Heathrow: How Could It Be Worse?

I am astonished that billions have been spent on expansion and renovation of Heathrow for the Terminal 5 project and the net result is that everything about the Heathrow experience has gotten worse! Astonished in the first place because I didn't think it was possible for the Heathrow experience to get worse. Astonished in the second place that so much could be spent with such a negative outcome. Normally the worst expected case is that lots of money gets moved around but nothing actually changes -- quite a few people walk away wealthy but nothing gets improved. But this is something different entirely: big terminal, new infrastructure, roads, train tracks all were actually built. Nothing would have been an improvement.

I'm not even talking about the much-publicized terminal 5 problems. I'm talking about the entire Heathrow experience, starting with getting there. The Heathrow Express, which is owned and run by BAA (the airport company, nothing to do with BA the airline), has gotten worse. It was always vastly overpriced and not as quick as suggested, due largely to the 10-20 minute walk required to get to checkin from the train stop. Now it no longer goes to Terminal 4, it stops at Heathrow "central", as always, for terminals 1, 2, & 3, then goes on to Terminal 5. To get to Terminal 4, you have to switch trains. When I flew out yesterday, the schedule was such that the first train to Terminal 4 was a 21-minute wait. So Heathrow express is expensive, takes as long or longer than a cab, and is inconvenient. And there is simply no good way to get to Terminal 4 now. There's still no good way to get between terminals at Heathrow, and it's even worse now. I feel really sorry for anyone who transfers at Heathrow and has to switch terminals. Billions were spent without adding sensible rail extensions or making any other intermodal transport improvements.

Anyone with a choice and some sense will probably try to avoid Heathrow. Personally I don't think I'll be using the train anymore to get there. How is that a good result for anyone? This was bungling on a corporate scale, not governmental. Anyone describing privatization as an unqualified good should be forced to fly only from Heathrow the rest of their days. The public has a huge vested interest in the efficiency and utility of transport links, and the government should be ensuring intelligent and useful intermodal design and investment. This was a poor design implemented expensively and benefitting no one, and the private sector is to blame.

I can't help comparing it to other airport projects in recent years. This would never have happened in Munich, or Hong Kong, or Singapore. It's outrageous and sad that this was allowed to happen in London.