Elizabeth Line trains will run direct to Heathrow from November

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• Lynda says:

  26 Aug26 August 07:31

  Can someone confirm whether or not the overnight bag drop at Edinburgh is open I asked and was told not

  • Rhys says:

    26 Aug26 August 07:57

    It’s not on the BA website so I assume not?

  • chrism20 says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:17

    It was in use in May but it’s not advertised anywhere. There is a thread on FT about it from a few months back.

    Make sure you arrive before check in closes for the last departure the night before though.

• Ishan says:

  26 Aug26 August 07:42

  Off to Madeira in a few days with my kids.. The flight to Funchal is at 7.30am so I looked at overnight bag drop. Then, about a week ago, I received an email from BA offering Airportr for free so I’m doing that instead. I assume this is a targeted offer at the moment to try and alleviate wait times in the terminal at bag drop.

  • @mkcol says:

    26 Aug26 August 12:29

    I was offered Airportr for free too, a few months back travelling to Toronto, however when clicking through to avail of it there was no freebie at all.

• manilabay says:

  26 Aug26 August 07:46

  Just a small edit on your article. The Cathay Pacific scheme is just called “Cathay” not Cathay Lifetime.

  • Rob says:

    26 Aug26 August 07:51

    Thanks, will tweak.

• Bob says:

  26 Aug26 August 08:01

  From T5 to say Bond St , would HEX to Paddington + EL for the one stop be quicker than EL straight through?

  • ChrisC says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:16

    Why would you put yourself through a route that requires at least two changes of tube line?

    • Bob says:

      26 Aug26 August 08:30

      2 changes?

      Would be no tube and just one the change at paddington

      Hex t5 to paddington
      EL one stop paddington to bond st

      • ChrisC says:

        26 Aug26 August 09:27

        Because Bond Street isn’t open yet so tube only option at present!

        • RussellH says:

          26 Aug26 August 10:00

          The only info I have on the opening of Bond Street is “autumn”.
          It would make sense to combine the station opening with the introduction of through running.

  • Lumma says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:25

    Quicker yes, but you’ll have to do the current walk to the Elizabeth line which is a slog with luggage as opposed to just sitting on the and train.

    Will also cost a fortune. The cost of using the Elizabeth line also counts towards the daily cap, so if you do more journeys in a day it won’t cost you more than £14.10 in total

    • Bob says:

      26 Aug26 August 08:31

      Noted on luggage thanks

      This would be without luggage so more about quickest option especially if EL will only be twice hourly from
      T5

      • Lumma says:

        26 Aug26 August 08:37

        It’s a horrible walk across the concourse at Paddington mind. You have to dodge the crowds milling around waiting for the station displays to announce their platforms, which always seem to be worse at blocking the way than at any other terminal station in London.

        However, I have read that some EL trains will have to wait outside Paddington for up to 8 minutes in order to get a pathway to access the tunnels to the EL

        • Bob says:

          26 Aug26 August 08:39

          Very helpful thanks

          Explains why Citymapper allows for 7-10 mins connection between the two

    • Lady London says:

      26 Aug26 August 14:04

      That is seriously ripoff pricing.

      For that money I’ll stick to the standard tube thanks as I’m always in Westish or Central London anyway.

      Though I might have been prepared to pay s £7+ iplift if I was doing a contract in Essex.

  • Tim says:

    26 Aug26 August 11:24

    EL between LHR and PAD is a bit slower than the HEx. ALthough AIUI, the trains will not normally overtake each other. That means that at T5 you should simply take the first train available. Once the through running has started and Bond Street is open you can change onto a EL train at Paddington or Heathrow Central. However, HEx will use the street level station and EL the tunnel so changing at Paddington will be less conventient. It will also be more expensive to do it that way as you will need to buy a HEx fare. Hex is free between T5 and Heathrow central.

  • Londonsteve says:

    26 Aug26 August 12:05

    No. The transfer time at Paddington will almost certainly outweigh any speed advantage gained by HEX being non-stop. Plus it’s a hassle to transfer to opposite sides of Paddington, go overground to underground, moreover it would make the journey vastly more expensive and less relaxing. TFL trains are more spacious and pleasant than HEX in my opinion.

  • ADS says:

    26 Aug26 August 13:38

    Currently HEX and EL tickets are NOT compatible – they keep announcing it on the platforms at Heathrow !

• Andrew says:

  26 Aug26 August 08:18

  With through running about to commence, I’m still not holding my breath for the addition of a western chord at the Heathrow junction, thus allowing Reading-Heathrow direct trains…

  • ThinkSquare says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:27

    So what is currently the best public transport option between Heathrow and Slough/Reading?

    • Bob says:

      26 Aug26 August 08:39

      Railair bus?

    • Olivia says:

      26 Aug26 August 09:49

      Very annoyingly, probably RailAir bus. This is my predicament when flying from LHR and don’t want to drive and park – either RailAir, or change at Ealing Broadway to pick up a train OR even a SWR train to Feltham then bus.

      Basically.. a pain.

    • aseftel says:

      26 Aug26 August 10:29

      From Slough, the change at Hayes and Harlington is fairly quick. I think you’d have to do an ‘up and down’ platform change though.

      • Londonsteve says:

        26 Aug26 August 12:18

        Yes, this is probably the best option for those coming from the west, or Ealing Broadway if you’re on a GWR service that doesn’t stop at Hayes. I wouldn’t mess around with the Railair bus, especially not during peak hours.

    • Lady London says:

      26 Aug26 August 14:07

      taxi or, if the timetable fits National Express bus from the bus area near T2. Not sure if Oxford Tube buses have managed to add any stops at LHR or just Uxbridge

      • Lady London says:

        26 Aug26 August 14:12

        Currently to get to Maidenhead from LHR I take the normal rail back to Hayes or even Ealing, change platforms and back out to Maidenhead. Same line as Slough, Reading on Great Western.

        If you are a real specialist you can get a regular TFL bus from LHR to West Drayton thrn do the same. But the schedule and any rail works affecting trains stopping at West Drayton should be checked. West Drayton is also a Zone6 boundary.station for those it might interest.

• E says:

  26 Aug26 August 08:18

  Can you now buy a through ticket now on the tube, say from Euston Square to Heathrow, using the Circle line then the Elizabeth line? I’m not London-based so not sure if it’s treated like the Piccadilly line or the Heathrow Express (which would be separately ticketed at Paddington).

  • John says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:26

    You just use an oyster or contactless card and there will be one fare all the way, there is no point buying a paper ticket in this case. This has been the case for over a decade.

    There may be some extremely niche situations where buying a paper ticket is better.

  • Lumma says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:31

    Use an oyster card or a contactless card at the barriers and you’ll be charged £10.80 off peak or £12.80 peak.

    Use the same card for multiple journeys throughout the day and you’ll get charged a maximum of £14.10.

    Don’t buy a paper ticket in London, tfl don’t want you to, so charge a premium

  • Rhys says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:54

    No need to buy a ticket, just use an Oyster card or contactless credit/debit card. TfL applies daily capping etc automatically. Elizabeth Line is part of TfL network.

    • AJA says:

      26 Aug26 August 09:44

      TfL accepts Amex contactless so just use that and earn Avios or MR depending on your preference.

      • E says:

        26 Aug26 August 11:33

        Thanks for all the replies. I should have been clearer – I always need to buy a paper ticket when in London on business as my company needs the paper ticket to reimburse expenses. Wasn’t sure if it’ll have to be two paper tickets if I use the Elizabeth line to Heathrow and take the tube first, or whether one through paper ticket.

        • Londonsteve says:

          26 Aug26 August 12:13

          This is such a niche thing that I’m not sure anyone has even thought of this. I suspect, although I cannot be sure without trying it myself, that you would need one paper ticket for the Circle line to Paddington, then another from Paddington to Heathrow for the EL. A paper ticket bought at Euston Sq to Heathrow direct is almost certainly only going to work if you take the Piccadilly Line all the way. Which, in your shoes, I just be tempted to take, rather than have to traipse all the way to the concourse, buy another paper ticket and then go back down. I’m amazed your employer is unwilling to accept entries on your credit card as evidence of expenses when it comes to de minimis things like tube fares.

        • @mkcol says:

          26 Aug26 August 12:32

          Won’t your employer accept the travel history from your Oyster account?

        • RussellH says:

          26 Aug26 August 15:09

          Explain to your employer about the discount for Oyster / contactless and put in a separate claim for teaching them how to reduce their overheads.

        • Ed says:

          26 Aug26 August 15:44

          If you have a corporate card, register it on the TfL website. If not, get an Oyster card specifically for business trips, and register that.

          When you log in, you can get a PDF statement detailing all journeys made and their cost. This is essentially a receipt. It’s not a VAT receipt but there is in any case no VAT chargeable on public transport.

          It would be highly unusual for an employer to fail to recognise this as a receipt for expense purposes, though your employer might be more unreasonable than I am imagining.

  • E says:

    26 Aug26 August 18:20

    Thanks all. I think the best bet is to register on the TFL website. My employer is a stickler for paper receipts but that sounds like it will work!

• Bob says:

  26 Aug26 August 08:29

  2 changes?

  Hex t5 to paddington
  EL one stop paddington to bond st

  Noted on luggage thanks

• Gflyer says:

  26 Aug26 August 08:40

  “It is worth adding a Railcard to your Oyster Card, if you have one, to get a 33% discount on off-peak fares.”

  How easy is this? I have a Network Railcard but I didn’t think I could add that to Oyster, or have I misunderstood?

  • Rhys says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:50

    You need to go into a TfL station and ask one of the staff milling about. They will take you to an Oyster top-up machine and do it for you.

  • Paul says:

    26 Aug26 August 08:59

    I think there is a minimum fare requirement for the Network Railcard that means it can’t be linked to an Oyster Card.

    • ADS says:

      26 Aug26 August 13:36

      I think the minimum fare (around £13) only applies Monday to Friday

  • Jay-Marc says:

    26 Aug26 August 09:26

    Network card and those that allow multiple people discounts such as friends & family + two together can’t be added for Oyster discount. Disabled can, but only for the holder not a companion.

  • HarryB. says:

    26 Aug26 August 09:38

    @Gflyer You can link your Railcard to an Oyster card fine, I’ve done it more that 5 times in the last few years. Sometimes I come across a member of staff that is not familiar with the process but manages to fulfil the task after a bit of asking around and encouragement. Discount applies only off-peak (similarly to how applies on NR tickets).

    • Chas says:

      26 Aug26 August 18:16

      Is it added to your account so that if you’re using a credit card to tap-in/out the railcard applies, or does it apply specifically to just Oyster cards?

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