Heathrow Terminal 5Reading
About 81 minutes on the Elizabeth line, changing at Hayes & Harlington - £17.90 off-peak (£24.00 peak) with contactless.
Journey time
about 81 min
Changes
Change at Hayes & Harlington
Adult single
£17.90 off-peak (£24.00 peak)
Weekday frequency
every ~30 min
What it costs
£17.90 off-peak (£24.00 peak) for an adult single with contactless. Peak fares apply when you touch in between 06:30 and 09:30 or between 16:00 and 19:00, Monday to Friday. Everything else is off-peak, including all day Saturday and Sunday and public holidays.
Oyster works everywhere on the Elizabeth line except west of West Drayton. For Iver, Langley, Slough, Burnham, Taplow, Maidenhead, Twyford and Reading, use contactless or a paper ticket.
Daily and weekly capping limits what you pay across all TfL services, so several journeys in a day often cost less than the singles added up.
Where you change
No direct train runs between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Reading. Take an Elizabeth line train to Hayes & Harlington and change there for Reading. Allow about 8 minutes for the change; the typical wait is 33 minutes.
The 81 minutes above is measured across real connections in the timetable - each train matched to the next one you could actually catch, not two journey times added together.
Departures from Heathrow Terminal 5
Departures that connect at Hayes & Harlington for Reading. First 05:15, last 22:20 on weekdays.
Mon-Fri 05:15 – 22:20 · 35 trains
Saturday 05:15 – 22:20 · 34 trains
Sunday 06:19 – 22:32 · 33 trains
The two stations
Heathrow Terminal 5
- Zone
- 6
- Step-free
- Street to train
- Change for
- Heathrow Express, Piccadilly line
Reading
- Step-free
- Street to train
- Change for
- National Rail (GWR), National Rail (CrossCountry)
Common questions
How long does the Elizabeth line take from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Reading?
How much is the Elizabeth line from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Reading?
Do I need to change trains from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Reading?
What time are the first and last trains from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Reading?
Times from the national timetable data (2026-08-21); fares from the TfL single fare finder. Engineering work can change weekend times - check the live board on the day.