From November 6th, passengers will be able to travel from Heathrow Airport directly into Central London on the Elizabeth Line. This will allow travelers to reach stations including Bond Street, Farringdon, and Canary Wharf, without having to change trains at Paddington.

The link comes under the Crossrail project, which has been branded as the Elizabeth Line as part of Transport for London’s (TfL) public transport network. The line is named after Queen Elizabeth II, who opened the first section of the line between the stations of Paddington and Abbey Wood in May 2022.

Paddington Station
Passengers currently need to change trains at Paddington station, but the lines will soon be linked. Photo: Crossrail

Since then, more than 11 million journeys have been made on the line, equating to more than 200,000 daily journeys. From September 5th, operating hours on the existing line will be extended, with trains running from 05:30 am to 23:00, and in addition to the direct services to and from Heathrow Airport, the Elizabeth Line will also operate on Sundays for the first time from November 6th.

Positive news for Heathrow Airport

The increased connectivity to Central London will come as a boost to Heathrow Airport, after what has been a challenging summer plagued by disruption. The airport, home to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, celebrated today’s announcement, with its chief commercial officer, Ross Baker, stating,

“This is a huge step in boosting rail connections to the UK’s hub airport directly linking Canary Wharf with Heathrow by rail for the first time. This gives our passengers and colleagues more choices to travel sustainably between Heathrow and London. I am delighted Heathrow will continue to be at the heart of a growing integrated transport network and our passengers and colleagues will reap the benefits.”

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What does this mean for travelers?

Currently, passengers traveling between Heathrow Airport and Central London on the Elizabeth Line must change trains at Paddington, as the two lines are not connected.

The direct line will provide easier and faster connections into Central London and beyond. For example, travelers will be able to reach Farringdon and Canary Wharf in as little as 36 and 45 minutes respectively.

Connecting between terminals at Heathrow Airport? Take a look at this guide from the Simple Flying team.

Heathrow airport arial view
Photo: Heathrow Airport

here is a supplement of £7.20 ($8.50) on the price of the London Underground to travel from Heathrow to Central London on the Elizabeth Line. This is still considerably cheaper than the Heathrow Express, which costs £25 ($29). The cheapest option, of course, is still to take the London Underground, with tickets costing around £4-6 ($5-7), but journey times are significantly longer.

About Crossrail

Crossrail is the name of the commuter railway project that links West to East London with a line passing through Central London. Construction on the project began in 2009, with the line originally planned to open in 2018. Following numerous setbacks, the first phase of the line opened in May this year, and when completely up and running, it will be made up of 41 modern, Wi-Fi-equipped stations.

Although the names are often used interchangeably, Crossrail is branded under TfL as the Elizabeth Line, in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.

Crossrail map
From November 6th, passengers will be able to travel between Heathrow Airport and Central London without changing trains at Paddington. Photo: Crossrail

The Elizabeth Line’s quick and easy connection between Heathrow Airport and Central London is sure to come as good news to passengers in the coming months. And there will likely be no shortage of passengers to try out the new service – British Airways alone is planning to operate over 120,000 flights at the airport this winter.How do you travel between Central London and Heathrow Airport? Have you traveled on the Elizabeth Line? Share your experiences by commenting below.