With the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) now only eight months away, London Underground has run its first train into the new station and will shortly begin trial operations.
Also a terminus for Heathrow Express, the station has been built with six platforms to provide possible future westbound trains, which could link up with current Slough services into Waterloo.
The Piccadilly Line extension to T5 is wholly funded by Heathrow Airport Ltd, a subsidiary of BAA. T5”s station will be operated by BAA via the Heathrow Express Operating Company.
Work continues on Heathrow Express services, which when complete will provide a 15-minute frequency to T5 via the central terminal area (CTA ” T123).
Terminal 4 (T4) passengers will need to change at Heathrow Central onto the Heathrow Connect service which will be upgraded, also to a 15-minute schedule, between CTA and T4. Both the Express and Connect services are free within the Heathrow terminal area.
Piccadilly Line general manager, Mike Challis, said: "The extension of the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow T5 is a key project. We will now test the trains to ensure they are ready for the opening of T5 in March next year.
"Once Heathrow T5 opens, a new service on the Piccadilly Line will provide direct journeys to passengers between Heathrow T123 and Heathrow T5, bypassing Heathrow T4, whilst the service to Heathrow T4 will remain unchanged.”
From 13 January 2008, 12 trains per hour will operate each day at peak times from central London on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. These services split at Hatton Cross. Half will continue to T4, where they will stand for approximately 7 minutes, before returning to Central London via CTA.
The remaining 6 trains per hour will run from Hatton Cross to T123 and then onto T5 and return the same way. This will give 12 trains per hour from the central area to the London Underground system.
"Looking to the future, the Piccadilly Line will be upgraded by 2014 as part of Transport for London's ”10bn Investment Programme. The upgrade will provide the line with a new signal control system, new trains and a new line control centre," said Challis.