CJB wrote:
Nightmare at Hayes and Harlington - 1

Over the last few weekends - and especially on this last Sunday
afternoon (1-7-2007), Heathrow Connect services have been dumping
passengers for Heathrow at the bay platform 5 at Hayes and
Harlington Station. Usually these are intending flight passengers
with heavy luggage.

Having paid the cheaper than HEX fare - but still exorbitant at £9 -
to go to Heathrow, they are being abandoned at Hayes and Harlington,
told to lug their luggage up the stairs (there are no lifts) and
then to catch a 140 bus into Heathrow (at additional cost). No-one
has been available to help with their luggage - and much of this is
composed of huge suitcases due to BA's stupid one bag per passenger
rule.

No announcements are made at Hayes and Harlington Station. And then
the intending passengers have to pay AGAIN at £2 each for the 140
bus - which doesn't even go to Terminal 4.

Also the destination sign at Platform 5 has been seen to announce
Heathrow Airport as the next stop for the Connect parked there - a
physical impossibility - whilst the actual train displays Paddington
as the destination.

Confused some passengers for Heathrow have been seen boarding the
Connect on platform 5, and then suddenly realising (or been told)
that the train is in fact returning to Paddington.

This has been going on for quite a few weekends now. Yet Connect get
away with it. And even the HEX is stopped at Hayes to pick up
passengers dumped there by Connect.

If HEx is able to run to Heathrow, why can't Connect? What reason did
they give for terminating at Hayes?

This cannot be acceptable service - but due to it mainly affecting
tourists leaving the country Connect management seem to be getting
away with it weekend after weekend.

In fact this is gross incompetance, bordering on deliberate fraud -
to charge for the full Connect service to Heathrow and then dump
passengers at Hayes and tell them to pay again on the 140 bus for
the Airport.

I agree. They should either provide a replacement bus at no further
charge or refund the Hayes-Heathrow fare. Have you complained to
Connect about this?

I can't say I'm surprised, given my experience of Connect. It's a
similar situation to their first week of service when a signal used only
when Connect reversed at Heathrow was found not to work. Result:
passengers dumped at Hayes without any announcement or assistance. They
don't seem to have learned much since then.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)