On Sep 6, 9:45*am, Neil Williams wrote:
On 5 Sep, 10:57, "John C" wrote:

Yes they do run empty to terminal 5.

To the platform? *If so, how bloody silly. *I assume they don't run in
service deliberately to make it less convenient and make people use
HEx.

Neil

Oh yes - they run the CONnect to T5 to 'turn it round' - well park it
for a while out of the way of the HEX and T4 shuttle.

Now they don't really need the CON since it was part of the strategy
to improve surface access to Heathrow to aid the case for the third
runway. The latter has now been more or less abandoned and so BAA
isn't so focused on improving public or worker access to the airport.

But part of the deal for CON was to take the paths of the Slough
FGWL / Thames Trains locals. So it has to continue to serve the local
stations between Hayes and Paddington - a role that apparently BAA is
not too happy to continue. And BAA is cash strapped hence the run down
of CON services.

Airport workers actually rarely use the CON even with concessionary
fares. The lack of use can be clearly seen when almost everyone
detrains at Hayes and the CON goes into the aiport empty. Likewise at
hayes the CON comes out of the airport empty to mainly pick up at
Hayes. There are better and cheaper public services to/from Hayes /
Southall and the airport in the shape of the grossly over-crowded 105
and 140 buses.

BAA also continues to promote the OTT expensive HEX to the detriment
of the CON. The CON is not announced at calling at Heathrow at any of
the intermediate stations. The CON's on-board p.a. does not mention
the free shuttles between Central and T4 / T5.

And even the CON's on-board staff are demoralised since they rarely
check tckets like they used to.

CJB.

P.S. BAA is well cash-strapped. When we passed through T5 a few
weekends ago we were gobsmacked to see the LED boards that usually
list arrivals and departures (e.g. flight nos., times and gates etc.)
have been replaced with displays of adverts for IBM, Toyota, etc. We
had to hunt the Terminal for any dep. or arr. displays.