wrote:
On Thu, 30 Aug 2018 20:44:02 -0000 (UTC)
Recliner wrote:
John Levine wrote:
In article ,
Recliner wrote:
I suspect very shortly after crossrail opens at heathrow Hex will be
history.
Maybe even a matter of months.

I think it may survive as a faster, slightly more premium option, with
fares no more than £15. But no way will it survive with £27 buy-on-board
fares. There just won't be enough takers.

There's currently 4 tph on the HeX and 2 tph on the ex-Connect TfL.
Next year there'll be 6 tph on TfL, four to T4 and two to T5.

I think Crossrail is aiming for 8 tph to Heathrow eventually.

Along with the 12 tph on the Picc, that's 22 tph. Are there that many
people who want to take a train into London? I guess we'll see.

The 12 tph Piccadilly line trains are already packed, so there's certainly

Hobsons choice. I can guarantee that once crossrail is up and running and
tourists know about it the picc will become a ghost line. Few people apart
from local residents and maybe heathrow workers are going to use that hopeless
service to slog into london when they can do it in 1/4 the time for the same or
slightly more money (not sure of crossrail costs to heathrow).

For many places in central London, the Piccadilly will still be the better
choice. For example, Crossrail has no interchanges with the Piccadilly or
Victoria lines, so it won't necessarily be the best choice for anyone who
wants to get to any of the stations on those lines. Prices will also be
significantly higher than using LU all the way (I've already posted the
fares upthread), though that may not be a factor for many Heathrow
travellers.

So, while Crossrail will undoubtedly reduce the overcrowding on Piccadilly
line trains, they'll still stay quite busy. It's different to HEx, that
only has speed as an advantage over Crossrail; the Piccadilly also wins on
convenience for many destinations. For example, Crossrail is the obvious
choice for getting from Heathrow to Paddington or Liverpool Street, but the
Piccadilly will remain better for Kings Cross or Victoria.