Heathrow airport will finally get a 24-hour Tube connection next year – but only at weekends when most business travellers don’t fly.
From September 12 2015, the Piccadilly Line will operate all night on Fridays and Saturdays from Terminal 5. Trains on this line will run to the northern terminus at Cockfosters, meaning that they will cover the centre of the city and key connecting points including Earl’s Court, Knightsbridge, Leicester Square and King’s Cross/St Pancras.
According to Transport for London’s map, trains will run to Heathrow’s T5 via the stop that serves Terminals 1,2 and 3 but not the loop that includes Terminal 4, meaning that some passengers will have to use the free Heathrow Express connection or the courtesy buses if departing or arriving from T4.
The Jubilee and Victoria Lines will operate trains on their entire lengths; while there will be a partial service on the Central and Northern lines.
TfL says there will be a train ‘on average’ every 10 minutes or less and that accessibility to Heathrow will improve for passengers flying before 07.00 at weekends. Another benefit is likely to be a reduction in the number of illegal taxis operating in the city.
Gary Noakes