On 29/05/2018 21:39, Roland Perry wrote:
In message krargd13aokfbrsq1kbnh9uroqh767gui9@None, at 14:11:45 on
Tue, 29 May 2018, Arthur Conan Doyle remarked:

It is not my impression that many tourists ever took the Connect.

I think that's intentional. HEX signage in the T2/T3 walkway is
overwhelming,
along with the agents selling tickets in the hallway. LU platform is
easy to
find and buy tickets for.

Connect was never primarily intended for the public to use, it's
basically an airport-staff-train that others can catch if they really
insist.

This is often repeated, but I've never seen any evidence of the fact -
can you cite something?

In message , at 23:18:06 on Tue, 29 May
2018, Someone Somewhere remarked:
On 29/05/2018 21:39, Roland Perry wrote:
In message krargd13aokfbrsq1kbnh9uroqh767gui9@None, at 14:11:45 on
Tue, 29 May 2018, Arthur Conan Doyle remarked:

It is not my impression that many tourists ever took the Connect.

I think that's intentional. HEX signage in the T2/T3 walkway is
overwhelming,
along with the agents selling tickets in the hallway. LU platform is
easy to
find and buy tickets for.
Connect was never primarily intended for the public to use, it's
basically an airport-staff-train that others can catch if they really
insist.

This is often repeated, but I've never seen any evidence of the fact -
can you cite something?

You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.
--
Roland Perry

In article ,
Roland Perry wrote:
Connect was never primarily intended for the public to use, it's
basically an airport-staff-train that others can catch if they really
insist.

This is often repeated, but I've never seen any evidence of the fact -
can you cite something?

You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.

The fares certainly give you that message. The single fares are
rather high, but the commuter fares are the same as for the tube.

Before the recent change, you could get a 75% discount on adult single
and season tickets if you had an airport ID. That seems fairly clear.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170421...irport-workers

--
Regards,
John Levine, , Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

Roland Perry wrote:


You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.


This article is quite dated, and I'm not sure the detail about fares is still
valid, but it does show there was intent to protect HX.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/s...o-takeoff.html


"Because Heathrow Connect services will not be advertised as through trains and
will always be overtaken en route, Murphy believes most London - Heathrow
passengers will continue to use the fast trains. There will be no through
tickets other than the full Heathrow Express fares."

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
Roland Perry wrote:


You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.


This article is quite dated, and I'm not sure the detail about fares is still
valid, but it does show there was intent to protect HX.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/s...o-takeoff.html


"Because Heathrow Connect services will not be advertised as through trains and
will always be overtaken en route, Murphy believes most London - Heathrow
passengers will continue to use the fast trains. There will be no through
tickets other than the full Heathrow Express fares."


Thanks, that's an interesting article from 14 years ago. It's an
interesting reminder of how projects slip even when they're not notoriously
delayed:

"In the longer term, Heathrow Connect may be absorbed by Crossrail Line 1,
which plans to operate four trains/h into Heathrow Airport from around
2014. BAA Rail is also pushing ahead with the Airtrack project to extend
the Terminal 5 branch to carry local services to and from the southwest
suburbs."

So the full Crossrail 1 will finally run to Heathrow more than five years
later than was expected back in 2004, and Airtrack is still no more than a
(renamed) concept, with no possibility of opening before 2030.

In message
-sept
ember.org, at 23:28:08 on Wed, 30 May 2018, Recliner
remarked:

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/s...o-takeoff.html

"Because Heathrow Connect services will not be advertised as through trains and
will always be overtaken en route, Murphy believes most London - Heathrow
passengers will continue to use the fast trains. There will be no through
tickets other than the full Heathrow Express fares."

Thanks, that's an interesting article from 14 years ago. It's an
interesting reminder of how projects slip even when they're not notoriously
delayed:

"In the longer term, Heathrow Connect may be absorbed by Crossrail Line 1,
which plans to operate four trains/h into Heathrow Airport from around
2014. BAA Rail is also pushing ahead with the Airtrack project to extend
the Terminal 5 branch to carry local services to and from the southwest
suburbs."

So the full Crossrail 1 will finally run to Heathrow more than five years
later than was expected back in 2004, and Airtrack is still no more than a
(renamed) concept, with no possibility of opening before 2030.

BAA was issuing maps in 1998 showing Heathrow Express to St Pancras [via
West Hampstead] "From 2001", plus undated Airtrack and the western link
to GWML.

London Underground in 1995, were claiming St Pancras would open for
Channel Tunnel traffic in 2002 and the Jubilee Line extension to
Stratford by 1998. Crossrail was "planned" (no date given). Other
projects included the Croxley Rail link, the East London Line Extension
(finally opened in 2010), and the least delayed item the Heathrow T5
station, opened in 2008 versus a predicted 2003.

--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-sept
ember.org, at 23:28:08 on Wed, 30 May 2018, Recliner
remarked:

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/s...o-takeoff.html

"Because Heathrow Connect services will not be advertised as through trains and
will always be overtaken en route, Murphy believes most London - Heathrow
passengers will continue to use the fast trains. There will be no through
tickets other than the full Heathrow Express fares."

Thanks, that's an interesting article from 14 years ago. It's an
interesting reminder of how projects slip even when they're not notoriously
delayed:

"In the longer term, Heathrow Connect may be absorbed by Crossrail Line 1,
which plans to operate four trains/h into Heathrow Airport from around
2014. BAA Rail is also pushing ahead with the Airtrack project to extend
the Terminal 5 branch to carry local services to and from the southwest
suburbs."

So the full Crossrail 1 will finally run to Heathrow more than five years
later than was expected back in 2004, and Airtrack is still no more than a
(renamed) concept, with no possibility of opening before 2030.

BAA was issuing maps in 1998 showing Heathrow Express to St Pancras [via
West Hampstead] "From 2001", plus undated Airtrack and the western link
to GWML.

London Underground in 1995, were claiming St Pancras would open for
Channel Tunnel traffic in 2002 and the Jubilee Line extension to
Stratford by 1998.

That was close: it opened in 1999.

Crossrail was "planned" (no date given). Other
projects included the Croxley Rail link, the East London Line Extension
(finally opened in 2010), and the least delayed item the Heathrow T5
station, opened in 2008 versus a predicted 2003.

At least it opened along with the terminal.

In message
-sept
ember.org, at 08:20:54 on Thu, 31 May 2018, Recliner
remarked:

London Underground in 1995, were claiming St Pancras would open for
Channel Tunnel traffic in 2002 and the Jubilee Line extension to
Stratford by 1998.

That was close: it opened in 1999.

"Construction officially started in December 1993, expected to take
53 months [#8, which is Hansard June 1993]." (Wikipedia)

1/1/93+53mths = Jun97; thus I suspect the "by 1998" above was an attempt
to convey "might slip to the end of 1997".

I'll give the benefit of the doubt to Wikipedia that subsequent dates
quoted are a correct reflection of the cites...

"By November 1997 a September 1998 date was planned.[10] By June 1998,
opening was planned in Spring 1999.[11] By November 1998, a phased
opening, previously rejected, was being considered, with Stratford to
North Greenwich planned for spring 1999, to Waterloo for summer 1999,
and the link to the Jubilee line for autumn 1999.[12][13] This scheme
was followed, with the first phase opening on 14 May 1999, the second on
24 September, and the third on 20 November. Westminster, complicated by
the interface with the subsurface platforms, which remained in
operation, opened on 22 December 1999, shortly before the Millennium
Dome deadline".

So yes, a gentle slide, rather than a major calamity.
--
Roland Perry

In message plbugd5l9bn063hcp5efr64251h2eoor4q@None, at 17:09:24 on
Wed, 30 May 2018, Arthur Conan Doyle remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:


You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.

This article is quite dated, and I'm not sure the detail about fares is still
valid, but it does show there was intent to protect HX.

With respect to airline passengers. That leaves airport workers (who get
subsidised fares too).

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/s...ow-connect-clo
se-to-takeoff.html

"Because Heathrow Connect services will not be advertised as through trains and
will always be overtaken en route, Murphy believes most London - Heathrow
passengers will continue to use the fast trains. There will be no through
tickets other than the full Heathrow Express fares."

--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message plbugd5l9bn063hcp5efr64251h2eoor4q@None, at 17:09:24 on Wed,
30 May 2018, Arthur Conan Doyle remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:


You'd probably have to look for Heathrow Airport strategic travel plans.

This article is quite dated, and I'm not sure the detail about fares is
still
valid, but it does show there was intent to protect HX.

With respect to airline passengers. That leaves airport workers (who get
subsidised fares too).

Surely the point about airport workers is that they are going to be making a
journey from one of the local stations

Almost none of them are going to be doing a journey for which a fast service
from Padd is helpful

tim