. I'd much rather just charge the same for HEx as XR, rather than change the operator, create loads of pathing constraints, and use overall less-suited trains. And to be completely honest, I think the big separation in branding can be seen as a good thing too, to direct international passengers off busy commuter trains.

The concept of routing XR to Heathrow does make a lot of sense, but only because it serves many suburban stations, and this provides a very convenient way for West London residents to travel abroad by plane, similar to how Thameslink links multiple airports. It is not a replacement for a direct link to the city centre and giving the 4tph of fast paths to XR won't actually benefit most London residents in any way...

 

[MikeWh]

As a Londoner I can assure you he cares not one iota about what's best for Londoners. He cares only about Sadiq Khan.

As another Londoner, I can assure you that he cares 100x more about Londoners than Boris "I've got a bridge to sell you" Johnson.

 

[dk1]

Poor old Heathrow Express always seems to get a knock on here. I know in a way it eats up GWML paths but it’s still pretty popular and well liked by the more elite that use it along with being an asset for Heathrow Airport Holdings.

 

[ChilliSauce]

Personally I think the Heathrow Express is past it's sell buy date. Why would anyone at Heathrow who wants the west-end or the city or canary wharf bother with the over priced Open Access Heathrow Express only to then treak down to the low level platforms at Paddington to take an Elizabethan for onwards destinations?

 

[thenorthern]

Here's a question.

If the Heathrow Express didn't exist today, would we invent it?

I would say yes as there is a market for it. As I say non stop airport shuttle services are quite common in other European capital cities. There is certainly a market for it given that around 4.5 million people a year use it. Most the passengers who do use it will be business travellers so the cost is not an issue as their employer will be paying for it.

After nationalisation, however, it will be interesting if Heathrow Express survives. Given it's strange situation of mostly using Network Rail owned track but officially not being part of National Rail it could get interesting.

 

[Horizon22]

It is not a replacement for a direct link to the city centre and giving the 4tph of fast paths to XR won't actually benefit most London residents in any way...

Arguably the direct link to the city centre IS the Elizabeth line. Bond Street / Farringdon / TCR are all closer to the traditional "centre" than Paddington.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 May 2026 ==

I would say yes as there is a market for it. As I say non stop airport shuttle services are quite common in other European capital cities. There is certainly a market for it given that around 4.5 million people a year use it. Most the passengers who do use it will be business travellers so the cost is not an issue as their employer will be paying for it.

It's also a point to consider that if Heathrow Express (or some sort of fast Elizabeth line equivalent) didn't exist, would those passengers actually a) transfer to the Elizabeth line / Tube and b) would there be capacity for them to do so? I would argue a fair check wouldn't and modal shift would occur with certain business types seeking out taxis instead.

 

[Railguy1]

If no other services could use the paths, maybe invest in the southern access extension and run Paddington direct to Heathrow to “South” service as a fast regional commuter service instead?

 

[abn444]

After nationalisation, however, it will be interesting if Heathrow Express survives. Given it's strange situation of mostly using Network Rail owned track but officially not being part of National Rail it could get interesting.

I don't see why apart from the fact it uses what's currently GWR to operate it. I believe HEx is an open access operator and open access isn't covered by GBR. From what I can tell the rail side of GBR is just going to be a big TOC running the majority of national rail services in England

 

[fandroid]

It's a bit weird talking of customers who want an express service to central London, then saying that an express that dumps them in the western extremity of the "centre" is the answer.

The concept that TfL and the Mayor are describing is the real answer - an express service to that western extremity which then continues on to serve destinations across the whole actual centre.

That's not to deny the real problem of how to shift those expresses from the fast lines into the Crossrail tunnel.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The simple issue is that HEx isn’t worth the premium it charges, so people don’t pay it. Instead, they clog up the commuter trains on the Lizzy Line.

The simplest solution is to get rid of the premium: same fare on HEx as on Lizzy Line. Job done. Bring HEx into the Z1-6 daily fare cap, at the very least.

HEx know this too, really. That’s why they only charge £10 if you buy in advance. And that’s why they have so many ticket sellers in arrivals, and it’s also why those ticket sellers are so ‘persistent.’

 

[fgwrich]

If no other services could use the paths, maybe invest in the southern access extension and run Paddington direct to Heathrow to “South” service as a fast regional commuter service instead?

This was one of original proposals as part of the WRaTH scheme, which would have seen services run through to places like Reading as a semi fast (and possibly Basingstoke or Newbury). Perhaps, if this is eventually built, HeX could survive in the form of these type of GWR services.

 

[Clarence Yard]

If there is a battle between HAL and Khan, I know who is going to win and it isn’t any Mayor of London. HAL interfaces at the highest levels of Government, not even at DfT level, let alone any regional Mayor. They are major players.

The value to HAL is it is an asset on the Airport RAB. How many people it carries is almost incidental but it continues to earn a nice profit for HAL, thanks to its cost structure.

If HAL wants to cease operations, you can be sure they will extract a very heavy price for it. That cost may be too much for any Government.

 

[bramling]

Saw this in the news a few days ago.

https://www.mylondon.news/


Bit of a silly idea from the Mayor of London if you ask me. While the Elizabeth Line may only take around 11 min more than the Heathrow Express to get from Paddington to Heathrow Central, it's first and foremost a commuter line not an airport rail link. Meaning the services can and do get overcrowded between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington which isn't ideal for those catching a flight with a large amount of luggage. Also having high frequency expensive non-stop/limited stop express shuttle services from city centre stations to the airport is relatively common in most European capital cities.

Secondly, Network Rail's train paths into Paddington are the responsibility of Network Rail and the Department for Transport not the Mayor of London. Sir Sadiq Khan seems to be concerned with matters that aren't devolved to him which he does a lot with railway-related issues.

What potential alternatives is Khan actually proposing? Presumably the main line paths wouldn’t be useful for Crossrail services, though it would release paths into the airport. Is it the latter that Khan is trying to get at?

 

[renegademaster]

I imagine the difference in top speed will prevent the 345s from simply being slotted into the existing paths, not to mention having to crossover onto the UM first as you say.

If HEX had the paths taken away TfL would probably take over their leases and then paint them purple

 

[Jan Mayen]

It's been a long time since I've used Heathrow, Airport or Express.
But I do like the idea of a non-stop London to Airport Express. I'm on one now, as it happens. Gatwick Express, which I use most days.
Just never to or connecting from a plane, just commuting

 

[H F Stephens]

Poor old Heathrow Express always seems to get a knock on here. I know in a way it eats up GWML paths but it’s still pretty popular and well liked by the more elite that use it along with being an asset for Heathrow Airport Holdings.

Another day; another cakeism.

 

[JohnofWessex]

Khan is the Mayor of London, not a railway worker/manager

Clearly if he thinks that X is best for London then he will say so

The fact that it might not be practical is outside his area of expertise means that those who do know have to say Sorry thats not possible because.........