On 23rd June 1998 the Heathrow Express rail link service was launched with four trains per hour taking just 15 minutes from London Paddington to Heathrow Terminals 1,2 and 3. On display within the Heathrow: The Journey Exhibition are pieces of clay recovered from 25 metres below the northern runway. The clay was excavated during tunneling for the Heathrow Express rail link. The clay is dated at 30 million years old.
Clay recovered 25 meters below the northern runway as on display in Heathrow: The Journey Exhibition at UWL
A piece of 30 million year old clay
Prior to the Heathrow Express rail link the London Underground Piccadilly line was the other main mode of public transport used by passengers to get to Heathrow from Central London (other than by bus and car). The extension of the Piccadilly Line from Hounslow West to Heathrow Central Station was opened in 1977. Journey time is roughly an hour with trains every 10 minutes and this remains the most cost effective way of reaching Heathrow by public transport.
Tom Eckersley mural on display at Heathrow Central Station in 1977, one of 9 murals displayed on the platform
One of two Tom Eckersley murals now housed at UWL Archives
In 2018 TfL Rail took over the running of the Heathrow Connect rail service which was launched in 2005 from Paddington to Heathrow stopping at various West London stations on route, with journey times of between 31 and 49 minutes. The newly anticipated Elizabeth Line (project previously known as Crossrail) will run between Central London and Heathrow Terminal 5 in approximately 34 minutes.