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Just in Time for the Summer Games, Heathrow Express Gets an Upgrade

June 20, 2012 at 10:40 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just in time for the Olympics, it looks like the Heathrow Express is scoring some swanky new trains. In case you aren’t familiar with the train service, the Heathrow Express connects travelers and tourists from London-Heathrow right over to Paddington Station close to the city’s center. It’s a little expensive at £18 each way, but, if you need to get from the airport into London proper in just 15 minutes it’s pretty much your best option.

The new trains cars are designed to look a little more like a rolling business class lounge rather than just a nonstop commuter train. In total, they’re spending around £16 million on upgrading interiors, seats, and everything else—both inside and out. The updates started rolling down the track earlier this month, and things will continue to be refreshed through the first part of next year.

Most of the good stuff is in the first class portion of the train. There’s single seating options throughout the train cars, as well as HD TV screens and quilted seat covers. They’ve even pulled out the overhead luggage racks to make the interiors feel even roomier. Although—if you ask us—we think spending the extra cash on a train upgrade is probably a little unnecessary for the quick journey. However, we say go for it if you’re just sending the bill over to your company’s expense account.

The express class section of the train—that's where you’d find us—is getting an upgrade too. There’s new seats facing in both directions, moveable arm rests, power plugs at the seats, and they’ve even promised that they’ve improved cell phone service along the track. Finally, LED lighting now provides a soothing glow, and it even pulses and gets brighter as you approach your final destination—neat.

Our pals over at Australian Business Traveller have more pictures and details, so maybe check 'em out if you're crossing the pond this summer.

[Photo: R-P-M]

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