Heathrow Express Service Quality
Performance Report 2022-2023
Rail periods
1-13 ran from 01 April 2022 through to 31 March 2023.
Please note
that on the 29 December 2020 Heathrow Express replaced the fleet of trains from
class 332 with class 387.
Contents:
1. Information
and Tickets
2. Punctuality
and disruption
3. Cancellations
4. Cleanliness
5. Customer
satisfaction
6. Complaints
handling and compensation
7. Assistance
and contact details
1. Information
and Tickets
Provision
of travel information during the journey
·
All our trains have clear signage
above the internal doors, giving information about safety processes and what to
do in case of an emergency.
· There
is an emergency switch next to the doors through which the driver of the train
can be contacted any time.
· The
availability of toilets is shown outside the toilet door.
· Customers
can also ask a member of the Heathrow Express onboard team for this or any
information relating to their current or onward journey.
· Information
regarding the next station will be announced onboard by our train announcement
system.
· In
the case of delays the train announcement system or the train driver will
announce information at appropriate intervals.
· Safety
guideline information can be found onboard, and the train announcement system
will also make announcements shortly before departure, with further
announcements made shortly after departure.
· The
train driver can be contacted at any time through the emergency call button
located in every carriage of the train.
· Airport
flight information screens (FID’s) displaying flight departure and arrival
information are shown in each carriage.
Provision of travel
information before and after your journey
· Our
customer service staff are located at every station and at the gate lines, and
are on hand throughout the entire day to provide assistance and give
information.
· Live
departure and arrival information is displayed at all of our stations, on our
website and mobile App.
· Scheduled
train times are available on our website www.heathrowexpress.com/timetable
· Customers
can purchase tickets in advance through our mobile App and website www.heathrowexpress.com or
on the day on ticket vending machines (TVM) at Paddington and Heathrow stations
and platforms.
· Customers
can also use their oyster card or pay by tapping their bank cards at the gate
lines and can also purchase tickets directly from our staff onboard the trains
or at our sales locations within the airport terminals.
·
Our accessible travel policy is
available on our website, alongside other useful accessibility
information https://www.heathrowexpress.com/the-onboard-experience/accessibility#/
2. Punctuality
and disruption
Full details of our passenger
information during disruption (PIDD) can be found on our website https://www.heathrowexpress.com/conditions-of-carriage#/ to
summarise:
Delays
Heathrow Express is an express
service that operates four trains per hour, non-stop between London Paddington,
Heathrow Central and Terminal 5. Our aim is to get customers to their
destination both safely and on time. Our 2022/2023 target is to ensure:
· 70% of our trains arrive on time.
· 90% of our trains arrive within 3 minutes.
· 95% of our trains arrive within 5 minutes.
There are occasions where trains may
be delayed or disrupted. When this is the case, our teams will assist
passengers by:
Delays between 5 –
9 minutes
· Passengers
can continue their journeys with some disruption.
· For
further travel advice please speak to a member of station staff or contact our
customer services team at https://www.heathrowexpress.com/about-us/contact-us#/
· Updated
regular announcements will be made at stations.
· Updated
announcements will be made onboard the affected trains at normally within 5
minutes and again at regular intervals.
Delays over 10
minutes
· Passengers
are able to continue their journeys with some disruption.
· For
further travel advice please speak to a member of station staff or contact our
customer services team at https://www.heathrowexpress.com/about-us/contact-us#/
· Updated
regular announcements will be made at stations.
· Updated
announcements will be made onboard the affected trains at normally within 5
minutes and again at regular intervals.
Delays over 15
minutes
· Passengers
are able to continue their journeys with some disruption.
· For
further travel advice please speak to a member of station staff or contact our
customer services team at https://www.heathrowexpress.com/about-us/contact-us#/
· Updated
regular announcements will be made at stations.
· Updated
announcements will be made onboard the affected trains at normally within 5
minutes and again at regular intervals.
· Passengers
are able to request a refund via this link https://www.heathrowexpress.com/contact-form or
request a letter from station staff with details including refunds, re-bookings
and claiming additional expenses.
Part Suspension,
Suspension or Reduced Service
· Arrangements
will be made for passengers who have already purchased a Heathrow Express
ticket, and wish to use another service, for pre-paid tickets tickets to be
accepted by TfL Elizabeth Line services between London Paddington and Heathrow
Airport in either direction.
· For
further travel advice please speak to a member of station staff or contact our
customer services team at https://www.heathrowexpress.com/about-us/contact-us#/
· Updated
regular announcements will be made at stations.
· Updated
announcements will be made onboard the affected trains at normally within 5
minutes and again at regular intervals.
· Passengers
are able to request a refund via this link https://www.heathrowexpress.com/contact-form or
request a letter from station staff with details including refunds, re-bookings
and claiming additional expenses.
Punctuality Performance
Results from 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 are:
· 65.07% of our trains arrive on time of their
schedule.
· 81.16% of our trains arrive within 3 minutes of
their scheduled time.
· 87.81% of our trains arrive within 5 minutes of
their scheduled time.
· 80.88% of our trains departed London Paddington on
time.
Disruptions
Heathrow Rail and Network Rail have
their own pre-determined contingency plans that act as an initial point of
reference when an incident occurs. These are reviewed on an annual basis. We
work with all of our strategic partners to ensure that we have aligned
contingency processes, allowing a consistent approach to disruption across the
network.
3. Cancellations
4.33% of our
trains were cancelled
4. Cleanliness
· Throughout
the day dedicated cleaning teams at Paddington clean high-frequency touch
points such as handrails and door buttons to ensure your safety, and ensure the
replenishment of soap in all our on board toilets.
· Each
night every Heathrow Express train is thoroughly cleaned at our depot before
entering into passenger service by a dedicated cleaning team.
· Train
cleaning audits are carried out on a daily basis against an agreed criteria and
scored as a ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’.
· During
periods of disruption where the cleaning time is limited, cleaning may be
modified to reduce the delay to the subsequent journey.
Air Conditioning on trains
· Our
trains are equipped with air conditioning.
· Should
this fail our onboard staff will do everything they can to move customers to an
alternative coach.
Toilet Availability
on trains
· Heathrow
Express endeavours to ensure all our toilets are serviceable before entry in
service.
5. Customer
satisfaction
Customer
satisfaction surveys
Our internal satisfaction survey is
conducted quarterly by our survey partner Ipsos. The results are
under constant review and support the strategic and tactical decisions made by
the senior leadership team.
The National Rail
Passenger Survey (NRPS) was paused during the COVID pandemic and so we
are only able to share the 2022 spring results below:
| Spring
2022 |
Overall satisfaction with the
journey | 94% |
Punctuality of trains | 95% |
Information to passengers in
case of delays | n/a |
Accuracy and availability of
information on train times/platforms | 88% |
Consistently good
maintenance/excellent condition of trains | 93% |
Personal security onboard the
train | 93% |
Personal security at the stations | 90% |
Cleanliness of inside of the
train | 93% |
Provision of useful information
throughout the journey | 88% |
Availability of good quality
toilets on every train | 62% |
Cleanliness and maintenance of
stations to a high standard | 90% |
6. Complaints
handling and compensation
Heathrow Express are committed to
ensuring our customers get to their destination safely and on time. That’s our
key aim and our number one priority. When you buy a ticket to travel on
Heathrow Express, or tap in using Contactless or Oyster you enter into an
agreement with us which gives you the right to make the journey you are paying
for.
However, if for any reason your service has been disrupted or unsatisfactory
please let us know and we will review your case.
· Our
Conditions of Carriage set out the rights you have, what you can expect from us
and what we are obliged to do if your train is delayed.
· You
can claim for compensation via the Heathrow Express Delay Compensation Scheme
or by relying on your statutory rights such as those outlined in the Consumer
Rights Act 2015.
Complaint data from 01st April
2022 through to 31 March 2023 (Rail periods 1-13)
| 01
April 2022 to 31 Mar 2023 (P1-P13) |
Category | No.
complaints | % Total
complaints | % of complaints responded
within 20 working days | Average response time to close
complaints |
Ticket and Refunds Policy | 140 | 13% | 100% | 10 working days |
Environmental | 0 | 4% | 100% | 10 working days |
Ticket buying facilities | 105 | 19% | 100% | 10 working days |
Provision of information about
train times/platforms | 28 | 1% | 100% | 10 working days |
Provision of information
on website and app | 342 | 19% | 100% | 10 working days |
Information
during the journey | 0 | 1% | 100% | 10
working days |
Facilities on board | 5 | 1% | 100% | 10 working days |
Toilet facilities | 3 | 1% | 100% | 10 working days |
Attitude/helpfulness of
platform staff | 76 | 12% | 100% | 10 working days |
Punctuality / Reliability | 212 | 31% | 100% | 10 working days |
Total | 911 | 100% | 100% | |
7. Assistance
and contact details
We operate an always accessible ‘Turn
Up and Go’ service at all our stations. This is part of our commitment to
providing appropriate arrangements and assistance to disabled passengers using
our service and means that passengers travelling with us do not need to
pre-book assistance unless you wish to.
If you would prefer to pre-book your
assistance, this can be done as part of the National Passenger Assist
service.
If you would prefer to pre-book your
assistance, this can be done as part of the National Passenger Assist service.
You just need to let us know up to 2
hours before your journey, within our Assistance Team.
•
Use
our Online form https://www.railhelp.co.uk/gwr/passenger-assist
•
Call us free on 0800 197 1329
•
Dial
text relay free on 18001 0800 197 1329
More comprehensive information about
the assistance we provide can be found on our website https://www.heathrowexpress.com/the-onboard-experience/accessibility#/
The quickest way to contact us is our
Customer Query and Feedback Form on our website https://www.heathrowexpress.com/about-us/contact-us# where
we are obliged to respond to your query within 20 working days. When completing
the form, choose ‘complaint’ in the query drop down.
You can also contact us by the
following methods:
By Phone
You can contact our Customer
Relations Department on: +44 (0) 345 600 1515. (09:00-17:00hrs GMT
Monday-Sunday). Calls from the UK to this number are charged at the local rate.
Costs from international networks may vary.
By Post
Freepost HEATHROW EXPRESS Customer
Relations Department. Please include an email address and contact phone number
in your letter to enable us to contact you about your query.
By International
Post
Heathrow Express Customer Relations
Department
PO
Box 887
3 Manor Court
Exeter EX1 9YT
United Kingdom
Please include an email address and contact phone number in your letter to
enable us to contact you about your query.
Via Social Media
You
can contact us on Twitter @HeathrowExpress or via Facebook.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome, we will refer your case to the
independent body, The Ombudsman who can mediate your redress grievance.
Where assistance was not provided due to train delays, you may be able to claim
under our delayed train refund policy. Please contact our Customer Relations
team for assistance. You will not be able to claim for both, but our team will
be happy to advise you on the best action for your redress claim.