At a time when many transit systems are using lowered prices to pull more customers into their trains and buses, Transport for London is taking the opposite tack with its two rail services to Heathrow Airport.
In a sudden move that caught many travelers by surprise, the agency raised fares for most trips on the Piccadilly Line service to Heathrow and the newer Elizabeth Line service by £2 each, representing a 57% hike on the Piccadilly service and 19% on the Elizabeth Line, which already had a higher fare.
The actual fare structure remains the same; the increase results from defining all airport service as ‘peak’ period, where previously the peak fares only applied 6:30 am to 9:30 pm, and for airport-bound trips from 4 pm to 7 pm. The new fares are £5.75 and £12.80 respectively.
TfL says it had no choice, saying that it has to meet “conditions government placed on TfL for extraordinary funding during financial challenges of the pandemic.” Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London told press that “Raising more money from fares was a condition of our funding deal with government. This fare increase was chosen as one which would have a lower impact on Londoners currently worried about the cost of living.”
The rises don’t affect the privately-operated Heathrow Express, but that is already known as the most expensive rail service per mile in the UK.
