Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express is the dedicated, non-stop rail service between London’s Paddington Station and Heathrow Airport. Heathrow Connect established itself as a viable alternative transport option for London passengers travelling to and from the airport.
How we performed?
Helped by excellent punctuality and reliability performance, up 3.5% and 0.1% respectively, passenger numbers increased by 0.1% to 5.28 million in 2006/07. Underlying revenue grew to £58 million and underlying operating profit to £14 million. Heathrow Express also gained the ISO 14001 standard – the benchmark for all companies looking to manage their environmental impact.
Heathrow Express enjoyed notable recognition for our efforts to create a more passenger friendly service. We achieved an overall satisfaction rate of 96% in the independent National Passenger Satisfaction Survey – the highest score in the survey’s eight-year history. We also won ‘Customer Service Team of the Year’ at the UK’s prestigious National Customer Service Awards.
Heathrow Connect
Launched in 2005, it has improved access to over four million passengers living in the Thames Valley area, and over 4,000 locally-based airport workers. In November, prices were significantly reduced (by up to a third) to target the price sensitive and local London markets. This shift contributed to a growth of 103% as passenger numbers reached 171,500.
Future plans
The opening of Heathrow Terminal 5, with its new subterranean rail station, will be a big milestone in Heathrow Express’ history. The construction of the railway is complete and the focus now is on testing the facilities to ensure that the service will work perfectly from the day it opens. Heathrow Express will serve Terminal 5 every 15 minutes. Heathrow Connect will continue to run into Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and provide a half-hourly shuttle service to Terminal 4.
We continue to support the long-established Airtrack proposal, which would open up direct rail services to Heathrow from the South and South West, safeguarding platform space for the service alongside those needed for the Piccadilly Line and Heathrow Express.
