What time does the Heathrow Express start?

The Heathrow Express offers train services every 15 minutes. What is the schedule for Heathrow Express trains from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport? The Heathrow Express departs every 15 minutes between 5:10 AM and 11:25 PM from London Paddington station to Heathrow Airport.



For travelers in 2026, the Heathrow Express provides a highly reliable early-morning start for those catching "red-eye" departures or early business flights. From London Paddington, the first train to Heathrow typically departs at 04:34 AM Monday through Saturday, with the first Sunday service starting slightly later around 05:10 AM. If you are traveling from the airport into Central London, the first train from Heathrow Terminal 5 departs at 05:12 AM, reaching the Central station (Terminals 2 & 3) at 05:17 AM before arriving at Paddington at 05:33 AM. Trains run every 15 minutes throughout the day, ensuring a 15-minute transit time to the central terminals. In 2026, while the Elizabeth Line and Piccadilly Line offer cheaper alternatives, the "Express" remains the gold standard for speed, particularly during these early hours when other transit frequencies are lower.

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The Elizabeth Line offers a reasonable, more budget-friendly option for travelling to Heathrow. It's likely to be the best train to Heathrow if you're coming from East or Central London, as it avoids the need to change at Paddington. It's also the cheapest option if you need to travel at the last-minute.

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Travel free on bus, tram, Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line. You can travel free on TfL services with your Older Person's Freedom Pass from 09:00 weekdays and anytime at weekends and on bank holidays.

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Tube services usually run from 5am until midnight, with Night Tube services on some lines on Friday and Saturday evenings.

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Five Tube lines run a 24-hour service on Fridays and Saturdays: Victoria, Central, Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. The London Overground operates 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays between New Cross Gate and Highbury & Islington. Off-peak fares apply on the Night Tube.

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Travel information Standard operating hours are between 05:00 - 23:30, though the line operates a 'Night Tube', which runs throughout the night on Friday and Saturday nights.

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The Elizabeth line is not one of the few Transport for London services to run an all-night timetable, but its trains do start quite early in the morning and run late at night. Only five Tube lines run a 24-hour service on Fridays and Saturdays: the Victoria, Piccadilly, Jubilee, Central and Northern lines.

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Heathrow is open 24 hours. Terminal 4, the public area has more comfortable options for spending the night. There is even a café that opens around the clock where you can stay if you buy something. You can find lounge chairs, but keep in mind that the security staff can ask you to move.

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Trains depart every 30 minutes and it takes just 35 minutes to travel between Paddington Station and Heathrow. The Elizabeth Line is far less frequent than the Piccadilly Line which runs every 5-7 minutes, and slightly less frequent than the Heathrow Express which runs every 15 minutes.

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Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines.

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The Underground is perfectly safe at anytime day or night . Of course one needs to take the usual precautions, for example , of not having your wallet sticking out of your back pocket but in all other respects it is safe . You will be surprised how busy it can be even that early in the morning.

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Your bus pass is valid for use on all registered Bus services within England, so if you are visiting other places you should be able to use your pass. It is not valid in Wales* or Scotland.

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If you live in England or Wales In England you can get a bus pass for free travel when you reach the State Pension age. If you live in London, you can travel free on buses, tubes and other transport when you're 60, but only within London. In Wales you can get a bus pass when you reach 60.

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If you're 60 or over and live in a London borough, you can get free travel on our transport services with an Oyster photocard.

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