London’s premium airport rail link is out of action for a full 48-hour window after Network Rail switched off the fast lines from Paddington at 00:01 on Christmas Day. The shutdown – part of a £118 million resignalling and overhead-line renewal – means no Heathrow Express trains are running between the airport and the capital until the end of Boxing Day.
For international arrivals this is more than an inconvenience. Heathrow Express normally moves around 17,000 passengers a day, many of them business travellers aiming to reach the City or West End in under 15 minutes. With the service suspended, the only rail alternative is the Elizabeth Line, operating a reduced hourly timetable over the holiday and adding at least 30-45 minutes to door-to-door journeys. Taxi queues at Terminals 2-3 are already stretching outside the covered rank during peak inbound banks of long-haul flights.
![Heathrow Express Suspended for 48-Hours Over Christmas Engineering Blockade]()
Network Rail says the blockade is the final stage of works that will lift a long-standing 70 mph speed restriction on the airport spur. From March 2026 Heathrow Express runtimes should fall by up to three minutes, but further weekend closures are scheduled over Easter and the early-May bank holiday. Mobility managers planning group moves or project kick-offs have been advised to avoid those periods, or to pre-book coach transfers.
Should travellers need a last-minute transit visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation while re-routing through alternative hubs, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides instant eligibility checks, expedited processing and expert support, helping passengers secure the correct documentation without adding to the stress of Heathrow disruption.
Practical tips for travellers: download the TfL Go app for live Elizabeth Line departures; allow an extra hour for the Paddington leg; and, if re-routing via third-country hubs, check whether a transit visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation is required. Visa platforms report a spike in last-minute ETA requests linked to the disruption. Employers with meet-and-assist contracts should alert chauffeurs to congestion around Heathrow Central Bus Station.
For international arrivals this is more than an inconvenience. Heathrow Express normally moves around 17,000 passengers a day, many of them business travellers aiming to reach the City or West End in under 15 minutes. With the service suspended, the only rail alternative is the Elizabeth Line, operating a reduced hourly timetable over the holiday and adding at least 30-45 minutes to door-to-door journeys. Taxi queues at Terminals 2-3 are already stretching outside the covered rank during peak inbound banks of long-haul flights.
Network Rail says the blockade is the final stage of works that will lift a long-standing 70 mph speed restriction on the airport spur. From March 2026 Heathrow Express runtimes should fall by up to three minutes, but further weekend closures are scheduled over Easter and the early-May bank holiday. Mobility managers planning group moves or project kick-offs have been advised to avoid those periods, or to pre-book coach transfers.
Should travellers need a last-minute transit visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation while re-routing through alternative hubs, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Its UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides instant eligibility checks, expedited processing and expert support, helping passengers secure the correct documentation without adding to the stress of Heathrow disruption.
Practical tips for travellers: download the TfL Go app for live Elizabeth Line departures; allow an extra hour for the Paddington leg; and, if re-routing via third-country hubs, check whether a transit visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation is required. Visa platforms report a spike in last-minute ETA requests linked to the disruption. Employers with meet-and-assist contracts should alert chauffeurs to congestion around Heathrow Central Bus Station.
