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So a lot of people are on holiday...
Jul. 9th, 2022 08:08 am ...and some of you may be visiting London. If you come in via Heathrow there are now THREE rail services, which may be a little confusing.
Piccadilly line - London Underground - This is the cheapest service, around £7 from Heathrow to central London with a lot of stops along the way.
Pro - it's cheap, and there are a lot of stops on the line so if you know where you're heading there's a good chance you'll end up nearby. Especially useful if you're heading somewhere in west London but runs through central London and to the north. If you have a Transport for London Freedom Pass (e.g. if you're a Londoner and an old fart like me) it's free most of the time.
Cons - small trains with limited headroom, slow (about 45 minutes to central London) and crowded. Not all stations have step-free access.
Elizabeth Line a.k.a. Crossrail - about £14 from Heathrow to Paddington. At the moment you come in at an older platform at Paddington and have to change trains if you're going further, later this year they ought to join up the different bits of the Elizabeth Line at Paddington so it's a continuous run through to east London and beyond.
Pro - reasonably fast, about 30 minutes from Heathrow to Paddington with six intervening stops . Most stations have step-free access. Big reasonably comfortable trains. Also free if you have a Freedom Pass.
Con - At the moment the platform at Paddington doesn't have step-free access - this will change when they finish joining everything together, since the Heathrow trains will use the new Elizabeth Line platforms.
Heathrow Express - about £28 from Heathrow to Paddington, 20 minute journey with no stops. Comes in at main line platforms in Paddington,
Pros - fast, very comfortable, step-free access
Cons - Expensive, Freedom Pass not accepted, not much faster than the Elizabeth line, if you're going on anywhere else by train or underground you'll have to change trains at Paddington.
Given that I have a Freedom Pass, my preference is obviously the Elizabeth Line, but it might be more complicated if I was in a wheelchair or travelling with a pram, or was in a tearing hurry.
To make things more confusing Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line use the same platforms at Heathrow, and they'll try to sell you a Heathrow Express ticket before you get to the ticket office for Elizabeth Line. And tickets for one are not valid on the other, so if you buy e.g. a Heathrow Express ticket then accidentally board an Elizabeth Line train they will fine you for travelling without a ticket!
There are also plenty of buses, taxis, etc. but I think the trains are most useful for a lot of travellers.
Piccadilly line - London Underground - This is the cheapest service, around £7 from Heathrow to central London with a lot of stops along the way.
Pro - it's cheap, and there are a lot of stops on the line so if you know where you're heading there's a good chance you'll end up nearby. Especially useful if you're heading somewhere in west London but runs through central London and to the north. If you have a Transport for London Freedom Pass (e.g. if you're a Londoner and an old fart like me) it's free most of the time.
Cons - small trains with limited headroom, slow (about 45 minutes to central London) and crowded. Not all stations have step-free access.
Elizabeth Line a.k.a. Crossrail - about £14 from Heathrow to Paddington. At the moment you come in at an older platform at Paddington and have to change trains if you're going further, later this year they ought to join up the different bits of the Elizabeth Line at Paddington so it's a continuous run through to east London and beyond.
Pro - reasonably fast, about 30 minutes from Heathrow to Paddington with six intervening stops . Most stations have step-free access. Big reasonably comfortable trains. Also free if you have a Freedom Pass.
Con - At the moment the platform at Paddington doesn't have step-free access - this will change when they finish joining everything together, since the Heathrow trains will use the new Elizabeth Line platforms.
Heathrow Express - about £28 from Heathrow to Paddington, 20 minute journey with no stops. Comes in at main line platforms in Paddington,
Pros - fast, very comfortable, step-free access
Cons - Expensive, Freedom Pass not accepted, not much faster than the Elizabeth line, if you're going on anywhere else by train or underground you'll have to change trains at Paddington.
Given that I have a Freedom Pass, my preference is obviously the Elizabeth Line, but it might be more complicated if I was in a wheelchair or travelling with a pram, or was in a tearing hurry.
To make things more confusing Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line use the same platforms at Heathrow, and they'll try to sell you a Heathrow Express ticket before you get to the ticket office for Elizabeth Line. And tickets for one are not valid on the other, so if you buy e.g. a Heathrow Express ticket then accidentally board an Elizabeth Line train they will fine you for travelling without a ticket!
There are also plenty of buses, taxis, etc. but I think the trains are most useful for a lot of travellers.
