39063
Travelling on the Heathrow Express train route towards London Paddington Station.
It was planned as a joint venture between BAA and British Rail, but was taken over fully by the former following the privatisation of British Rail and construction began in 1993.
The principal works were two 5-mile single-bore tunnels (including eight escape shafts) and underground stations at Heathrow Central and Terminal 4. Electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Paddington and Airport Junction, where the new line diverged from the GWML, was also required.
A flying junction known as Stockley Flyover was constructed to connect the tunnel to the GWML fast lines. Beginning in January 1998, an interim service called Heathrow FastTrain ran to a temporary station called Heathrow Junction, where a coach took passengers the rest of the way. The full service began on 23 June 1998, with four trains per hour running in each direction, operated using Class 332 EMUs built by Siemens Mobility.
From 1999 to 2003, a check-in service was provided at Paddington, allowing Heathrow Express passengers to check in and drop off their luggage prior to flights, which was similar to the service currently provided on Hong Kong Airport Express. Checked baggage was transported to the airport by using the luggage space at the westbound first carriage. This service was withdrawn due to low usage and high cost of operation.
In June 2005, Heathrow Express began jointly providing a new Heathrow Connect service, which saw a new twice-hourly stopping service on the same route between Paddington and Heathrow using Class 360 EMUs from the Siemens Desiro family. Heathrow Airport Holdings had provided the on-board staff through Heathrow Express as part of the contract. This continued until May 2018, which saw Heathrow Connect absorbed into TfL Rail ahead of the new Crossrail project, which will see Crossrail fully operate to Heathrow Airport through this takeover when it opens.
In March 2018, it was announced that Great Western Railway would takeover management of Heathrow Express in August 2018 as part of a new management contract. However, Heathrow Express later announced that Heathrow Airport Holdings will continue to own the rail link until at least 2028 with GWR instead managing the introduction of the new Class 387 fleet to replace the current Class 332 fleet.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_Express
39063
Travelling on the Heathrow Express train route towards London Paddington Station.
It was planned as a joint venture between BAA and British Rail, but was taken over fully by the former following the privatisation of British Rail and construction began in 1993.
The principal works were two 5-mile single-bore tunnels (including eight escape shafts) and underground stations at Heathrow Central and Terminal 4. Electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Paddington and Airport Junction, where the new line diverged from the GWML, was also required.
A flying junction known as Stockley Flyover was constructed to connect the tunnel to the GWML fast lines. Beginning in January 1998, an interim service called Heathrow FastTrain ran to a temporary station called Heathrow Junction, where a coach took passengers the rest of the way. The full service began on 23 June 1998, with four trains per hour running in each direction, operated using Class 332 EMUs built by Siemens Mobility.
From 1999 to 2003, a check-in service was provided at Paddington, allowing Heathrow Express passengers to check in and drop off their luggage prior to flights, which was similar to the service currently provided on Hong Kong Airport Express. Checked baggage was transported to the airport by using the luggage space at the westbound first carriage. This service was withdrawn due to low usage and high cost of operation.
In June 2005, Heathrow Express began jointly providing a new Heathrow Connect service, which saw a new twice-hourly stopping service on the same route between Paddington and Heathrow using Class 360 EMUs from the Siemens Desiro family. Heathrow Airport Holdings had provided the on-board staff through Heathrow Express as part of the contract. This continued until May 2018, which saw Heathrow Connect absorbed into TfL Rail ahead of the new Crossrail project, which will see Crossrail fully operate to Heathrow Airport through this takeover when it opens.
In March 2018, it was announced that Great Western Railway would takeover management of Heathrow Express in August 2018 as part of a new management contract. However, Heathrow Express later announced that Heathrow Airport Holdings will continue to own the rail link until at least 2028 with GWR instead managing the introduction of the new Class 387 fleet to replace the current Class 332 fleet.
Information Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_Express