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Paris Toolkit Paddington Heathrow Express airport train
Get to London in 15 minutes every 15 minutes
The Paddington Heathrow Express is a dedicated rail express link into central London. 15 minutes, every 15 minutes is the slogan. The Heathrow Express service is a premium train service, offering the fastest transfer between Heathrow and central London.
There is a slower train that runs between Paddington and Heathrow called TFL Rail Heathrow. This is aimed at airport workers and is cheaper, but slower and runs less frequently.
The Heathrow Express is so fast that if you are staying at one of the hotels around Paddington Station it may be quicker to get to your check-in at Heathrow from your hotel in Paddington than some of the Heathrow hotels.
The London terminus (Paddington) is north-west of the central London area. You may well require a further significant transfer to your ultimate destination.
For example, if your destination is Kensington then the Heathrow Express results in you doubling back on yourself and the price premium you paid for speed is then compromised.
For two adults or more it will be cheaper and faster to get a cheap private car from Heathrow to a hotel in Earl's Court, Kensington than the Heathrow Express and then a taxi or Underground back to Earl's Court.
ON THIS HEATHROW TRANSFERS PAGE
Heathrow Express operating hours & frequencies 2024
Heathrow Express trains run every 15 minutes.
All times noted are between Terminals 2 and 3.
Average journey time between Heathrow (Terminals 2 and 3) and Paddington is 15 minutes. Terminal 5, 21 minutes and Terminal 4, 27 minutes.
Monday to Saturday
- Heathrow - Paddington: First train - 05:17. Last train - 23:59.
- Paddington - Heathrow: First train - 05:10. Last train - 23:25.
Sunday
- Heathrow - Paddington: First train - 05:17. Last train - 23:47.
- Paddington - Heathrow: First train - 05:10. Last train - 23:25.
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Dedicated airport train every 15 minutes • Heathrow Airport to London Paddington in 15 minutes
3 Heathrow Stations, 4 Heathrow passenger terminals
All Heathrow Express trains start at Terminal 5 station. The only stop the train makes on the journey to Paddington is at Heathrow Central where Terminals 2 and 3 are located.
A separate shuttle train goes between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central Station every 15 minutes and is timed to connect to the main Heathrow Express train.
All three Heathrow Stations are deep underground and serviced by lifts, as well as by escalators.
London Station - Paddington
Paddington Train Station is situated in the north-west section of central London, just north of Hyde Park and about 1km from Oxford Street.
At Paddington Station the platform is at street level. There is a good organised black taxi rank and escalators down to Paddington Underground Station.
Luggage
Luggage on the Heathrow Express is only limited by your ability to carry it on the train. There are luggage racks like that pictured at the top of the page and also for smaller bags, overhead shelves.
At Heathrow Airport all stations are deep underground. From Terminals 4 and 5 there are lifts and escalators from within the passenger Terminal.
At Terminals 2 and 3 you have to walk to the Central Station. From within both Terminal 2 and 3 there are moving walkways then lifts down to the platform.
Heathrow Express and Standard (Express) v Business Class
As a dedicated airport train all passengers enjoy plenty of luggage space and boarding level with the platform.
All carriages are air conditioned and have free Wi-Fi and news TV. There are also quiet areas.
In First Class you get more leg room, a table and complimentary copies of the Financial Times and various magazines.
Heathrow Express tickets
There are no seat numbers/reserved seats on the Heathrow Express, a ticket buys you the right to travel on the train between the points stated on your ticket.
Passengers can buy tickets on the train but by doing so your fare is more than if you bought tickets prior to boarding. You cannot use Travelcards on the Heathrow Express service. Return tickets are valid for 30 days after the first leg of travel.
Oyster & Contactless payment
Oyster cards, contactless bank cards and mobile devices are accepted on the Heathrow Express. This speeds up the process of buying tickets for this train for customers who can enter with just a tap of your card on the ticket barrier. Prices are the same as buying your ticket at the station, with a single Anytime fare charged at £25 (2024 prices). You can save money by booking your tickets in advance online or by using the Heathrow Express app.
The train stations have manned ticket offices and also ticket machines. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash. You can purchase tickets online too.
With Oyster Pay As You Go Fares, you are charged per journey and there is a daily cap that once reached, further travel that day is free. Although you can use Oyster for the Heathrow Express, the fare charged is not included in the daily cap. This means you cannot expect free travel around the rest of London zones 1-6 on the day you use your Oyster card for the Heathrow Express. You will need to reach the cap through your additional journeys. This can result in more expensive travel costs. Advanced one-way fares from the Heathrow Express website can be very low and offer the best chance of savings in this regard.
If you want to use your Oyster card from Heathrow, then the TFL Rail service that runs along the same tracks as the Heathrow Express, but is 10 minutes' slower and has multiple stops, will count towards your Oyster fare daily cap.
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• Visitor Oyster Card • Travelcard for 1 day anytime / off-peak or 7 days anytime • Group day travelcards available
Heathrow Express promotional fares and fare adjustments
Children
Free child fares were introduced in 2015 for children under 15.
Children aged 15 and under can travel free on the Heathrow Express as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult. They can travel unaccompanied if they have proof of air travel such as a valid flight booking or boarding pass.
A Photo ID will be required. A child will still need a ticket to travel. A child ticket cannot be purchased on its own online, but it can be purchased alongside an adult ticket. If your child is travelling alone they can get their ticket from a Heathrow Express member of staff, in the terminal, station or on-board.
Online Advance Purchase
Buy in advance online and get substantial discounts over buying on the day. 14, 30 and 90 day advance options. No refunds.
The greatest discount of up to 75% of the walk-up price (costing just £5.50 for a one-way saver ticket) must be booked at least 90 days in advance, through the mobile app. It is worth pointing out that this ticket is very rare and hard to find, you are more likely to find a rate of £15 one-way for your journey, still a 40% saving on a walk up price.
Duo Saver - save 25%
Return ticket for 2 people travelling together in Express class only. No refunds. Online only with discount code.
Group Saver (3 or more people) - save 1/3
The same three or more adults must travel together in Express Class on a single or return journey with this offer for which you receive a 33% discount over standard fares. No refunds. Available only on off peak journeys.
Railcards
You can use Railcard discounts on the Heathrow Express, but you cannot use on some promotional fares.
Heathrow Express now sells cheaper advance weekday fares
In October 2019 Heathrow Express announced its lowest advance fares will now also be available during the week too. Previously its cheapest ticket, the 90 day advance ticket at £5.50 could only be purchased at weekends. Now you can also get this rare rate during weekdays too (only when available, but you can expect to find a £15 ticket).
Peak and off peak prices are now the same
In 2020 Heathrow Express dropped their peak and off-peak fares meaning you now pay a flat fare whatever time you travel.
Online and offline prices are now the same
In 2022 online and offline ticket prices were set the same so for example the basic single fare costs the same across all channels. (See table below.)
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Dedicated airport train every 15 minutes • Heathrow Airport to London Paddington in 15 minutes
London - Heathrow comparison of public transport from 3 March 2024 - March 2025
| Service |
Standard Adult Fare* |
|||
|
One way |
Return |
|||
|
£6.70 |
£13.40 |
|||
|
£5.60 |
£11.20 |
|||
|
£6.00-£10.00 |
£10.00-£20.00 |
|||
|
£12.80 |
£25.60 |
|||
Heathrow Express Train (Anytime - web single ticket) |
£25.00 |
£38.50 |
||
|
Heathrow Express Train (30 Day Advance) |
£20.00 |
£38.50 | ||
|
Heathrow Express Train (60 Day Advance) |
£15.00 |
£30.00 |
||
|
Heathrow Express Train (90 Day Advance) |
£15.00 |
£30.00 |
||
|
£38.36 |
£76.72 |
|||
* Standard adult ticket. Other promotional fares may appear from time to time.
Heathrow Express train - Children under 15 free, online only one-way fare. Cheapest fare for both weekday and weekend travel.
Cheapest Heathrow Express fares are only available 90 days or over in advance and only using the mobile app. A select amount of cheaper tickets are released per day (300) which will help you find cheaper rates when booking in advance, but if these are already sold, then a standard fare will be shown.
Where Heathrow public transport goes in central London
