🅿️ Parking & Transport: Heathrow (LHR)

[Aviador]

Heathrow taxi war threatened

BAA faces the wrath of black cab drivers after striking a deal to allow a minicab company to pick up passengers at Heathrow, the Times reports. The deal will allow Addison Lee and One Transport to operate a booking service directly from the airport, prompting cabbies to threaten a blockade of Heathrow over what they call an unacceptable encroachment of minicabs on to their lucrative turf.
Cab drivers, who grid locked Central London in February to protest over a similar minicab issue, said that the move would be ‘disastrous’ for their trade.

The airports operator has confirmed that a six-month trial would take place at Terminals 3 and 5 this year, with Addison Lee operating a booth from the car park at each of the terminals. Although passengers must pre-book, Addison Lee said that customers would be able to order a cab after landing - with black cab drivers believing that they will lose valuable trade to their cheaper rivals. Customers will also be encouraged to book via a link on BAA’s website.

A BAA spokesman told the newspaper: ‘Passengers requesting taxis will continue to use the traditional black cabs in the designated ranks. Private-car companies are required by Heathrow to only use licensed drivers and cars no more than three years old. We hope that the new service will provide passengers with a greater choice. The trial will begin this year, although no date has been set.'

Source

A complete move away from the Black cabs would generally be seen as a bad move by the public so I don't think it's a good idea.

 

[News Guru]

Boris wants Heathrow congestion charge

London Mayor Boris Johnson has said he will look into imposing a congestion charge on roads around Heathrow to reduce air pollution. He told London Assembly members he will consult the new coalition Government about the prospect of a ‘clean air zone’ in west London.

Mike Tuffrey, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, called for Mr Johnson to work with BAA to cut traffic around the airport at Mayor’s Question Time on Wednesday. He said: ‘In terms of dealing with the air quality aspects at Heathrow, an awful lot of that is surface transport in and out, and the studies of the ash cloud affect are as much about reduced vehicles in and around Heathrow as the planes themselves.’

Mr Johnson replied: ‘I will examine it and I will consult members of the coalition Government about what kind of congestion charge they might support in west London. Plainly the reduction of nitrous oxide around Heathrow during the volcanic ash cloud is a very powerful indicator of the affect of aviation on pollution.’

The chamber at City Hall heard that passenger numbers at Heathrow were still predicted to increase from 63m to 80m a year, despite the coalition Government abolishing plans for a third runway.

Source

 

[News Guru]

Heathrow Airport launch Cycle2Work scheme

Heathrow Airport is promoting an innovative scheme to get staff ditching their cars and cycling to work, in partnership with the UK's largest cycle retailer Halfords. The Cycle2Work scheme, now in its second year, is a government initiative to get employees cycling to work. Eligible BAA staff will be entitled to tax-free benefits to encourage them to get a bike if they sign up before 31 August.

The benefits will cover the hire cost over a year of a new bike and safety accessories from Halfords, from £100 up to the value of £1,000. Any payments will come from the employee's salary before Income Tax and National Insurance contributions are taken out, resulting in a significant saving. In addition, BAA Heathrow will also pass on the VAT saving to staff.

Other advantages of the scheme include free bike maintenance, and when the year is up, staff will be able to pay a small final amount to purchase the bike outright.

Source

 

[News Guru]

Re:Heathrow Airport Road, Rail & Access Issues

Heathrow Airtrack decision ‘months away’

The proposed Airtrack rail link for Heathrow Airport was discussed during a meeting last week between council bosses, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and rail bosses, Get Surrey reports. Mr Hammond, who is also MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, joined representatives from BAA, Network Rail, the Office of the Rail Regulator and Surrey County Council at the Civic Centre in Addlestone to discuss the plans.

A proposed train link from London Waterloo to Heathrow Terminal 5 via Staines was discussed during the hour-and-a-half meeting. But BAA said it was several months away from an announcement on whether Airtrack would go ahead. There have been doubts about the financial viability of the project, which is also the subject of strong opposition from people living in areas where the increased frequency of trains would cause level crossing barriers to be lowered for longer, causing traffic buildup.

After the meeting, council leader Councillor John Furey told the news service: ‘All participants agreed it was a very useful meeting in which options for the improvement of the rail network in the area were discussed. The links to Heathrow were considered, along with the needs of road users in the north Surrey area. Level crossing downtimes was one of the key issues explored, to enable further consideration of the optimum solution for the rail / road interface if Airtrack goes ahead.’

All parties agreed to further meetings to progress the project in due course.

Source

 

[News Guru]

Another Heathrow Express strike announced

A second strike by staff working on the Heathrow Express airport rail link has been announced by the RMT union. Staff will walk out for 24-hours from 09:15 on 26 June (a week on Sunday). They will also not do any overtime and work to rule for 24 hours on 25 June and again from 27 June.

In May staff went on strike for 48-hours after rejecting the BAA owned company's offer of a 4.5% increase over one year. RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: ‘The company knows it has tabled a completely unacceptable pay offer loaded with strings. Despite a massive vote for action by our members and 48 hours of rock solid action, it has made no attempt to negotiate or improve its position.'

‘RMT is ready to negotiate seriously to put in place a fair pay package that will take us through the Olympics period and recognises the contribution our members make to delivering a highly successful and profitable service, and we need the company to show the same commitment.’

Source

 

[JamesHarris]

wow Heathrow airport has futuristic robot taxis in service!!!

http://www.airport-int.com/news/heathro ... rvice.html

This is not new to airports, but never before has deployed on such a large scale. I can not wait to try one out (i must sound a little sad to some now) later in September.

 

[Aviador]

wow Heathrow airport has futuristic robot taxis in service!!!

http://www.airport-int.com/news/heathro ... rvice.html

This is not new to airports, but never before has deployed on such a large scale. I can not wait to try one out (i must sound a little sad to some now) later in September.

They're nifty little things by the looks of them. I wouldn't mind a ride on one myself. Does the airport have them throughout or are they only available at one of the ternimals?

 

[Aviador]

Sorry, I didn't read the article to go with it before, it says "The pods, which are entirely autonomous, link a pair of parking lots with the airport's newest passenger facility, Terminal 5, and they're available around the clock."

It's a shame they don't go between the terminals as well.

 

[JamesHarris]

yeah its a shame they don't go between terminals, but i spose there is not a huge amount of traffic that goes between terminals. or is there? How many passengers need to swap between terminals? I never have, but i always use heathrow as a final or starting point...

 

[Aviador]

yeah its a shame they don't go between terminals, but i spose there is not a huge amount of traffic that goes between terminals. or is there? How many passengers need to swap between terminals? I never have, but i always use heathrow as a final or starting point...

I wouldn't like to put a figure to it but at an airport like Heathrow where you get large number of airline alliance partners, I think there will be a large number of people requiring transit between the terminals.

 

[News Guru]

Heathrow won’t get HS2 link until phase 2

Heathrow Airport will get express trains direct to its terminals from the £32.7 billion high-speed rail line announced yesterday, but not until the the second phase of the project, due by 2032-33. The Government rejected arguments for the High Speed 2 line to run via Heathrow as part of the first phase of the project.

Linking Heathrow to the new line via a spur will allow a station to be built at one of Heathrow's main terminals, which would not be the case if the main route was diverted to serve the airport, according to documents published by the Department for Transport. Until phase 2, people traveling to London would use a conventional train to reach the airport.

From phase 2, Heathrow will be served by at least two trains an hour via the northern spur. The line could be extended east to rejoin High Speed 2 and provide a through-loop should there be a requirement for more capacity to central London or a higher-frequency airport service.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: ‘HS2 will go directly to Heathrow. That will happen as part of phase two. People will be able to get on a high-speed train in Birmingham that will go direct to Heathrow.’

Source

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I shall be within a couple of years of being a nonagenarian in 2032.

Something to aim for and in my best Young Mr Grace voice I can warble, 'You've all done very well'.

I bet there aren't many members who remember Young Mr Grace (he was far from young for those that haven't heard of him).

 

[Aviador]

Heathrow Express service confirmed to 2028

• New agreement confirms Heathrow Express for at least a decade
• Will improve rail service connections, resilience and reliability for Heathrow passengers
• Rail services to Heathrow to rise from 18 trains per hour to at least 22 trains per hour from December 2019
• Confirms Government support for developing western and southern rail links to Heathrow

Heathrow Express (‘HEx’) rail service has been preserved to at least 2028 under a new agreement announced today. This agreement, which confirms fast, non-stop rail connections for Heathrow passengers over the next decade, has been approved by the Department for Transport and will see Heathrow Airport retaining the commercial aspects including marketing, ticket pricing and revenue, while FirstGroup’s Great Western Railway (‘GWR’) subsidiary will run the operational aspects of the Heathrow Express service under a management contract from later this year.

As a result of this agreement, a new Heathrow Express Langley depot will no longer be needed. The depot would have been required to service trains because the HS2 building schedule requires HEx to vacate the Old Oak Common depot by the end of 2019.

Heathrow Airport will continue to own the HEx service, and will be responsible for managing rail stations at the airport. Passengers will also benefit from new ticket readers at Heathrow and Paddington, which will allow users of Heathrow Express and TfL Rail (soon to be Elizabeth line) to use pay as you go Oyster or a contactless device.

GWR will manage the introduction of a new, dedicated fleet of trains for the Heathrow Express service, which will be specially converted by December 2019 to provide first class carriages, high speed Wi-Fi, additional luggage racks and on-board entertainment. Until that time the HEx service will continue to be provided by the existing fleet of trains.

Building an integrated transport hub and ensuring at least 50% of Heathrow’s air passengers travel by public transport by 2030 is a priority for Heathrow.

This May, the initial phase of Heathrow Crossrail services will be introduced. From December 2019, and the full opening of the Elizabeth line, rail services to Heathrow will increase from 18 trains per hour today to at least 22 trains per hour. A train will depart Central London to Heathrow on average every two-and-a-half minutes, including:

• 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

Heathrow, the DfT, TfL and Network Rail are also conducting a joint feasibility study into increasing the frequency of the Elizabeth line service to 8 trains an hour by the mid-2020s.

As part of the arrangements, the Department for Transport will progress the development of the proposed new western and southern rail links to Heathrow. These new links would make it quicker and easier for people from the across the south and west of England, and south Wales, to get to the airport.

Rail Minister Jo Johnson said:

“We are investing in the biggest modernisation of the UK rail network since Victorian times and improving the provision and frequency of rail services to Heathrow is crucial to our plans.

“New western and southern rail links to Heathrow would make getting to the airport quicker and easier for holidaymakers and business travellers across the south west, south Wales and south of England, as well as helping connect UK exporters to new international markets.”

Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said:

“This agreement secures convenient and reliable public transport journeys to Heathrow in this decade and beyond. We have ambitious plans to transform rail journeys into the airport, and our passengers will reap the benefits of having Heathrow at the heart of an integrated, sustainable transport network.”

FirstGroup Chief Executive Tim O'Toole said:

“Today’s agreement demonstrates the transport industry working in partnership for the benefit of passengers, allowing fast and convenient connections to continue on this crucial airport link. We are an experienced rail operator with a strong track record in delivering customer improvements, and through this management contract we look forward to building on this operational expertise, as we work with Heathrow to bring in a dedicated fleet of high-specification trains that will help keep people moving and communities prospering in the future.”

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I don't know whether a spur into LHR from the GWR main line from/to South West England/West of England/South Wales is still being considered. There was once talk of trains from the south west corner of Britain using the spur. The snag is this would reduce the overall time to reach Paddington from the areas I just mentioned which would negate any saving in journey time to the capital itself that electrification of the GWR line (or part of it to be precise) would bring.

 

[Andy O]

I have a slightly odd travel enquiry.

I am due to be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, London Heathrow, for a conference.

I am travelling by train from Paddington on the Heathrow Express.

I know the hotel is 5-10 minutes walk from Hatton Cross underground station.

My question is this: would it be better for me to transfer directly to the Piccadilly line underground station (for Hatton Cross) from the Heathrow Express at Terminal 2 stop?

Or take the Heathrow Express transfer between T2 and T4 and get the Piccadilly line to Hatton Cross from T4.

I hope someone can give me some advice.

Cheers

 

[KARFA]

I have a slightly odd travel enquiry.

I am due to be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, London Heathrow, for a conference.

I am travelling by train from Paddington on the Heathrow Express.

I know the hotel is 5-10 minutes walk from Hatton Cross underground station.

My question is this: would it be better for me to transfer directly to the Piccadilly line underground station (for Hatton Cross) from the Heathrow Express at Terminal 2 stop?

Or take the Heathrow Express transfer between T2 and T4 and get the Piccadilly line to Hatton Cross from T4.

I hope someone can give me some advice.

Cheers

It is absolutely the better choice to transfer from HEX to tube either at Heathrow Central or even T5. If you get off at Heathrow Central you go up in the lifts and have to walk a few hundred metres before going down to the tube station. I mention T5 as well as the connection route between HEX and tube platforms is much shorter (in case that's an issue). At T5 don't take the lifts and don't go to ground level. Take the escalator up one level when you can walk across to the escalator to go down to the tube platform.

If you do the T4 route you would have to get off the HEX at Heathrow Central, wait for the connecting train to T4, then go up to the ground floor and then back down to the tube station, wait for a T4 tube which will then go to the T123 station before finally getting to Hatton Cross.

The tube in between the LHR terminals is free, but if you get off at Hatton Cross and exit there it will cost. However, from T123 or T5 to Hatton Cross is £1.50 or £1.60 I think. You'll need an oyster card or contactless card to swipe in and out of the tube.

When you come out of Hatton Cross station take the right door (not the left one which goes to the bus stops), cross Faggs Road using the signaled pedestrian crossing, carry along the path on Great South-West Road, cross Eastern Perimeter Road at the zebra crossing, pass around to the back of the low building in front of you, enter the HGI from the back entrance.

 

[Andy O]

Dear Karfa,

Thank you so much for your very considered and very helpful reply.

I think we'll do the T5/Piccaddily transfer to Hatton Cross - it sounds way less hassle (as well as sounding a bit like the name of a dance craze "The T5/Piccadilly Transfer" !)

Cheers mate!

 

[KARFA]

Dear Karfa,

Thank you so much for your very considered and very helpful reply.

I think we'll do the T5/Piccaddily transfer to Hatton Cross - it sounds way less hassle (as well as sounding a bit like the name of a dance craze "The T5/Piccadilly Transfer" !)

Cheers mate!

Haha 🙂

Yes it will take a little longer that way, HEX takes another 4-5 minutes to get to T5. Also the tube frequency from T5 is around every 8-10 minutes, frequency from T123 is more like every 4-5 minutes as there are also the T4 originating trains coming through as well. However, it is definitely a much shorter and easier transfer at T5 going from HEX->tube.

When you get the tube board at the third carriage from the front as that will mean at Hatton Cross you will get off right next to the stairs.

 

[Andy O]

Dear Karfa,

Just to say, that your advice and directions were perfect! Totally stress free.

My team who were travelling with me think I am a star! (Did finally admit it was thanks to your comments...in the end!)

Am now happily settled in my room and heading for dinner...and a drink: we'll raise a glass to you!

Cheers

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I don't know whether a spur into LHR from the GWR main line from/to South West England/West of England/South Wales is still being considered. There was once talk of trains from the south west corner of Britain using the spur. The snag is this would reduce the overall time to reach Paddington from the areas I just mentioned which would negate any saving in journey time to the capital itself that electrification of the GWR line (or part of it to be precise) would bring.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-railway-upgrade-plan/key-projects/heathrow-rail-link/

Public consultation begins today regarding a rail link into LHR from the GWR main line that would mean travellers from the SouthWest, South Wales, South Coast and West Midlands having direct access to the airport without the need to journey to Paddington first.