Originally Posted by
hungry
One is run by London Underground Ltd and one is run by MTR and forms part of the National Rail Network. Completely different companies with different ticketing structures.
The fact MTR operates the EL isn’t really relevant here. For contactless payment - which is what the majority of pax use - you will be charged by TfL in any case. And a paper ticket for the Tube is valid on all EL services within the relevant zones anyway. It’s just Heathrow that is an exception, because the LHR EL service has a higher charge than the LHR Underground.