Happy 25th birthday HEx!

The Heathrow Express celebrates a great 25 years of service this year and we thought it fitting to shed some light on a bit of the history of this HEx-cellent train, and the fantastic benefits it has had for our Heathrow customers. 

A little bit of HEx-tory

The construction of HEx first commenced 30 years ago in 1993 with two 5-mile tunnels and two new underground stations being built.

The first fast train was initially launched 5 years later in 1998, and the final and official HEx launch took place on 23^rd June 1998 by Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

Moments of HEx-cellence

Over the past 25 years, the Heathrow Express has witnessed and experienced a few key and memorable moments that are worth shining some light on as we celebrate a quarter of a century of amazing service.

2000

Customers on board the HEx could stay connected by using the first pay phone on the train which meant they could speak with family and friends anywhere at the touch of a few buttons!

2009

Paddington Station became home to the first flight information screens in a UK rail station, so passengers could see live flight information before even stepping foot in the airport.

2012

HEx played a major role during the London Olympics by transporting all the officials and media for free during the duration of the games.

HEx celebrated its 15th birthday with a live cake construction of a 332-driver carriage taking place on the platform.

2014

Kids Go Free was introduced as a permanent offer, so any child under the age of 15 can travel for free when accompanied by an adult.

2015

The world’s first digital advertising screens hit the airport, promoting HEx amongst other airport services. They have won several awards since their launch.

2017

HEx celebrated reaching 100 million passengers with a HExibition in Paddington, featuring Instagram sensation Dave Burt taking pictures to mark the special occasion.

2020

This was a big year for HEx with COVID-19 meaning social distancing, masks, sanitising and the lowest number of passengers on record.

The year ended with the farewell of Class 332 as it made its last journey on 28th December. This was the last day of planned journeys for the 25-year-old train.

On 29th December the New Class 387 fleet was launched and welcomed despite the national lockdown situation happening at the time, ending 2020 on a heal high note! 

Today, HEx serves an average of 16,000 customers and passengers a day, transporting thousands of travellers from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport non-stop in just 15 minutes, making it one of the fastest and most efficient ways to get from Central London to Heathrow in a matter of minutes.