Trainfare to LHR (from CVT)
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Trainfare to LHR (from CVT)
National Rail Enquiries in India were totally incapable of answering this, so maybe someone can help.
I need to go down to LHR this afternoon, and then back into central London, before returning back here.
The most convenient route is train to Watford, Railair bus to LHR, then Heathrow Express to Paddington / tube / back to CVT from Euston.
I usually pay £12.70 to Milton Keynes and then £12.00 network travelcard from MK to London.
I was given a fare of £39.20 to LHR, but then told that was via Reading.
So my questions are:
Are travelcards valid on Railair coaches (I presume not)?
Is there a through ticket valid on all trains & the railair bus?
Has anyone else found National Rail Enquiries totally useless when you get put through to India?
I need to go down to LHR this afternoon, and then back into central London, before returning back here.
The most convenient route is train to Watford, Railair bus to LHR, then Heathrow Express to Paddington / tube / back to CVT from Euston.
I usually pay £12.70 to Milton Keynes and then £12.00 network travelcard from MK to London.
I was given a fare of £39.20 to LHR, but then told that was via Reading.
So my questions are:
Are travelcards valid on Railair coaches (I presume not)?
Is there a through ticket valid on all trains & the railair bus?
Has anyone else found National Rail Enquiries totally useless when you get put through to India?
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Not if you look at the timetable it doesn't - one takes just under 2 hours. Can you do it in less on train and bus?
Service number 210
Coventry, Pool Meadow bus station, West Midlands Depart : 12:15
Heathrow Airport, Terminal 3, Greater London 14:00
HEATHROW AIRPORT, central bus station Arrive : 14:05
Service number 210
Coventry, Pool Meadow bus station, West Midlands Depart : 12:15
Heathrow Airport, Terminal 3, Greater London 14:00
HEATHROW AIRPORT, central bus station Arrive : 14:05
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Brabazon, I stand corrected. That is certainly worth a shot. When I said takes all day, I was referring to getting back from London to Coventry, but I could always take the bus down & train back, using the other half of the ticket on my next trip.
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National Rail tickets do not encompass Heathrow Express, as the Express is not a part of the National Rail network - it is privately owned by BAA.
National Rail Enquiries is incidentally located in the UK and has not been outsourced to India as yet - any answer they give you can only be as good as their training which is in my experience crap. I would put money on and Indian service being better judging by the professionalism they put into the job compared to UK staff on other outsourced services.
National Rail Enquiries is incidentally located in the UK and has not been outsourced to India as yet - any answer they give you can only be as good as their training which is in my experience crap. I would put money on and Indian service being better judging by the professionalism they put into the job compared to UK staff on other outsourced services.
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Re-Heat, National Rail Enquiries announced last year that they were outsourcing 50% of calls to India (IIRC). Judging by the accents and info given, I would say my calls this morning were answered in India, and this evening were answered in Scotland.
Either way, they got it wrong many times:
I had to pester them to find out about the fare to LHR using the Heathrow Express. You can get a return from Coventry on this route - cost £57 for a saver - I think slightly more than buying the tickets seperately.
They said the bus from Watford to Heathrow ran hourly, took 55 minutes, and cost £7.20. Actually, it runs every half hour, takes about 30 minsm and costs £4.
They told me there were no trains home to Coventry tonight after 10:30. Fortunately I didn't believe them and turned up at Euston to find that the 22:50 back to Coventry was stopping at Rugby for a bus, even though this wasn't displayed on the departures board.
For a government which loves to talk about an integrated transport network, trying to work out connections between train & plane remains a major pain!
Either way, they got it wrong many times:
I had to pester them to find out about the fare to LHR using the Heathrow Express. You can get a return from Coventry on this route - cost £57 for a saver - I think slightly more than buying the tickets seperately.
They said the bus from Watford to Heathrow ran hourly, took 55 minutes, and cost £7.20. Actually, it runs every half hour, takes about 30 minsm and costs £4.
They told me there were no trains home to Coventry tonight after 10:30. Fortunately I didn't believe them and turned up at Euston to find that the 22:50 back to Coventry was stopping at Rugby for a bus, even though this wasn't displayed on the departures board.
For a government which loves to talk about an integrated transport network, trying to work out connections between train & plane remains a major pain!
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The reason that you would have been quoted different fares is that there are 2 operators between CVT and london. There is Silverlink Trains (who operate a slower, cheaper service) and Virgin (who operate a quicker, more expensive service).
The cheapest fare via London would be a Saver Return which is £37.30 going Coventry-London-(underground)-Heathrow but there would be restrictions on when you could travel back from London with that type of ticket.
The bus from Watford to Heathrow is again operated by 2 different operators. There is a half-hourly service is operated by National Express, which is the one that costs £4 i think. The reason you were quoted an hourly £7.20 service is that refers to the Virgin service, which is timed to meet the times of the Virgin services into London. The Virgin service does run half-hourly, at xx20 and xx50, but it's only the xx50 service which connects with trains coming into London.
The last service London-Coventry is at 2340 from Euston (see timetable)
I don't think any of the calls are actually being taken in India yet. I worked there until February of this year, and about 60% of the people working there (in the UK) were of Indian origin, its possible you were actually speaking to someone in this country when you phoned them up.
The cheapest fare via London would be a Saver Return which is £37.30 going Coventry-London-(underground)-Heathrow but there would be restrictions on when you could travel back from London with that type of ticket.
The bus from Watford to Heathrow is again operated by 2 different operators. There is a half-hourly service is operated by National Express, which is the one that costs £4 i think. The reason you were quoted an hourly £7.20 service is that refers to the Virgin service, which is timed to meet the times of the Virgin services into London. The Virgin service does run half-hourly, at xx20 and xx50, but it's only the xx50 service which connects with trains coming into London.
The last service London-Coventry is at 2340 from Euston (see timetable)
National Rail Enquiries announced last year that they were outsourcing 50% of calls to India (IIRC).
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Go to Coventry station, ask for a single to Heathrow via Watford Junction bus link, your ticket will say destination 'Heathrow Bus Wfj'. xx35 from Cov to WFJ, exitstation left first bus stop is the half hourly coach to Heathrow, thro ticket at driver. However it would be cheaper for you to buy a Saver Cov-London, get off at Watford and buy a single on the bus (£4) and a single from Heathrow to London (anywhere between about £3 on the tube and £millions on the HEX).
John Walton: the 2 operators are National Express (Operations) Ltd who operate on behalf of Virgin, usually but not always in a Virgin liveried minibus, whilst Arriva/Greenline's 724 also does the same trip but in about twice the time.
TheTrainline will try and sell you via Reading as it recognises Heathrow as a destination from Reading, and unless you enter your destination on the website as 'Heathrow via Watford Bus' it won't recognise it.
This probably too late to answer your query.
John Walton: the 2 operators are National Express (Operations) Ltd who operate on behalf of Virgin, usually but not always in a Virgin liveried minibus, whilst Arriva/Greenline's 724 also does the same trip but in about twice the time.
TheTrainline will try and sell you via Reading as it recognises Heathrow as a destination from Reading, and unless you enter your destination on the website as 'Heathrow via Watford Bus' it won't recognise it.
This probably too late to answer your query.
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World Traveller and John Walton, thanks for explaining the Watford bus a bit more - it really is as clear as mud now.
It may have been a one-off journey, but I do add stuff about this on the site. For passengers with heavy luggage, the National Express from Pool Meadown would be by far the best option.
With regards to a day trip to meet & greet, or for any other purpose, the cheapest ticket would be to use the tube:
Cov to MK £13.20 + MK Travelcard £12 with Network Card - total £25.20 - includes tube all way out to LHR, which is in Zone 6.
The last train back should be around 23:40, but they told me yesterday it wasn't calling at Rugby or Coventry, when it clearly was (well, Rugby for replacement bus).
It may have been a one-off journey, but I do add stuff about this on the site. For passengers with heavy luggage, the National Express from Pool Meadown would be by far the best option.
With regards to a day trip to meet & greet, or for any other purpose, the cheapest ticket would be to use the tube:
Cov to MK £13.20 + MK Travelcard £12 with Network Card - total £25.20 - includes tube all way out to LHR, which is in Zone 6.
The last train back should be around 23:40, but they told me yesterday it wasn't calling at Rugby or Coventry, when it clearly was (well, Rugby for replacement bus).
