alanR

www.heathrowexpress.co.uk

1) no charge for luggage
2) Tube, bus or taxi which is why I don't recommend the HEX unless you are staying near Paddington, carrying everything including the kitchen sink or someone else is paying for it (Note I don't mention train as if your train goes from Paddington, it's probably better &cheaper to go to Reading or Watford Junction instead)
3) Most people travelling between LHR & London use the Tube (whilst carrying luggage) and by getting the Tube at LHR it guarantees a seat until you change Tube lines or end your trip.
4) The London Tube system handles nearly 1 billion passengers per year, approximately 3 million people per day, most of these will be travelling between 7-9am & 4-7pm in the central area, so it gets to the stage where standing room is in short supply.

Globaliser

You do get bigger seats (2-1 across the carriage instead of 2-2), more recline, legroom etc. etc. Plus a free copy of the FT if they've still got some left in your carriage.

For a 15-minute trip (23 minutes if going to/from T4), this is all lovely - if you can get it for free. I wouldn't myself pay the extra money for it, not in a million years.

typical

The DLR station on-site at London City Airport is open now, isn't it?

14 minutes to Canary Wharf, I believe...

Globaliser

Yes, it is. Soft opening on 2 December, official opening on 6 December. Schedules etc. are now loaded into the Journey Planner (which they weren't on 2 December).

salut0

This might seem ridiculous to people, but if this place in Kent counts as a London airport, what about BRU (Brussels) as an alternative London airport too?

I travelled from BRU-JFK due to a *much* lower one-way fare than from LHR last summer, and discovered that the 2h15 journey on Eurostar followed by a 15min local train to the airport (included in the Eurostar price since yoiu can go to any station in Belgium) was very convenient. And since the Eurostar is a train set up for travellers you won't find it difficult to stow your luggage...

The youth fare of £40 one way is less than a taxi cost to any of the London airports!

dba

A thousand thanks for this informative thread. We will be staying at a 5-minute's walk from Paddington, so I'd really like to take the Heathrow Express. Even so I'm slightly worried about the wisdom of doing it with three suitcases, three knapsacks, two shoulder bags, and one 6-year-old child.

Whatever we decide for the outbound trip, we still have to figure out how to get from Waterloo to our apartment when we arrive via Eurostar. I think we'll probably opt for a taxi -- looks like otherwise we have to deal with two tube lines or a bus, and I can't imagine either of those is going to be fun with all our luggage.

ClueByFour

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...es/4676388.stm

Looks like some service will remain, but be longer (eg, not express) and presumably not on dedicated trainsets (the latter is an assumption on my part, of course).

p1cunnin

I ended up using HEX to Paddington, then a rather pricey taxi to my hotel near London Bridge. Even on a Sunday morning, I thought I had too much baggage to worry about the Tube and whether or not I'd find stairs along the way. It was all quite painless and I did the same on the return. I had a big suitcase, a rolling computer case and a small carry on bag. Just had to be organized.

The HEX has quite a good deal of room and they do tend to linger at the stations, so getting your luggage in and out shouldn't be terrible. Just have a plan and move fairly swiftly when the train arrives. You can probably stage the baggage just inside the door when the train pulls up, then move them to the baggage racks once you're inside. Put wife and child in first with the small bags, then toss in the big bags. The six year old should be able to tote his or his own shoulder bag or knapsack. At Paddington, you'll have a bit more time to unload.

One issue at LHR is that you can't quite get the baggage trolleys to the platform, so again, a bit of planning is in order. T3 to the HEX platform is a hike, but with a couple baggage trolleys you should be ok. At LHR, the trolleys are free. The ones at Paddington required a one pound coin to free up the trolley.

All that said, I'm wondering if by the time you buy HEX tickets for the three of you, you might be better off paying a taxi door to door?

p1cunnin

Having spent a couple weeks in the UK going from place to place, I found that the National Rail Website was extraordinarily valuable to plan rail trips.

Also, while Gatwick Express is useful, I was also able to find fairly frequent service from Gatwick to London Bridge. Thameslink is worthwhile to use if you're travelling off peak and light.

The only caution on the National Rail website is to pay attention to the connection modes and timing. Some connections are "Tube" or "Foot" and I noted that it will sometimes offer a connection that departs at the same time as your arrival. Since many stations have multiple platforms, it's unlikely that you'll make a tight connection. Overall, I found that I could plan journeys around London that were comfortable and convenient.

Globaliser

The issue will be that those seeking to board at Gatwick may find no space at peak times, and have little time to board before the train is due to depart. Similar issues for the London-Gatwick direction.

Cancelling the Gatwick Express will, IMHO, be another nail in Gatwick's coffin.

dba

Thanks again. I'm sure the cost would be about the same for a taxi, but I just have this thing about taking taxis when it isn't all that necessary. If we were staying further from Paddington I think I wouldn't bother with HEX, but when a city, country, or private company has planned exactly the right sort of public transportation mode I really want to try to use it. Sounds like we should be able to do so in this case, although I'll get a better sense of just how far we are from Paddington once we're in London.

From Waterloo to our apartment I think we'll probably take a taxi.

Colin

To get from T3 Arrivals to the Heathrow Central Bus Terminal do I use underground walkways following the same route I would use to get to the tube station? Is the Central Bus Terminal directly above the main tube station?

thunderbirdfan

My nephew will be attending Luton University in May, & I am assisting him with his move.

We will be traveling separately from the States & arriving on different days.

I will have three pieces of luggage...two 62 linear inch (weighing 30 kg) & one 45 linear inch (weighing 20 kg). Also, one handbag.

I plan to use the National Express bus from LHR to LTN. I don't want to use the Tube for part of the way because I cannot handle that much luggage efficiently by myself under the conditions that the Tube poses. Also, I do not want to risk injuring another person nor myself. I remember how steep the escalators are.

My question is: Is that amount of luggage acceptable on National Express, or should I plan on making two trips to Luton from Heathrow?
The latter is do-able, as I can use the airport luggage storage if I must make a second trip.

Or do I have any other option besides National Express?

P.S. If I do need to use National Express for two trips, I plan to use the Thameslink & Tube on the return to LHR, as I will not be luggage-laden.

typical

National Express rules say two suitcases and a piece of hand luggage - I doubt the 20kg suitcase would count as the latter. If the bus isn't busy you might get away with it depending on the bus driver, but it's a risk.

The only other option I can think of is hiring a car to do the journey one way from Heathrow to Luton - Europcar would hire you a car for a few hours starting from £50 or so. After factoring the cost of a taxi from LTN to wherever your nephew is living to the overall cost of taking the coach, the difference might not be that great. Assuming you're comfortable driving in the UK of course!

Strawb

Yes, just follow the underground walkway to the Tube entrance and there will be escalators to take you up to the Bus Terminal directly above.