And says commuters will have to wait for Crossrail
The Mayor of London says commuters must wait until Crossrail for an alternative to the overcrowded Piccadilly Line.
Ealing and Hillingdon GLA member, Dr Onkar Sahota, called on the Mayor to conduct a full review of the cost of travel between Paddington Rail Station and Heathrow.
The three stations serving Heathrow terminals on the Piccadilly Line are located in Zone 6, with a single ticket from central London costing £5.50, or £5 with an Oyster Card.
Commuters from Ealing and Hounslow regularly contest for space on the packed lines with air-passengers and their large suitcases.
Currently, users of the Heathrow Connect service are not able to use the Oyster Card beyond Hayes & Harlington Station, with a single ticket from Paddington costing £9.50. A standard return journey on the Heathrow Express, the non-stopping service to the airport, costs £39.
Heathrow Express is directly owned by Heathrow (formerly BAA) whilst Heathrow Connect is jointly owned by the airport operator and FirstGroup.
Dr Onkar Sahota, local Labour Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon said:
“I am deeply disappointed that the Mayor will not take action now to relieve overcrowding on the Piccadilly line for local residents.
“He refuses to help long suffering commuters by not even giving a commitment to take up the issue with FirstGroup and Heathrow, kicking the can down the road 5 years from now, when he will be long gone from City Hall.
“We have a Mayor more interested in his future job prospects than the job he is supposed to be doing now.”
Dr Sahota will take the matter up directly with Heathrow and FirstGroup.
Heathrow Train Fares
Question No: 1171 / 2013
Onkar Sahota
“Will the Mayor agree to the call by Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group and conduct a full review of public transport costs from between Paddington to Heathrow including the use of the Oyster card beyond Hayes & Harlington station, in order to relieve pressure on the already overcrowded Piccadilly Line?”
Written response from the Mayor
The train service from Ealing to Heathrow and Paddington will be under Mayoral control in five years time as part of the Crossrail project.
Crossrail will increase service capacity from Ealing by a factor of four and will provide a new direct link into the West End and the City. This will make it a realistic alternative to the Piccadilly Line.
Crossrail will be fully integrated into the TfL fares and ticketing system, including the acceptance of Oyster at all stations.
I appreciate the frustrations of the Ealing Group. However, given that I do not currently have any control over this service, I am afraid I cannot help at this current time.
April 10th 2013