Transport for London has made changes to its pricing model for Tube and Elizabeth Line journeys between Heathrow and central London, effectively increasing ticket costs for many travellers.
The off-peak rate for pay-as-you-go journeys between Heathrow and zone 1 on the Tube or Elizabeth Line has been abolished, meaning all trips are now priced at the peak rate.
It means that passengers on the Elizabeth Line will pay £12.80 at all times of the day, for a journey to or from Heathrow airport, where that journey starts, ends or goes through Zone 1. Piccadilly line trips will cost £5.50.
Previously an off-peak trip between Heathrow and central London cost £10.80 on the Elizabeth Line, and £3.50 on the Tube.
Note that the changes will not affect Heathrow Express fares, nor will it apply to journeys to or from Heathrow which avoid zone 1, or which end before Heathrow (eg: Hatton Cross).
The daily price cap will also not increase, so those taking multiple trips in one day may not be affected by the new pricing model.
TfL hopes that the change – along with a £2 increase in the cost of an Oyster card – will raise £27 million per year, as part of conditions imposed by the government in return for a recently agreed £3.6 billion bailout.
The body said that “The operations of an airport mean that demand for stations at Heathrow does not conform to the usual peak periods seen across the rest of the network”, adding that it had waited until the end of the summer holidays to impose the changes, “to ensure that families travelling to and from Heathrow, as well as summer visitors, avoid additional costs where possible”.
TfL also said that “The changes in Elizabeth line fares to and from Heathrow are unrelated to the start of trains running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington in November 2022”.
Commenting on the news The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“Raising more money from fares was a condition of our funding deal with Government. This fare increase was chosen as one which would have a lower impact on Londoners currently worried about the cost of living, and to ensure that journeys that avoid zone 1 will not be affected, helping to protect those living near and working at the airport.”
