Howard Long

Folks

I am usually better organised, but I've found myself in a bit of a pickle this Friday with an appointment that means I need to get from Liverpool St at around 4pm to LHR T3 for a flight at 7pm.

While usually I leave plenty of time, enough to go home and pick up my stuff and get changed, this time it's straight to the airport. I'll be small rollaboard HBO, and was thinking along the lines of tube to Paddington and then HEx as the quickest option, However, I am not a regular at Paddington, except to know that the not all tube connections to Paddington are equal.

I am thinking along the lines of Central line direct to Lancaster Gate plus a short walk, or Hammersmith & City or Circle. For some reason the TFL website is telling me to take the Central line to Oxford Circle then onto the Bakerloo to Paddington which seems like a bit of a faff, but doable even though I'm not familiar with changing Central -> Bakerloo at Oxford Circus.

Any recommendations from City based people, particularly around tube connections at Paddington?

LondonTechTraveller

Circle Line or Hammersmith and City Line to Paddington and get the Heathrow Express.

NWIFlyer

I do this journey every time I fly from Heathrow. I'd actually be entirely comfortable with a tube journey the whole way with that sort of buffer.

Whilst the nominally fastest route is Central to Holborn changing to Piccadilly, at that time of day Holborn is a zoo and it can take a long while to get onto the Piccadilly Line platform - so I'd take Circle to Gloucester Road (an unannounced transfer point, so therefore usually quieter than South Kensington) and on to Piccadilly from there. Time wise it's only slightly longer even with a smooth journey, and in reality at that time possibly 20 minutes quicker - plus the carriages are much, much less crowded.

Leaving at 4pm I'd expect to be at T3 by 5.30 latest.

The fastest - but clearly far more expensive - is, as has been said, either Circle or Hammersmith & City to Paddington, then HEX. You're probably typically looking at 45-50 minutes total.

Howard Long

ScruttonStreet

I think the walk from the Circle line train platform at Paddington to HEX would be a little quicker than the walk from the Hammersmith trains, as the latter means you have to essentially exit the station and go back in. But it is a matter of minutes. I would take the first train and, if it's a Circle Line train, so much the better.

BAAZ

It's very easy at Paddington now the Circle Line is no longer circular. The westbound Circle Line or Hammersmith & City trains from Liverpool St go to Hammersmith, and at Paddington they stop at platform 15 in the main line station. (There is another part of the Circle Line underground at the other end of the station, which is for trains going round the loop to High St Ken and beyond, or the one stop to Edgware Road where they terminate and reverse.)

So you just have to get off the train, go up the steps to the footbridge and walk across and down to platform 6 or 7 to get the Heathrow Express. It's very quick indeed especially if you only have hand luggage.

BAAZ

? - they both go on the same lines through Paddington - the Circle line trains from Liverpool Street to Paddington follow the Hammersmith trains to Hammersmith.

UKtravelbear

Central line from Liverpool Street to Ealing Broadway and then catch the Heathrow Connect. Likely less stressful that Paddington and possibly quicker and definitely cheaper

JFX1764

Howard Long

chance88088

I find TFL make a lot of terrible recommendations, particularly when it comes to the H&C line (which although the trains are slower than some of the lines, it runs above ground so I find it much more pleasant and the journey is usually no longer (despite the faster trains on other lines.)

stut

The slightly quirky alternative is to take the Central Line to Lancaster Gate, walk to Paddington and then take the HEX from there. The Central Line is faster and more reliable than the Circhampolitan, generally speaking.

However, if you're not confident, then changing in Paddington is bound to be easier. The change from the Underground (Over Ground) station to the main station bridge is dead easy.

Or you can just wait for the Brenda Line to show up. Only a year and a bit until the direct services start...

JFX1764

TfL suggests routes based on many factors, not just speed. Will suggest routes that have less demand to spread crowding, will suggest changes with less stairs for routes where customers are likely to have luggage (essentially to/from Heathrow) and many other factors.
Though sometimes it can just throw up some silly routes.

Or this December with a change at Paddington.

12939

I do this journey a lot.

The connection between the Central and Bakerloo lines at Oxford Circus is very easy, which might be why TfL suggest that route. Position yourself at the front of the Central line train, step off at Oxford Circus, turn left as you step off, 1 minute fast-ish walk to the Bakerloo line platform (keeping left at the split then right at the T-junction) with a few steps (one flight but potentially awkward if you have large or heavy luggage). It does work, though it's not my preference on this route. Deep-level tube lines generally have a high frequency service so you won't be waiting too long. If you have time, position yourself mid-train on the Bakerloo train for access to the escalator at Paddington.

I normally take the H&C/Circle and connect to the HEx, as others have suggested. It's a more comfortable journey - bigger cars and air-con. Position either approximately one car forward or rearward of mid-train on the H&C/Circle for best positioning for the stairs at Paddington.

A modification to the above that I frequently use if an H&C/Circle train is not the first train at Liverpool Street, is to take the Metropolitan line train (shared platform) as far as Great Portland Street - step off and then step on the first H&C/Circle train that comes (it's usually next, but verify). Most people seem to only take the Metropolitan line if that is the one they want - as a result, they are often less crowded than H&C/Circle. These lines share a route as far as Baker Street, but only share the same platforms as far as Great Portland Street where you can simply step off and step back on - enough people get off that getting on the H&C/Circle is not difficult. If you go to Baker Street you will have to cross the station to change platforms as the lines diverge just before the station throat.

Timing, whatever the timetables say, is generally an hour from Liverpool Street to the T5 HEx platform. On the HEx position in the second carriage from the front (or alternatively, the forward carriage of the rear unit on a double-unit train, or Business-First carriage of the front unit) for swift access to the lifts at T5.

If you just miss a HEx, as I seem to on a regular basis, add another 15-20 mins - although they leave every 15 mins, in practice the train is removed from the departure boards a minute or two before it actually leaves, so you can be tricked into thinking the train has already left. The smart traveller checks the HEx departures on his/her smartphone whilst the H&C/Circle is stopped at Edgeware Road: Live Departure Boards - National Rail Enquiries to save time at Paddington.

I now realise that I have an OCD with journey optimisation.

Howard Long

The Lancaster Gate plus walk is the one I'm most familiar with: some years ago I had a number of commutes to Cardff, involving a walk or bike ride through the park via the Lancaster Gate triangle and on to Paddington at the start of my journey.