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Heathrow Express launches a new early morning train service

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If you have an early morning flight from Heathrow, it can come as a surprise when you realise that, midweek, the first Piccadilly Line train from central London doesn’t arrive at the airport until just after 6.30am.

(It’s different on Saturday and Sunday mornings, because the weekend night tube service means that trains runs constantly.)

Heathrow Express starts much earlier than the tube during the week, and now even earlier than ever.

Heathrow Express launches a new early morning service

Following a recent timetable change, the first service now departs London Paddington at 4.51am. This will have you at Terminals 2 and 3 by 5.14am and at Terminal 5 by 5.18am.

If you miss this one, there is a 20 minute gap before the next departure from Paddington at 5.10am. From this point the regular 15 minute service kicks in.

If you need to be even earlier than this, the first Elizabeth Line train to Heathrow runs even earlier. Midweek, it leaves Paddington at 4.36am, arriving at Terminal 2 & 3 at 5.00am and at Terminal 5 at 5.04am. The service leaves one minute later on Saturdays. The first Sunday train on the Elizabeth Line leaves Paddington at 5.12am.

Don’t forget to look at this HfP article on how to save money or earn Avios on Heathrow Express train tickets.

You can book online here.

Comments (21)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • AndyF says:

    Using this search tool:

    https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/timetable/piccadilly/

    it shows (Mon-Thurs) first Piccadilly line train to terminal 5 arrives at 06:03, Terminal 4 at 06:39, Terminal 2&3 at 05:59

    • Oaktrees says:

      The early Piccadilly line trains towards Heathrow are all starting at Northfields depot, sidings, or from Hammersmith, so while lucky West Londoners are sorted, anyone coming from east of Hammersmith will be waiting for the first service from Cockfosters.

    • Paul says:

      TFL timetables for the buses around LHR are a work of pure fiction. Used 423 yesterday. Web site said 23/53 past the hour. Bus stop said 29/59 past the hour and bus came at 50.

  • Dave says:

    The first Elizabeth line leaves Paddington for Heathrow leaves at 04.36!

  • Matarredonda says:

    Always amazes me trains don’t get to airports at least 2 hours before the first flight.

    • ChrisBCN says:

      Because things need to happen on train tracks overnight.

      • G says:

        And the UK rail network is so underdeveloped/over utilised compared to more sensible countries which actually plan their rail infrastructure (China, Japan, South Korea, France, Spain etc).

  • RussellH says:

    Come on!.
    This is Britain, where we believe transport modes should compete and very definitely not cooperate! That would be socialism in its worst form.

  • Clive says:

    Having picked up from an HfP post the ability to earn Avios on Heathrow Express bookings, it transpires that the HEX website doesn’t offer Railcard discounts. HEX say that this should be raised with BA; they haven’t replied to my comment that it is a HEX website, set up by HEX, and nothing to do with BA. Some years ago HEX made it very difficult to obtain a Railcard discount, although their website for non-Avios sales does now permit this.

  • Alex G says:

    “the first Piccadilly Line train doesn’t arrive at the airport until just after 6.30am”

    Astonishing. And another reason why Gatwick is a better airport. The first Thameslink train from London to Gatwick arrives at 04:30, and the first train from Brighton arrives at 04:40.

    • Lumma says:

      There’s trains through the night to Gatwick (and Luton Airport Parkway)

    • Londonsteve says:

      It is astonishing that the UK’s most important airport is only accessible in the early hours with the N9 night bus. Elsewhere, if the tube and rail isn’t working there would be an express bus to facilitate early morning access. Over the years I’ve had to take many taxis to Heathrow for an early morning flight simply because I can’t get there early enough on the tube and I’m not willing to spend 3 hours taking a night bus into central London and then another night bus out that stops every 300m and takes 2 hours at a time when there’s no traffic to contend with.

      • JDB says:

        If there weren’t a curfew, transport would run around the clock.

        • Lumma says:

          Exactly. First train gets to the airport for 5am. First flight is 6am. Why does anyone need to arrive earlier than that? There’s also a couple of national express coaches if someone wants to get there even earlier

          At least the trains to Heathrow are reliable. The first couple of Stansted trains are often cancelled for planned engineering works

          • Londonsteve says:

            I wouldn’t recommend anyone arrives at Heathrow for a 6am flight at 5am if they’ve got luggage to check in. Not to mention the fact that it’s often time consuming to walk from the station to the check in desk. Not so much at T5 but try walking from the tube to T3, it’s 10 minutes from the tube platform. At that point you’d have only 50 minutes to spare, which is perilously close to the 45 minute cut off for luggage check in.

            The first bank of flights depart Heathrow at 6am, I understand the engineering constraints that restrict the operational time of the tube and trains, but it would be handy if there were some express bus departures from central London stopping only in key locations that enable a 4am arrival 5 days a week (when the night tube isn’t operational). A bus departing every 10 minutes between 3:30 am and 4:30am would be very useful to visitors and residents alike.

  • Richie says:

    It’ll be great to have reviews of the hotels at Théoule sur Mer.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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