Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Give or take a decade or two.
New Crossrail / Elizabeth line tube map released
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DJWrongspeed
radio eros
Grim news, the cross rail capacity idea is very much pre- covid. Regarding the opening 3 way split, sounds like testing hasn’t gone well enough.
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T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Do we have any up-to-date information about the prices for the Heathrow spur, and the future of the Heathrow Express?
In literally every other country in the world I would expect either the Heathrow Express franchise to be discontinued, or forced to lower its fares to those corresponding with the Crossrail equivalent. But why oh why do I have the sneaking suspicion we’re going to end up with a ‘Heathrow supplement’ fee for Crossrail journeys to LHR that are going make it similar in cost to the extraordinarily expensive Heathrow Express ticket price?
I’d fucking love to be proven wrong, but I’d be very surprised if whoever exploits the Heathrow Express line a) isn’t a fucking Tory donor, and b) is going to accept a much lower ticket fare being set for a competing railway journey to them.
Privatised railways in the UK, eh?
In literally every other country in the world I would expect either the Heathrow Express franchise to be discontinued, or forced to lower its fares to those corresponding with the Crossrail equivalent. But why oh why do I have the sneaking suspicion we’re going to end up with a ‘Heathrow supplement’ fee for Crossrail journeys to LHR that are going make it similar in cost to the extraordinarily expensive Heathrow Express ticket price?
I’d fucking love to be proven wrong, but I’d be very surprised if whoever exploits the Heathrow Express line a) isn’t a fucking Tory donor, and b) is going to accept a much lower ticket fare being set for a competing railway journey to them.
Privatised railways in the UK, eh?
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
Crossrail has as taken over the old Heathrow Connect franchise which has more stops than its express rival. Personally, I have never understood the advantage of having an express service to a station as marginal as Paddington.
At the moment trips to Heathrow will be more expensive, but will be capped, so that if you use Oyster you'll not pay more than £13.50 for trips within the Oyster zones in one day.
I can't see many locals being seduced by the charms of Heathrow Express, but presumably they'll still get revenue from visitors who don't know the system. It's the same as for Gatwick Express which is more expensive than the slightly slower stopping alternatives.
T & P
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To be fair the journey cost to the airport is not so fundamental for me anymore (used to be, as undoubtedly it is for many others). But it still pisses me off that they will take the piss simply because they get away with it.
Never mind the environmental cost, however small. Anyone with a car driving licence and a Zipcar membership can drive themselves to Heathrow for £14 and leave the car there. Little incentive to promote public transport over cars if Crossrail will not offer door to door journeys for much more than a fiver.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
There is still the Tube alternative which is slower but cheaper £5.50 peak from Beckton, my local stop, to Heathrow Terminal 5 in peak hours £3.50 off peak. If I take the scenic route using the overground between Stratford and Gunnesbury and changing 4 times, the journey costs £1.70 off peak.
I was so surprised, I checked the last price twice.
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skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Heathrow express used to be better value when you could check your luggage in with the airline at Paddington and go straight to departures as soon as you got to the airport. Now I really don't see the point unless you're so time critical it's worth paying a premium for, it's basically only a half hour difference over the tube from T5 to central London.
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
The issue with Heathrow express is the super-rich in the west of London don’t take public transport - and this could even include flying on a non-private jet - and anyone working in the city who could expense it isn’t dumb enough to schlep all the way to Paddington to catch it.
platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
I like the Heathrow Express, if you use a railcard or advance ticketing it's not too expensive, and if you need to travel during rush hour with luggage it's much more fun than being packed with commuters on the alternatives.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
Yes, but you've still got to get you and your luggage to Paddington on rush-hour transport. I'm wracking my brains to think of anyone I've ever met, be they super-rich, super-poor or super-middle-class who lives anywhere near Paddington.
T & P
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He came on the slow train.What about Paddington?
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
What about Paddington?
He's an illegal alien who grooms pigeons, lives a cardboard shanty town and is personally responsible for the current chronic marmalade shortage.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
The depraved ursine social-climber managed to wangle his way into Brideshead too.
Paddington is on the wrong side of the park and consequently has always attracted the worse sorts.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
A fixed day single is £18 in advance. So if you have a 1/3 off discount then ok, £12 may just be worth it depending on where you're coming from, and then only if travelling alone.
But for just £12 more you can get a saloon car pick you up at your door in Paddington and drop you off. If you're any further West or travelling with another person it doesn't really make any sense at all to to back east to get on the Heathrow Express at all (I used to regularly get £25 cabs to Heathrow from Shepherds Bush for example).
That said, if traffic is a concern and there's a flight to catch then it may make sense, but not much more than the tube - and again only if you're starting from around Paddington or Central/East.
But for just £12 more you can get a saloon car pick you up at your door in Paddington and drop you off. If you're any further West or travelling with another person it doesn't really make any sense at all to to back east to get on the Heathrow Express at all (I used to regularly get £25 cabs to Heathrow from Shepherds Bush for example).
That said, if traffic is a concern and there's a flight to catch then it may make sense, but not much more than the tube - and again only if you're starting from around Paddington or Central/East.
T & P
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And then one realises that with Zipcar you could just drive yourself to Heathrow and leave the car there for an equivalent or smaller door-to-door cost (£14 per hour, which would be plenty of time for a large chunk of London, never mind if there's more than one person travelling) as well as lot more comfortoable and less hassle, and it's the final nail in the coffin for the Heathrow Express.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
I mean, it's an option sure. I don't think it's quite the threat you've painted there tbh but it's good to know.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
Do you have shares in Zipcar?
Riklet
procrastinación
Im considering flying from LHR terminal 5 soon for a trip away Thursday-Sunday. Never been before.
Theres national express from where I live in Somerset but the times are a bit wrong unfortunately.
Whats my options for driving to near Heathrow along M4 and then parking 'nearby' before getting Elizabeth Line there? Anyone know any good nearby areas that arent all resident parking or parking restricted during the week?
Theres national express from where I live in Somerset but the times are a bit wrong unfortunately.
Whats my options for driving to near Heathrow along M4 and then parking 'nearby' before getting Elizabeth Line there? Anyone know any good nearby areas that arent all resident parking or parking restricted during the week?
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
may be stating the obvious, but do you know about berrys coaches? they stop at hammersmith which is handy for the piccadilly line to heathrow.
although anything with a few journeys a day and pre-booked tickets is always a bit of a gamble that your flight won't be late / you won't be delayed getting yourself and luggage out of the airport.
if rail might be an option, then going via slough then bus (plenty of buses from slough to heathrow) may be a cheaper option than either going via paddington or reading and railair coach.
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
There are some places you can park on Bath Rd near the doubletree hotel which are free. Then get a TfL bus to T5.
Riklet
procrastinación
No worries thats v helpful. Had a little potter on google maps. Some good places closer to Heathrow even back in West Drayton where like you say, a local bus looks easy.
Looks like might be more useful to just get a bus than change on the Elizabeth line.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
An accident of history, unfortunately. Most stations were built before a standard loading gauge had been agreed, so platforms were all built low, to accomodate the wide variety of train that might call there. And now, 100 years down the line (pun intended) all mainline stations still have to be sized to take any possible train, including freight. So even the refurbed Liz line stations still have the "historic" platform height. True level access, as seen at some tube stations and the central Liz line stations is only possible when the trains and stations are designed to the same standard, and you can guarantee that no other train types will call there.
So Abbey Wood has level access, because the Liz platforms only see Liz trains. Whereas Acton still has a big step because they have to share with GWR trains.
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