Heathrow to London (& Rtn): Review of public transport options

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 37 total)

  • SealinkBF
    Participant

    At Green Park, just follow the signs for the exit and at the top of the escalators pick the line you want. Much quicker than following the long walk ways.

    An indispensable app is “Tube Exits”.

    Type in your journey and it will advise you of which carriage to choose so that you are at the exit at your destination – it’s a rail timesaver !(sorry)


    SealinkBF
    Participant

    Thameslink has been rebranded this year as Thameslink. No, really.

    >> (following a period as First Capital Connect)


    KeaneJohn
    Participant

    SealinkBF beat me to this tip.

    Changing tubes at Green Park it is quicker to go up the escalators to the way out and down the escalators directly to the Piccadilly Line platform.

    I live in Stratford on the Jubilee line and virtually always take the tube changing at Green Park as by the time I have got to Paddington there is not much time saving especially if you have to wait for a HEX.

    It might surprise the op that from Southwark to Heathrow by tube it is just 59 minutes so you wouldn’t be that far behind yourself.

    I have an annual travelcard for zones 1-3(soon to be 1-2) and it is only £1.50 supplement to/from Heathrow in the peak period or £1 off peak with the annual gold card discount. This would also get the same discount on the HEX but not for tickets bought on the train.. I think that courtesy is extended to you as a disabled railcard holder.

    I rarely get the Heathrow Connect as it costs around £7.50 to Ealing Broadway the boundary of my current season ticket but only do so FROM Heathrow as I can connect easily to the Central line straight through to Stratford. You only need a few mins delay to risk having to wait up to 30 mins for the next LHR bound train from Ealing and then having to wait for the ensuing HEX to T5 if appropriate.

    I can’t wait for the Night Tube to start as if I have an early morning flight and don’t want the extra cost of staying in a hotel I currently take a combination of night buses. It doesn’t cost me anything with my travelcard and I can catch one directly outside my house every few minutes to connect onto another one to Canning Town before getting another bus into Central London so I can join the N9 at the start of the route so I can get a seat and have somewhere for my luggage. The nightbus on a Friday night is interesting with lots of charecters and you will find it is used by a combination of revellers on their way home, other budget conscious travellers to Heathrow and a lot of airport workers.


    KeaneJohn
    Participant

    SealinkBF beat me to this tip.

    Changing tubes at Green Park it is quicker to go up the escalators to the way out and down the escalators directly to the Piccadilly Line platform.

    I live in Stratford on the Jubilee line and virtually always take the tube changing at Green Park as by the time I have got to Paddington there is not much time saving especially if you have to wait for a HEX.

    It might surprise the op that from Southwark to Heathrow by tube it is just 59 minutes so you wouldn’t be that far behind yourself.

    I have an annual travelcard for zones 1-3(soon to be 1-2) and it is only £1.50 supplement to/from Heathrow in the peak period or £1 off peak with the annual gold card discount. This would also get the same discount on the HEX but not for tickets bought on the train.. I think that courtesy is extended to you as a disabled railcard holder.

    I rarely get the Heathrow Connect as it costs around £7.50 to Ealing Broadway the boundary of my current season ticket but only do so FROM Heathrow as I can connect easily to the Central line straight through to Stratford. You only need a few mins delay to risk having to wait up to 30 mins for the next LHR bound train from Ealing and then having to wait for the ensuing HEX to T5 if appropriate.

    I can’t wait for the Night Tube to start as if I have an early morning flight and don’t want the extra cost of staying in a hotel I currently take a combination of night buses. It doesn’t cost me anything with my travelcard and I can catch one directly outside my house every few minutes to connect onto another one to Canning Town before getting another bus into Central London so I can join the N9 at the start of the route so I can get a seat and have somewhere for my luggage. The nightbus on a Friday night is interesting with lots of charecters and you will find it is used by a combination of revellers on their way home, other budget conscious travellers to Heathrow and a lot of airport workers.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Today I needed to get to T2 and with my regular driver off for Christmas and my back up driver not available, I walked to Edgware tube station and asked how much to Heathrow … £3.10 !

    I have told Bruce and Alan they are now sacked!

    I know I am fortunate to live near the airport I use the most… but £3.10 verses £40+. And the tube only took an additional 30 minutes…. I have a new travel protocol.

    Happy Christmas everyone….


    DavidGordon10
    Participant

    Well, yes, Martyn, and if you are as ancient as me, then the tube is free.

    However, the two flights I take most often from LHR are the 06.40 to CPH and the 07.00 to GVA, and the tube will not get me there in time.

    £40+ is a bit much. In the last couple of years I have been using Skyline Express (0207 722 2111) with fares around £30 and a very good service

    As we’re on the subject of the Heathrow Express and Connect services, advance warning for anyone looking to use them over the Christmas period:

    http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/gatwick-and-heathrow-express-customers-face-chr


    canucklad
    Participant

    The Heathrow Express service fascinates me……
    Because it leaves from Paddington, to me it has a very limited appeal.

    I’ve geekily typed in some searches leaving from various parts of London.

    > From Piccadilly its exactly the same time (58 minutes) whether you go direct via the Tube or palaver about via HEX.
    > From Clapham Junction, taking the bus is 7 minutes quicker (62 mins) than routing via the HEX
    > From Canary Wharf, the HEX wins by 7 minutes (71 mins) over the tube
    > From Wembley the HEX also wins by 5 minutes, with only 1 change ( 62 mins)
    > From Brent Cross , more great news for the HEX, it wins by a solid 8 minutes ( 75 minutes) even though you have an extra change to make
    > And just for fun, my final search was from Cockfosters, and even though you have to make 2 changes, the HEX only takes 85 minutes compared to the massive 1 hour and 30 minutes the Piccadilly line takes to traverse the full route

    So all in all, I think I’ll leave Paddington station to a mischievous Peruvian Bear !


    travelsforfun
    Participant

    Agreed!

    The Heathrow Express has been positioned to attract passengers who would otherwise travel by taxi. Factoring in the frequency, the Heathrow Express generally only makes clear sense if you take a taxi to/from Paddington. From the majority of locations, once you’re on the Tube, it makes sense to stay on the Tube.


    KeaneJohn
    Participant

    I remember when the Heathrow Express first started the one way fare was £5 and it went to a little station about 5 mins from the airport where you transferred to buses to your terminal.

    Back in those days and when the HEX started to go to the terminals itself, you could check luggage in with BA and American. Can’t remember what other carriers they had. I used to love that facility and the Gatwick London terminal for that matter with the BA check in area in whart is now the Sainsburys of Victoria Plaza.


    CornishExile
    Participant

    Thanks for the tip on advanced purchase HEx fares AMcWhirter – have made significant savings as a result. Those fares are far cheaper than even the Railair coach option from Reading, which was my original plan.


    PeterCoultas
    Participant

    canucklad – your comments rather underline why heathrow is a pretty poor airport for those wishing to visit London – maybe if only transiting (in one or other terminal) it is ok, assuming the Mad May’s Minions are not too aggressive. And, of course, god help you if you are driving to or from it.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Well I had to do something on the way home tonight:

    off the aircraft T5A @ 6.25pm

    Checked bag off the carrousel @ 6.45pm

    On tube @ 6.55pm

    Changed onto Northern Line (Leicester Square) @ 7.49p

    Onto Northern Line train @ 7.55p

    Reached Brent X (to compare to Canucklad’s research) @ 8.16pm

    That’s not too bad.. 30 minutes from landing onto the tube and 81 minutes later (+10 minutes from arrival hall to getting on tube) at Brent X… Overall though it took me 1 hour longer to get home, but cost me only £3.10..


    Daytripper
    Participant

    My office is in Soho and I travel to or from Heathrow at least once per fortnight.

    Option A: Piccadilly Circus-Paddington (Bakerloo) and then HEX
    Option B: Piccadilly Circus-Heathrow (Piccadilly Line)

    The tube (taking on average 45 minutes) is generally quicker than the HEX option unless I’m lucky with the HEX departure time out of Paddington when I jump off the Bakerloo line. Not changing trains on the tube-only option makes the whole journey much more relaxing, although the rolling stock on the Piccadilly line is pretty rancid compared to other tube lines and not much of a ‘showpiece’ to arriving international visitors.

    Having said that, the ludicrous fares on HEX aren’t much of a ‘welcome to Britain’ for travellers either.


    canucklad
    Participant

    I’ll tell you what Martyn, based on your Brent Cross comparison, I’m mightily impressed with these journey planning sites……Off by only 2 minutes!

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 37 total)
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