Network Rail engineering works between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport will halt all Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line services from 01:10 Saturday 15 November until the start of service on Monday 17 November. Heathrow handles more than 250,000 passengers on a typical November weekend; the rail shut-down will affect an estimated 120,000 arriving and departing travellers, including thousands of corporate flyers.
The airport is advising passengers to use the London Underground Piccadilly Line, pre-booked coaches or taxis. Travel-management companies report that the journey time from Zone 1 to Terminals 2/3 could double to 90 minutes at peak periods, with road congestion expected on the M4 spur and A4 Bath Road.
![Weekend closure of Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line disrupts airport access]()
Duty-of-care teams should update traveller alerts and re-issue guidance on approved ground-transport suppliers. Employers with Saturday start-dates for short-term assignments may wish to authorise hotel overnights near the airport to avoid missed long-haul connections.
The disruption highlights the vulnerability of the UK’s main hub to rail engineering overruns; industry bodies continue to lobby for a dedicated western rail access that would offer an alternative route during closures east of the airport. Network Rail says the works are “essential to future-proof the overhead power system.”
The airport is advising passengers to use the London Underground Piccadilly Line, pre-booked coaches or taxis. Travel-management companies report that the journey time from Zone 1 to Terminals 2/3 could double to 90 minutes at peak periods, with road congestion expected on the M4 spur and A4 Bath Road.
Duty-of-care teams should update traveller alerts and re-issue guidance on approved ground-transport suppliers. Employers with Saturday start-dates for short-term assignments may wish to authorise hotel overnights near the airport to avoid missed long-haul connections.
The disruption highlights the vulnerability of the UK’s main hub to rail engineering overruns; industry bodies continue to lobby for a dedicated western rail access that would offer an alternative route during closures east of the airport. Network Rail says the works are “essential to future-proof the overhead power system.”
