Tube change: all Heathrow trips via Zone 1 priced at peak rates from today

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• Colin MacKinnon says:

  4 Sep4 September 08:51

  Confused. Do you still need an Oyster card – thought you could use a bank card now?

  • LS says:

    4 Sep4 September 08:59

    Bank Cards are fine. Except if you are using a railcard, in which case you need an oyster.

  • andiron says:

    4 Sep4 September 23:59

    If you want a week ticket from Wed-Wed you need Oyster for that.. or a month/year ticket in general.

    • Londonsteve says:

      5 Sep5 September 10:41

      There is no need to get an Oyster to get a week ticket because of automatic 7 day price capping with contactless. It’ll never cost more than a week travelcard would cost and if your travel over 7 days comes to less, you’ll only pay what you’ve used.

      • Manuel says:

        5 Sep5 September 10:47

        That’s only Monday to Sunday. So maybe it will be cheaper if buying a weekly pass starting Wednesday.

        • James F says:

          5 Sep5 September 11:47

          This is correct.

          It is also the same system in NYC on the OMNY contactless that also has a cap Mon-Sun. If you are there, as per your example, Weds-Weds, it is cheaper to get an old style metrocard and 7day pass.

        • Londonsteve says:

          6 Sep6 September 09:14

          I stand corrected. I genuinely didn’t know that, I could have saved myself money in the past with a 7 day travelcard on an Oyster rather than mindlessly tapping my contactless card. You live and learn.

• LS says:

  4 Sep4 September 08:59

  I have just wasted 10 minutes of my life…

• tony says:

  4 Sep4 September 09:52

  Last night I was looking at trains from Paddington to T4. National Rail was showing either the direct stopping service for £11.60 in standard class or the HEX then changing onto the stopping service in first (Anytime First ticket) for just £17.10. That was for early on a Monday morning. Anything to take advantage of here?

• David says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:03

  Is the journey still free with the 60+ Oyster card?

  • dougzz99 says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:29

    Yes on tube and Elizabeth line. Subject to usual after 9:30AM thing.

    • John says:

      4 Sep4 September 14:28

      It’s 9am for most services but 9.30 for a few national rail services.

• patrick C says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:17

  If Heathrow express wouldn’t be so useless by ending ay Paddington where an oneard tube journey is a gigantic detour maybe it would make sense.
  Also the expropriation of Heathrow is beyond overdue. I mean only in Britain you have designs where the monopolist always get’s it’s way.

  • LittleNick says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:59

    What would be good is if the Lizzy Line did some semi-fast service, non-stop to Paddington but then continued onto Abbey Wood/Shenfield with no change required in Paddington, perhaps they should do away with HEX at that point? Or if HEX could use the Elizabeth line tunnels, not sure thats technically possible though?

• K23 says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:30

  Something is fundamentally wrong with the UKs rail system. Over the past 10 days I travelled the following routes:

  Vienna – Bratislava paid €10
  Bratislava – Budapest paid €12
  Budapest – Vienna paid €14

  All last second booking without any discounts or rail cards.

  • Mike Hunt says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:07

    Show off 😁

  • Amy C says:

    4 Sep4 September 13:38

    Eastern Europe is cheap for everything

    • Londonsteve says:

      5 Sep5 September 10:52

      First, it’s not eastern Europe, it’s central Europe, second Austria and Vienna are generally considered western Europe (even though it’s centrally located and often referred to as Mitteleuropa in German). Austria has some of the highest GDP per capita and average salaries in Europe, it’s certainly not a ‘cheap’ country, but they provide high subsidies to their rail network, a) because they can afford to, b) it makes good economic sense as reliable and affordable rail travel boosts the economy, and, c) it improves quality of life if everyone has access to such a rail system. Your comment about eastern Europe being cheap has more basis in fact for Slovakia and Hungary (both referred to above), as they are both former Warsaw Pact states that sat behind the ‘iron curtain’. Note however that these days Slovakia has average salaries that are half those of the UK with Hungary not far behind, yet their rail fares are not half UK prices, more like one tenth.

  • Callum says:

    4 Sep4 September 13:56

    It’s almost like they’re completely different rail systems operating under completely different economic conditions…

    As a “radical liberal” I’d personally like almost-free public transport, but UK rail prices are high because the cost to run the network is high and the government/the public doesn’t want to subsidize it to the same level as other countries. There’s nothing “fundamentally wrong” with the network – it’s politics. Take it up with the British public.

  • HAM76 says:

    4 Sep4 September 22:27

    Or you pay €12.80 just to get from Munich airport into the city on the regular and notoriously unreliable Munich S-Bahn service.

• Matarredondaaa says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:05

  Yep train fares do not encourage people to aid the environment by travelling by rail rather than car.
  Slightly off topic in May I travelled from Gatwick airport to Earls Court and was amazed how cheap it was using my credit card to touch in and out.

• Gavin says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:07

  Just as an example, it’s confusing how many different options and prices there are to get from Balham to Heathrow via public transport:

  Tube + HEX: £27.90 off peak (not booked in advance)
  Tube via Elizabeth Line: £12.90
  Tube via Piccadilly Line: £5.50
  Tube via convoluted West Brompton route: £1.90 off peak

  Plus there’s also Zipcar for £14 if it takes under an hour (usually does at off peak times), which is typically the fastest and most convenient way if taking much luggage!

  If I don’t have luggage and have some spare time I often take the £1.90 route which seems a bit of a bargain.

  • Gavin says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:08

    *Tube via Elizabeth Line: £12.80

  • Hodor says:

    4 Sep4 September 14:19

    Except Zipcar gutted their system by not allowing you to drop off at the airport, which adds easily +20 min to your journey

  • Lady London says:

    4 Sep4 September 15:12

    What’s the convolution via West Brom?
    I use that station a lot, but wasn’t aware it was doing me any good

    • Martin says:

      4 Sep4 September 16:34

      Avoiding Zone 1 via Clapham North/Clapham High Street, Clapham Junction, West Brompton and Earl’s Court

      • Lady London says:

        4 Sep4 September 21:36

        Ah.. thanks Martin

    • dougzz99 says:

      4 Sep4 September 17:41

      You have to touch the pink readers, these are routing readers. Had all this explained to me recently, had no idea of the various combinations.
      My morning journey is typically £7.15, but if i get the tube to Waterloo rather than Vauxhall it’s £7.35 for the what I consider the same journey. It’s more complex than I’d realised. Was explained to me how I could do it for less, using the train from Dalston that circles zone 1 and touching the pink readers, that was too much bother.

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