For those who use trains to get to London Heathrow Airport, it’s time to make backup plans, as the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express will have no service on will have no services on the 25th and 26th of November.
None of these…
During this time parts of the line will be closed on Saturday 25 November and Sunday 26 November as essential maintenance works are completed by Heathrow Airport, Network Rail and TfL.
Again, there will be no Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express to Heathrow Airport during that weekend.
And none of these.
In terms of replacement service Piccadilly line trains will be operating between central London and Heathrow as normal, serving Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 4. No trains will run to or from Heathrow Terminal 5.
And good luck finding an empty carriage like this
An inter-terminal transfer bus service will be running between Terminals 2 & 3 and Terminal 5, starting from Heathrow Central Bus station. Passengers wishing to travel between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 can use the free H30 bus or TfL buses 482 and 490 between Hatton Cross, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
Along the Elizabeth Line, there will be closures between Paddington and Abbey Wood (including the Crossrail core) to deliver mobile connectivity. Elizabeth line trains between Shenfield and Liverpool Street will call at the main “High Level” Station, whilst trains from Reading will terminal at Paddington.
On Sunday 26 November, due to Network Rail signalling upgrades and work for HS2 at Old Oak Common, rail replacement buses will run west of Ealing Broadway in the morning with limited train services starting later in the day. Paddington National Rail station will be closed all day, so customers travelling into London, from the west of England will all need to change at Ealing Broadway for services into central London on the Central or District lines.
In Quotes
Howard Smith, Elizabeth line Director, said:
‘We appreciate it is a complex weekend of closures with Network Rail, TfL and Heathrow Airport all carrying out works which may cause some disruption to customers. These works were planned several months in advance and should help ensure that the Elizabeth line infrastructure operates reliably.
Network Rail and HS2 are also preparing for their new railway and station at Old Oak Common which will also mean some future closures. I apologise for any impact on journeys over the weekend and would advise customers to check before they travel using TfL’s travel tools, and plan in advance as trains and rail replacement buses may be busy.’
Plan Ahead
If you’re in London or flying into Heathrow that weekend – the message is clear. PLAN AHEAD. TfL has tools including Journey Planner and TfL Go. Google Maps and other transit data should also be updated in time for the closures too.
And it goes without saying, add extra time to your journey, with it a 50-minute ride to Heathrow from Central London. If you’re travelling to/from Heathrow Terminal 5, add at least another 20 minutes on top to negotiate buses.
We’re also coming up to the festive season, so shoppers will be hitting London too. As a result, expect the Underground to be a lot busier than normal as Elizabeth Line users try to remember how to navigate the city without it.
Those using the Central, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines will find it a lot busier than normal, with TfL expecting to restrict entry to some central London and West End stations to ensure they do not become overcrowded.
It’s going to be… a weekend to travel in London – that’s for sure.
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