Using the Elizabeth Line in London including Heathrow
The Elizabeth Line (ex ‘Heathrow Connect’, then ‘TfL Rail’) is a high-frequency rail service running through London and its suburbs, connecting mainline stations at Paddington and Liverpool Street with Heathrow Airport and Reading in the west, and Abbey Wood in the east.
For visitors to London the Elizabeth Line offers a reasonable, more budget-friendly option for travelling to Heathrow than the Heathrow Express.
Initially known as the Crossrail project, the Elizabeth Line was a long-term endeavour that officially began operations on May 24, 2022.
The Elizabeth Line provides a vital link for commuters, connecting the eastern and western parts of London to the city center. This connection significantly shortens travel times and simplifies trips into London.
With a total of 41 stations, it features key stops at prominent locations such as Paddington, Liverpool Street, and Canary Wharf.
About the Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth Line is advertised as a state of the art railway. As you would expect the new service and stations are clean, spacious and well designed.
The new rail line now adds additional capacity in the region of 10%, so helps to offer a better service across the whole network.
Although the Elizabeth Line is designed to connect west and east London to central London, those visiting central London on sightseeing trips can also find benefits from the new line.
Using the Elizabeth Line to get from Stansted Airport to Heathrow Airport
For any traveller flying in to Heathrow and needing to transfer to Stansted Airport or vice-versa, things just got a lot easier with the Elizabeth Line.
In the past, traveling from Stansted Airport to Heathrow meant taking a National Express coach and skipping the train option. While National Express remains the most affordable transfer method, the Elizabeth Line offers a significantly faster alternative if you prefer to travel by train.
Using the Stansted Express into London you can arrive quickly at Liverpool Street and then from here use the Elizabeth Line to Paddington and through to Heathrow (or vice-versa)
When did the Elizabeth Line open?
The Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022.
What are the operating hours on Elizabeth Line?
The Elizabeth Line is open seven days a week, with Sunday and evening services now fully up and running.
For up to date timetables visit Elizabeth line timetables on TfL.
How much does the Elizabeth Line cost?
The Elizabeth Line is actually a railway, not a tube line, even though some people mistakenly call it that. It’s a very modern service, and the fares to travel on it will be similar to those of other trains in London.
So, for zones 1-6 you can expect to pay the same as you would for any station you previously used for that journey. The Elizabeth Line will also have a cap on fares, just like other London lines, so once you reach the cap for the day all other travel is free (zones 1-6).
Learn about using the Oyster and fare caps.
Map of the Elizabeth Line
Map of Elizabeth Line Route provided by commons.wikimedia under CCA license
Elizabeth Line trains Heathrow tickets and fares 2025
If you are heading for Heathrow it is recommended you take the Elizabeth Line and not the significantly more expensive Heathrow Express. The line is also much faster and more comfortable than taking the Piccadilly London Underground tube line (which is also less practical if travelling with luggage).
Travelling to Heathrow using the Elizabeth Line uses the same integrated ticket system used by the London Underground, London’s red buses and most other public transport in London.
Travel on the Elizabeth Line starts from £12.80 for a journey to or from Heathrow Airport, where that journey starts, ends or goes through Zone 1.
Single journey tickets and Zones 1-6 Travelcards can be purchased from airport station ticket machines.
Four trains per hour run between Paddington and Heathrow on this route. Two of them run to Terminal 4, and two run to Terminal 5. All of them serve Terminals 2 and 3. It takes around 30 to 35 minutes to travel from Paddington to Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3, and about 35 to 40 minutes to reach Terminal 4 or 5. All trains typically stop at all stations on the way.
Travelcard
Visit our London Travelcard page to get more information.
Contactless Card
Visit our Contactless cards page to get more information.
Oyster Card
Visit our London Oyster card page to get more information.
Buy Visitor Oyster Card & Travelcard for London
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- Visitor Oyster Card
- Travelcard for 1 day anytime / off-peak or 7 days anytime
- Group day travelcards available
London – Heathrow comparison of public transport from 3 March 2025
| London – Heathrow comparison of public transport | Standard Adult Fare* | |
|---|---|---|
| Service | one way | Return |
| London Underground (Cash) | £7.00 | £13.40 |
| London Underground (Oyster Card) | £5.80 | £11.20 |
| National Express Bus to Victoria | £9.00-£11.00 | £14.00-£25.00 |
| Elizabeth Line Train | £12.80 | £25.60 |
| Heathrow Express Train (Open return – web single ticket) | £25.00 | £39.00 |
| Heathrow Express Train (30 Day Advance) | £17.00 | £42.00 |
| Heathrow Express Train (60 Day Advance) | £10.00 | £35.00 |
| Heathrow Express Train (90 Day Advance) | £10.00 | £35.00 |
| Hotel Shared Shuttle Central London | £38.36 | £76.72 |
* Standard adult ticket. Other promotional fares may appear from time to time.
Heathrow Express train – Children under 15 free, online only one-way fare. Cheapest fare for both weekday and weekend travel.
Cheapest Heathrow Express fares are only available 90 days or over in advance and only using the mobile app. A select amount of cheaper tickets are released per day (300) which will help you find cheaper rates when booking in advance, but if these are already sold, then a standard fare will be shown.
Price caps for Oyster & contactless card payments, compared to Travelcard prices
From 3 March 2025
| 1-day Travelcard | ||||
| Zones | Oyster daily cap | Peak* | Off-peak | 7-day cap** |
| Zone 1-1 | £8.90 | £16.60 | £16.60 | £44.70 |
| Zone 1-3 | £10.50 | £16.60 | £16.60 | £52.50 |
| Zone 1-4 | £12.80 | £16.60 | £16.60 | £64.20 |
| Zone 1-5 | £15.30 | £23.60 | £16.60 | £76.40 |
| Zone 1-6 | £16.30 | £23.60 | £16.60 | £81.60 |
* Travelcard peak fares apply for any travel made Monday to Friday before 9.30am. All other travel is off-peak.
** Prices for a 7 day Travelcard. Also the 7 day cap for contactless payment cards between Monday to Sunday – not available on Oyster.
SPECIAL CAP FOR BUS TRAVEL ONLY: £5.25 (When you only travel on London’s buses on 1 day).
CHILDREN’S OYSTER CAPS: Off-peak: £1.90 (zones 1-9). Peak: approx. half of adult cap.
Oyster Card & Contactless Payment Card Fares – Compared to Single Cash Fares
From 3 March 2025
| Fare 1 Journey Oyster/Contactless | ||||
| Zone | Peak* | Off-Peak | Cash Fare at any time | |
| Within One Zone | Zone 1 | £2.90 | £2.80 | £7.00 |
| Zone 2 | £2.90 | £2.10 | £7.00 | |
| Across Zones | Zone 1 to 2 | £3.50 | £2.90 | £7.00 |
| Zone 1 to 3 | £3.50 | £3.10 | £7.00 | |
| Zone 1 to 4 | £4.60 | £3.40 | £7.00 | |
| Zone 1 to 5 | £5.20 | £3.60 | £7.00 | |
| Zone 1 to 6 | £5.80 | £3.80 | £7.00 | |
| Zone 2 to 6 | £3.60 | £2.40 | £7.00 |
Gatwick Express Train – Anytime Single from £24
Heathrow Express Train £25.00
Southern/Thameslink trains zone 1 stations from £13.79
No return fares.
ANY BUS JOURNEY: £1.75 (no fare zones)
* Peak fares apply Monday to Friday between 6.30am and 9.30am and 4pm to 7pm except public holidays
Should your journey not use TFL services (London buses/trams, Underground, Overground, DLR and TFL Rail), completely, for example part of your journey is via a different operator, most likely a railway company, then the standard Oyster/Contactless single fare based on zones may not be followed.
Children travel free if under 11 year old or are between 11 and 15 years with an Oyster 11-15 Photocard. On services operated by the railways such as Gatwick trains for example, only children under 5 travel free, child rate fares are available with the appropriate age Oyster Zip card.
Children’s fares (11-15 yrs old) with an Oyster 11-15 Photocard on Oyster for any trip within zones 1 to 6 is £0.90 off peak, £1.00 peak