How to get from LHR to STN?

[falcon10]

What is the best and quickest way to get from LHR to STN?

Thanks,

[Nightrider]

hourly bus service from LHR central bus station (Terminal 1,2&3) as well as Terminal 4, journey approximately 1.5 hrs

[greatorex]

I'll have one of 'em BIK!!! :D :D :D :D

[swashplate]

Dunno about LHR-STN, but didn't there used to be an LHR-LGW service using Sikorsky S-61s?

Sometime in the '70s?? :confused:

[spekesoftly]

Yep, operated by BA - c/s 'Link 1' and 'Link 2'. Think the service was still going in the early '80s. Seem to recall that some of the wealthier residents living between the two Airports objected to the noise, so when the M25 was finally completed, ostensibly providing an alternative(?) transfer, the service ceased.

[Llademos]

journey approximately 1.5 hrs

... yeah, at 0400 on a Sunday morning.

I never trust the M25 for more than 5 miles if I need to be at the airport in time. Better to use the Stansted Express (40 mins), circle line (20 mins) and Heathrow Express (20 mins).

[brockenspectre]

falcon how about checking out the rail/tube/rail options? I think if you do the Heathrow Express to Paddington you can pick up a tube to Liverpool Street and then there is a rail service from Liverpool Street to Stansted..

Railtrack Website (http://www.railtrack.co.uk) has a timetable option for you to play with!

:cool:

[ramsrc]

British Caledonian also operated an "airlink" service between Gatwick and Heathrow. I used it myself on one occasion and compared to the M25 it was paradise.

Ahhhh! Those were the days. When aircraft made real noise...

As for LHR to STN, there is no "quick way". I would agree with Llademos better off using the train. Less likely to end up sitting in a traffic jam for three hours.

[timzsta]

Heathrow Express/Circle Line/Stansted Express will be quickest way. Be advised at present Stansted Express is not running on Sundays due to engineering work (replaced by Coach - journey time 90 mins).

[A Very Civil Pilot]

LHR-AMS-STN? :p

[Nopax,thanx]

Definitely recommend the rail option - No.1 son is at University near LHR - when he comes home mid-term he meets me here at STN, where I work, and he always uses the train/tube.

We looked at the bus, but it was nowhere near as convenient. M25 can be a pig, especially in the late afternoon clockwise from LHR. Used to do STN-LHR several times a week in my previous job, it was usually just over an hour in the middle of the day.

Strangely enough, Saturdays are really good on the M25, we often drive round and have only rarely been held up - Sundays are worse....

[leonbrumsack]

Have never tried it, but I am sure a helicopter would be the most comfortable and quickest way to get there. But then again, they do cost quite a bit. Air Harrods have a collection of Sikorsky S76s and Eurocopter EC135s. They are based at Stansted and regularly fly into Heathrow too, with the full VIP treatment! Their website is at www.AirHarrods.com (http://www.airharrods.com).

If this is a bit too expensive, the coaches seem to be fairly reliable, but then again the M25 isn't!

Brgds,

Leon :)

[PilotsPal]

The Circle line is frequently closed in parts at weekends for engineering work - check before you buy a ticket at LHR. If so, quickest option is to grab a taxi at Paddington to go on to Liverpool Street.

[Tiger]

The interairport coach service is quite good. Its called JetLink and they run frequently from LHR Central Bus Station and Term.4.
I use there services most days finding the service good.
The M25 has problems at certain times of the day, especially Monday morning rush hour and Friday evening rush hour.
The drivers tend to take the coach off route if the traffic is really bad. But the timetables are over timed. During the day its a half hourly departure from LHR. So they are frequent.
If you are travelling rush hour time take the earlier coach.
see www.gobycoach.com for the timetable and fares. If you are airport/airline staff we get a discount by showing your ID. If its a regular journey you plan to make BAA offer a Discounted Season Ticket on the JetLink services and the most expensive fare is £60 for a month or £600 a year.
The train is a lot of hard work and changing. The circle/Hammersmith line (London Transport) isn`t one of the best, slow and overcrowed. It aint pleasant with luggage. If you do opt for the train service go to the Met./Hammersmith City Line at Paddington. It`s above ground and you`re not running through tunnels to get to the platforms. I`ve tried varrious methods of getting to work and found the coach service far better than any train service, at least you get a seat on the coach and the journey time is quicker comparing timetables.

Hope this helps...

[Check 6]

LHR Detling SID Abbot 1E Arrival STN ??

:D :D :D

[kala87]

Jetlink route 797 leaves LHR Central bus station every 2 hours between 0640 and 2240 for Cambridge via Stansted.

The LHR-Cambridge route is hourly, but alternate departures from LHR go via either Luton Airport (route 787) or Stansted, giving a 2-hourly service interval to each airport. The timetable indicates the journey time to be 90 minutes.

Each route also leaves T4 about 15 minutes before the Central bus station departure time.

I've used the 787 for several years to get from Luton Airport to LHR and never missed a flight yet, although it's true the M25 can get horribly congested at virtually any time of day. The bus schedule allows for this possibility to an extent, although of course if the M25 is blocked solid then the bus will be late. The trick is to give yourself a generous connection time.

[MR WIBBLE]

It may take a while, but you could try the good old fashioned way and WALK!!

[yankeeclipper747]

Done the rail / tube / rail routine both ways, never made it in under 2+15 due to connection time, track construction, sloooow tube, etc.

Nice suggestion for the 787 bus - if the flight times allow, I will try it next time.

[stator vane]

i've been doing the LHR/STN/LHR for about three years, but just for coming over on my days off.

there is something much more enjoyable about being above ground, even if stuck in a tailback.

leg room on bus could be better, but at least you can get up and stretch a leg a bit before the driver makes you sit back down. and many have loo's on board, though a bare minimum affair.

i found the tube/express quite pricey and the tube is very hard on the ears and air is not very fresh, and nothing to see out the windows.

bus for me when able. but then again, every day for a work schedule might be a different story.

cheers

[PAXboy]

Yep, operated by BA - c/s 'Link 1' and 'Link 2'. Think the service was still going in the early '80s. Seem to recall that some of the wealthier residents living between the two Airports objected to the noise, so when the M25 was finally completed, ostensibly providing an alternative(?) transfer, the service ceased.
If memory serves ... folks who lived under the flightpath of the GatLink, as is was unofficially known, did protest about noise.

The CAA agreed and told BA to install different radar, so that they could operate at higher altitudes.

BA declined. Service closed.

Now that the M25 is a joke and BA are shunting more domestic routes to LGW, they might want to see if anyone wants to use a proper connection again. :rolleyes: