Reading to Heathrow Airport by train

With regular trains running directly from Reading to London Paddington, taking the train to Heathrow Airport couldn’t be easier. Once at London Paddington, catch the Heathrow Express for the fastest way non-stop to Heathrow Central.

With services running every 15 minutes between London Paddington and Heathrow, it’s the best choice to get to the airport with plenty of time to check in before your flight.

London Paddington to London Heathrow

Heathrow Express connects London Paddington station and Heathrow terminals in just 15 minutes. It’s the fastest way to reach Heathrow Airport from London non-stop.

Having arrived at London Paddington on one of the many services from Reading, make your way to one of the dedicated Heathrow Express platforms at the station. Your London Heathrow train will most likely be leaving from platform six or seven, but make sure you check the boards at the station as occasionally we use other platforms.

Heathrow Express services run every 15 minutes, ensuring you can plan your journey to give yourself enough time before you fly. Each of our services take just 15 minutes, compared to a taxi which could take around 50 minutes in the unpredictable London traffic. Travelling on the London Underground will likely take close to an hour whilst TfL Rail Heathrow trains are approximately 25 minutes.

Once on your Heathrow Express train, you will need to leave the service at Heathrow Central for either Terminal 2 or 3 and stay on the train for another six minutes for Terminal 5. When flying from Terminal 4, change at Heathrow Central and jump on a quick shuttle bus to the terminal.

How long does it take to get to Reading from London Heathrow?

On average, journey times between Reading and London Heathrow take around one hour and 15 minutes. However, when opting to incorporate the Heathrow Express into your Reading to Heathrow journey, you can cut your journey time to around 40 minutes.

There are no direct Reading to Heathrow trains, or Heathrow to Reading trains, meaning the fastest option is to take a direct train into London Paddington and catch the Heathrow Express. Our trains run every 15 minutes and will take you from Paddington to Heathrow in just 15 minutes.

How much does it cost to get from Reading to Heathrow?

By booking online with Express Tickets for your Paddington to Heathrow journey, you can save up to 40%. That means it could cost just £15 to get from London Paddington to Heathrow if you book at least 90 days in advance. By combining this with an advance booking from Reading to London Paddington, the cost of your ticket from Reading to Heathrow could be as little as £40.

An Off-Peak Single from London Paddington to Heathrow, bought on the day will cost £22, while an Anytime Day Return is £38.50. Kids of 15 and under will also travel free on Heathrow Express.

Express and Business First Class on Reading – Heathrow Express Journey

Connecting quickly and travelling in comfort are central to the Heathrow Express experience. As well as enjoying a non-stop 15 minute journey between London Paddington and Heathrow Central, passengers can also choose between two classes. Express and Business First Class.

All passengers on our Express class enjoy:

-          Plenty of luggage space

-          Premium seating

-          At-seat power

-          Free 4G Wi-Fi

-          Onboard TV service offering useful journey information and BBC World News

-          Level platform access to all our trains at all platforms

Those that upgrade to Business First can make the most of a larger seating area and personal table, as well as complimentary newspapers and magazines.

*Journey times based on route between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 3. Data sources: Google Maps for journey time by Taxi, TfL Journey Planner for journey time by Tube Tfl Rail and Heathrow Express. For Tube and Tfl Rail, the journey time represents an average, based on estimated best journey times shown on TfL Journey Planner on the hour every hour from 5am to 10pm for each day of August 2019. For Taxi, the journey time represents an average, based on an estimated range of journey times shown on Google Maps on the hour every hour from 5am to 10pm for each day of August 2019.