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High-tech Terminal 5 parking
Crossrail gets green light
Airport to hotel transfer service
Rail link consultation
25 minute rail link for Terminal 5
Terminal 5 tube link complete
Internet on Heathrow Express
BA buys 'green' vehicle
High-tech Terminal 5 parking
12 November
Technology is being used to make car parking at Terminal 5 as trouble-free as possible, BAA has announced.
Amongst the developments, monitoring sensors will help drivers find an empty space as quickly as possible. A green light will be on display over a vacant spot and electronic message and arrows will direct drivers around the short term park.
And on return drivers will be given assistance in finding their vehicles.
Number plate recognition technology and closed circuit television will help locate a specific vehicle.
Hugh Fenn, Travel Services Director, says “The new developments at Terminal 5 are a sign of the changing needs of 21st Century traveller. We hope that through increased numbers of spaces and the use of revolutionary technological advances, our airports can cater for every type of traveller providing the most simple and stress-free experience as possible
Terminal 5 will offer over 7,000 parking places with 3,800 of them in a short stay park next to the terminal.
Crossrail gets green light
8 October 2007
Crossrail, the new train service linking Heathrow with London’s financial centres, has been give the green light by the government.
It is likely to be 10 years before the first trains run - but travellers will eventually experience journey times of 43 minutes between Heathrow and Canary Wharf aboard dedicated trains.
The £16 billion Crossrail project, running from Maidenhead in the west across London to Essex and Kent and serving 37 stations in total, is expected to be Europe’s biggest engineering project. One third of the 75 mile route will be in underground tunnels – most of them in central London.
The Heathrow spur joins the main Crossrail line at Hayes and Harlington station although London-bound passengers will not need to change trains.
Work is scheduled to begin in 2010 with the first trains running around 2017.
A BAA statement said that Crossrail would use the existing Heathrow Express tracks, signals and tunnels.
“BAA is involved in detailed discussions with the scheme's promoters, the Department for Transport, about the terms of Crossrail access to Heathrow.
Crossrail is a complex project but negotiations are going well and we are confident of achieving an outcome that is satisfactory to all parties”, it said.
BAA is amongst businesses and other parties contributing to the overall cost of the scheme.
Full details of its impact on Heathrow will become clear once the Crossrail Bill is published next year, said a spokesman for the project.
It will effectively replace Heathrow Connect although it would run in tandem with the non-stopping, high-speed Heathrow Express, which offers a faster route to Paddington.
He added that it may be necessary to extend Heathrow platforms to cope with the large Crossrail trains.
“The announcement paves the way for a rail link that will give a lasting transport legacy to London for centuries to come" said Ruth Kelly, Transport Secretary.
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Airport to hotel transfer service
6 October 2007
More information: www.dot2.com
An innovative new airport to hotel transfer system which aims at the middle ground between taxis and public transport is being launched at Heathrow.
The dot2dot service is based on a structured taxi-sharing concept and uses a fleet of 64 purpose-built vehicles.
It’s operated by the National Express Group and is the UK’s first large-scale airport shuttle service.
With a maximum of four stops on any journey and at £22.00 per person for a single ride between the airport and a central London hotel, the service aims to take the “hassle out of getting to and from the airport with multiple journeys for an affordable price”, says the company.
The new 10 or 12 seater vehicles have been specially configured for dot2dot to give passengers extra space and legroom. In addition they will have state of the art satellite navigation equipment, congestion tracking systems and fully trained and experienced drivers.
Travellers can book a dot2dot shuttle at www.dot2.com, through travel agents and hotel concierges. The dot2dot fleet will expand to 76 vehicles by the end of the year.
“So many people dread travelling to and from the airport. They struggle with luggage, have the stress of getting to a train station, queuing at a taxi rank or paying for a private car,” said Paul Whitfield, dot2dot managing director.
“At around half the price of a taxi journey, but with all the comfort and legroom of a personal limo, dot2dot fills a clear gap in the market and aims to make the airport transfer simple and cost effective.
“We’re targeting both business travellers and holidaymakers in the UK and overseas and we know that there is strong demand with incoming North American visitors, where this sort of service is well established. The low cost travel trend is gathering momentum particularly within the business travel market and we expect the new service to appeal to organisations seeking time efficient but lower-cost travel options.” he said
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Rail link consultation
26 September 2007
Plans for new rail service linking Heathrow to the south and west have moved forward with proposals for a programme of “community consultation”.
The Heathrow Airtrack will involve a new link to Staines which would then connect on to services heading south and west.
The consultation process will begin next year and have to be completed before BAA submits a formal application.
Residents and other interested groups will be able to have an input in the way the line is developed and constructed.
“We are absolutely committed to keeping local residents informed and involved during the Heathrow Airtrack development process” said Mike Noakes, BAA’s rail general manager
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25 minute rail link for Terminal 5
12 September 2007
Heathrow Express has announced details of its planned service for Terminal 5 with a journey time to central London of around 25 minutes.
Trains will operate every 15 minutes.
Under the new arrangements the Heathrow Express will operate directly between Terminal 5 and Paddington station stopping en route for about two minutes at the airport’s central area station to serve Terminals 1,2 and 3.
Passengers wanting to use Terminal 4 will have to change at the central area and take the free inter-terminal transfer service.
Brian Raven, Managing Director for Heathrow Express, said, “This is a major step forward for Heathrow Express in supporting the launch of Terminal 5 and we want to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our passengers as Heathrow airport becomes Europe’s leading gateway.
"By implementing these changes we can ensure that passengers continue to find their journey to and from the airport fast, frequent, comfortable and relaxing.”
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Terminal 5 tube link complete
1 August 2007
The Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Five is now complete and has been handed over to London Underground.
Trial operations and test trains are scheduled ahead of the opening next year on 27th March 2008. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said, ‘This is a major milestone in the delivery of the new Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow Terminal 5. From March 2008, passengers will benefit from faster, more frequent services on the line along with increased capacity. This improved service will underline that public transport is the sensible choice for travel to and from Heathrow airport.’
The new line has been funded by Heathrow Airport Ltd, a subsidiary of BAA. The Terminal 5 station will be operated by BAA via the Heathrow Express Operating Company.
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Internet on Heathrow Express
1 June 2007
The Heathrow Express has launched a major new enhancement for business travellers – high speed wifi internet along the entire route.
In a new arrangement with T-mobile, passengers can log onto their computers and get the internet at speeds of around 2mbs.
Passes will be on sale on the train or travellers can use their own wifi contracts to access the service if suitable.
Brian Raven, Managing Director at Heathrow Express says: ”We are constantly looking for innovative and useful services for our customers, and the addition of T-Mobile HotSpots further improves the experience we offer and illustrates why we’ve been voted the nation’s favourite train company.
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Delivering outstanding customer service is what our customers expect, and giving our time-sensitive travellers the choice to be connected throughout the 15 minute trip to or from the airport is an excellent example of how Heathrow Express stays one step ahead of competitors.”
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BA buys 'green' vehicles
1 June 2007
British Airways is investing more than £25million on a new fleet of 550 airport vehicles as part of its move to Terminal 5 in March 2008.
The new vehicles will replace older models and will help the airline to reduce its ground emissions at Heathrow and improve its punctuality performance.
The fleet contains around 15 different vehicle types including baggage tractors, loading equipment, passenger buses and cargo tugs.
Customers will particularly benefit from the 38 strong new fleet of Citaro passenger buses made by DaimlerChrysler.
The airline says the12m long Citaro meets the very highest Euro 5 standard in environmental performance and is currently the "greenest" bus used by any airline at Heathrow.
Geoff Want, director of ground operations for British Airways, said: "Terminal 5 is a once in a life opportunity for the airline and the new ground equipment fleet will be critical to the overall success of the move.
"The new fleet will enable us to better manage our operations and have the right equipment to meet the different layout around the new terminal buildings. |
