Help me to reach LHR T3
 

A sudden realisation that my GOT departure from LHR tomorrow afternoon is from T3, not T5 as I had assumed. I have bad past experiences of trying to reach T3... but will put those behind me.
I am arriving, domestic, into LGW and should be clear of formalities by 9am, 10 o'clock at the latest.
Plan A, to reach T5, would have been either the NExp coach, although the M23 has been playing up of late, or a Southern train to Clapham, SWest Trains to Feltham and then the 490 bus to right outside the terminal.
But T3 doesn't have direct bus/coach access - I recall about a half-mile walk, with luggage along underground passages way with very few of the Travelators actually working.
Ping! Easy, I think - use the new Elizabeth Line because the Heathrow official map shows the station as being '2 mins' walk to departures. (The Tube station is shown separately and as being '4 mins' away, so presumably not co-sited?
BUT - how hard can it be to purchase a through rail ticket, Gatwick to T2&3 via the Elizabeth Line? Almost impossible, it seems: no train App or website will let me buy one - all say either 'not available' or offer only the option to use the ludicrously expensive Heathrow Express.
Seems I may have to buy a succession of tickets on-the-day - Gatwick to Farringdon, on Thameslink, and then start 'tap and go' on the various bits of the Elizabeth Line with a short gap while I transverse Paddington.
Any other options?

You can tap in and out on the Elizabeth Line with a card or phone, just like the other TFL services. It’s £11.50 each way from Paddington.

Off peak (after 09:30) fare from Gatwick Airport to Heathrow is £18.80 using Oyster or bank card.
Change trains at Farringdon and Paddington.

Gatwick to Feltham (change at Clapham Junction) is £9.00 plus bus £1.60 = £10.60

Fares info here:
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/...r?intcmp=54716

It's really not that traumatic . UBER if you're concerned about the transactions and connections...right now it's 55 mins and £65

If you want to use a paper ticket, a Gatwick to Zones 1-6 travelcard (Thameslink train only from Gatwick) will be £17.30, so better than Oyster.

Only one ticket required; readily available from any station in advance if required to avoid the queues at Gatwick.

The HEX/crossrail station is closer to T3 than the tube station, basically it is about half way between T3 and the tube station. There are moving walkways along the corridors and they are working.

If you get crossrail from Farrigdon you will have to change trains at Paddington as they do not run straight through atm. So you will arrive in the crossrail station then have to get off, go up to the mainline station, and then across to platforms 11/12. HEX is platform 6 & 7. If you use code JFK19 when buying a full fare one way ticket on HEX it should drop the price to £16.50.

The £11.50 off peak fare currently applies from Gatwick to T3 via Central London. That's actually off peak only in respect of the GTW leg, since Heathrow is now peak all the time, and I think the GTW fare is actually filed as GTW to London plus Zone 6, so it doesn't matter how you do it, just tap in to each barrier as you come to it - it's pretty easy with contactliess or Oyster. You save £2 if you avoid Zone 1 but that's not going to be worth the hassle, so GTW to Farringdon is the easiest way. Before the Elizabeth Line came on stream, I found GTW-LHR T5 used to take 100 minutes (e.g. Victoria then Barons Court). T3 should therefore be about 95 minutes if you go via Victoria. I would hope that Farringdon would be faster.

The travelators to T3 are now mainly working, but the HEX+Elizabeth Line is situated much nearer to T3, the tube is right by T2.

thank you – for some reason, I had assumed travel cards were not valid on the new line. Can’t think why.

Many thanks for all the help and advice. Now sorted ... my mistake was to select 'single journey' when attempting to buy the ticket (because I won't be using it for the return, some days hence). By opting for 'return journey' the App is pleased to issue me the Travelcard zones 1-6 ticket, complete with railcard discount.

Remember the Elizabeth line is not running through to LHR until November so there will be a cross Paddington connection to factor in changing between Elizabeth line branches

Ah - thanks. Presumably undercover and signposted? Roll-on November! Looking at the timetables, it seems as though T2&3 is ideally served by both T4 and T5 trains - so potentially a good service.

Yes. Crossrail is every 15 mins to LHR. All go to the central station, then 2 per hour go to T4 and 2 per hour go to T5.

When you get off the Elizabeth Line train at Paddington, use escalator/lift to go up to street level and exit through the ticket barriers, exit the ticket hall and walk about 50m across an open courtyard into the mainline station entrance. You will enter by Platform 1. You will need to walk across the width of the station to Platform 11 or 12 on the far side for the Elizabeth Line train to Heathrow.

Yes under cover and signposted. You will come up the escalators at the west side of the station - head inside and around the front of the platforms towards the other side of the station. You will pass the info displays which will tell you which platform to head for.

Gatwick to Farringdon - get on the rear of the train.
At Farringdon - use the lifts at the back/rear of the platform to take you direct to the Elizabeth Line level. You should not have to use any stairs or escalators - it's much quicker.