Catch the Heathrow Express train and reach London in just 15 minutes, with departures every quarter hour.
The Paddington Heathrow Express is a specialized train service that connects directly to central London. With a catchy slogan of “15 minutes, every 15 minutes,” it provides a top-notch travel experience, ensuring the quickest journey between Heathrow Airport and the heart of London.
There’s a slower train service known as TFL Rail Heathrow that connects Paddington to Heathrow. This option mainly targets airport employees. Offering a more affordable fare, though it operates at a slower pace and has less frequent departures.
The Paddington Heathrow Express service is so fast that if you are staying at one of the hotels around Paddington Station it may be quicker to get to your check-in at Heathrow from your hotel in Paddington than some of the Heathrow hotels.
The London terminus (Paddington) is north-west of the central London area. You may well require a further significant transfer to your ultimate destination.
For example, if you are heading to Kensington, then you double back on yourself on the Heathrow Express, compromising the price premium you paid for speed.
For two adults or more it will be cheaper and faster to get a cheap private car from Heathrow to a hotel in Earl’s Court, Kensington than the Heathrow Express and then a taxi or Underground back to Earl’s Court.
Heathrow Express operating hours & frequencies
Heathrow Express trains run every 15 minutes.
Average journey time between Heathrow (Terminals 2 and 3) and Paddington is 15 minutes.
Terminal 5, 18 minutes.
| Monday to Saturday | First Train | Last Train |
| Heathrow – Paddington | 05:12 | 23:57 |
| Paddington – Heathrow | 04:34 | 23:25 |
| Sunday | ||
| Heathrow – Paddington | 05:17 | 23:57 |
| Paddington – Heathrow | 05:10 | 23:25 |
3 Heathrow Stations, 4 Heathrow passenger terminals
All Heathrow Express trains depart from Terminal 5 station, except on Sunday’s when the first train departs at 05:17 from Terminals 2 and 3.
The only stop the train makes on the journey to Paddington is at Heathrow Central where Terminals 2 and 3 are located.
A separate shuttle train operates between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central Station every 15 minutes and connects to the main Heathrow Express train.
All three Heathrow Stations are deep underground and serviced by lifts, as well as by escalators.
London Station – Paddington
Located in the north-west section of central London Paddington Station is just north of Hyde Park and about 1km from Oxford Street.
At Paddington Station the platform is at street level. A well-organised black taxi rank and escalators lead down to Paddington Underground Station.
Visit our Discover Paddington Station page for more information.
Luggage
There’s plenty of space for your suitcases. You’ll find luggage racks and overhead shelves perfect for smaller items and coats.
At Heathrow Airport all stations are deep underground. From Terminals 4 and 5 there are lifts and escalators from within the passenger Terminal.
To reach the Central Station from Terminals 2 and 3, you’ll need to walk a bit. Inside both Terminals 2 and 3, you’ll find moving walkways that lead to elevators taking you down to the platform.
Heathrow Express and Standard (Express) v Business Class
As a dedicated airport train all passengers benefit from plenty of luggage space and a convenient boarding level that aligns with the platform.
Every carriage features air conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, and news television. Additionally, they provide designated quiet zones.
In First Class, you’ll enjoy extra legroom, a table, and complimentary copies of the Financial Times along with a selection of magazines.
Heathrow Express tickets
The Heathrow Express does not have seat numbers or reserved seats; your ticket grants you the right to travel on the train between the points stated on it.
Passengers have the option to buy tickets on the train; however, this will result in a higher fare compared to purchasing tickets before boarding.
You cannot use Travelcards on the Heathrow Express service. Return tickets are valid for 30 days after the first leg of travel.
Oyster & Contactless payment
Oyster cards, contactless bank cards and mobile devices are accepted on the Heathrow Express. This speeds up the process of buying tickets for this train for customers who can enter with just a tap of your card on the ticket barrier.
Prices are the same as buying your ticket at the station, with a single Anytime fare charged at £25 (2025 prices). You can save money by booking your tickets in advance online or by using the Heathrow Express app.
The train stations have manned ticket offices and also ticket machines. All major credit cards are taken as well as cash. You can purchase tickets online too.
With Oyster Pay As You Go Fares, you pay for each trip you take, but once you hit a daily cap, any additional travel for that day is free of charge.
Although you can use Oyster for the Heathrow Express, the fare charged is not included in the daily cap. This means you cannot expect free travel around the rest of London zones 1-6 on the day you use your Oyster card for the Heathrow Express. You will need to reach the cap through your additional journeys. This can result in more expensive travel costs.
Advanced one-way fares from the Heathrow Express website can be very low and offer the best chance of savings in this regard.
If you’re planning to use your Oyster card from Heathrow, you can take the TFL Rail service. It shares the same tracks as the Heathrow Express, but it takes about 10 minutes longer and makes several stops. This service will contribute to your daily Oyster fare cap.
Heathrow Express promotional fares and fare adjustments
Children
Free child fares were introduced in 2015 for children under 15.
Children aged 15 and under can travel free on the Heathrow Express as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult. They can travel unaccompanied if they have proof of air travel such as a valid flight booking or boarding pass.
A Photo ID will be required. Furthermore, a child will still need a ticket to travel.
Children’s tickets cannot be purchased on their own online, but can be purchased alongside an adult ticket.
If your child is traveling solo, they can obtain their ticket from a Heathrow Express staff member, whether at the terminal, the station, or on the train itself.
Online Advance Purchase
Buy in advance online and get substantial discounts over buying on the day. 14, 30 and 90 day advance options. No refunds.
The greatest discount of up to 75% of the walk-up price (costing just £5.50 for a one-way saver ticket) must be booked at least 90 days in advance, through the mobile app. It is worth pointing out that this ticket is very rare and hard to find, you are more likely to find a rate of £15 one-way for your journey, still a 40% saving on a walk up price.
Duo Saver – save 25%
Return ticket for 2 people travelling together in Express class only. No refunds. Online only with discount code.
Group Saver (3 or more people) – save 1/3
The same three or more adults must travel together in Express Class on a single or return journey with this offer for which you receive a 33% discount over standard fares. No refunds. Available only on off peak journeys.
Railcards
You can use Railcard discounts on the Heathrow Express, but you cannot use on some promotional fares.
Visit our Railcards page for more information.
Heathrow Express now sells cheaper advance weekday fares
In October 2019 Heathrow Express announced its lowest advance fares will now also be available during the week too. Previously its cheapest ticket, the 90 day advance ticket at £5.50 could only be purchased at weekends.
Now, Advance Discounted Tickets single (one-way) are available in Standard Class priced from just £10.
Peak and off peak prices are now the same
In 2020 Heathrow Express dropped their peak and off-peak fares meaning you now pay a flat fare whatever time you travel.
Online and offline prices are now the same
In 2022 online and offline ticket prices were set the same so for example the basic single fare costs the same across all channels. (See table below).
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.
Heathrow’s public transport goes to the heart of central London
