wrote:
Don't know what's going on but FGW cancelled the Railair to Reading
this evening and pax had to go via Hayes & Harlington Station. That is
apparently via a 140 bus from Heathrow to H&H, then Thames Strain
(sorry FGWL) stopping all stations to Reading. Great when folk have
paid £15 for the journey by coach. Anyone know what or why? I have
heard rumours that FGW are cancelling the entire LHR-Reading service in
the near future - perhaps they have already. CJB.

Whenever I need to get to Heathrow (from Birmingham), I find it far
easier to travel via Reading than Euston because when you have luggage
dragging it across the Tube is no joke.

However, from Reading it's never ever occurred to me to use the coach.
I always change at Reading for Paddington then take Heathrow Express
and I would have thought this would be even more preferable for GW
passengers whose trains always continue direct to Paddington anyway.

It's a pity some of the faster trains can't make a stop at H&H for a
connection into that new stopping train to Heathrow.

It doesn't take much to be better than a coach via the M25 and
presumably this is why it's under threat.

I know I can't be alone in my choice, as the railway will certainly
sell you a ticket for via Paddington into Heathrow.

In message . com, at
07:21:00 on Thu, 28 Sep 2006, allan tracy
remarked:
It's a pity some of the faster trains can't make a stop at H&H for a
connection into that new stopping train to Heathrow.

Assuming there's a way to get across the station with luggage, otherwise
it's going to be as awkward as your Euston-Paddington trip (which is
only really bad westbound).

It doesn't take much to be better than a coach via the M25 and
presumably this is why it's under threat.

The Reading-Heathrow bus doesn't use the M25.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:

It's actually quite difficult to get from the A40/M40 to Reading (I used
to live quite close to the M40, north of Reading). The road is diverging
to the north quite significantly. I suppose you could try going via High
Wycombe and Maidenhead Thicket (as long as the M4 was OK west of there).
But it's an awful long way round.

M40, A404 and then A4 or A4155 according to your pick. Given the
circumstances, A4155 may be better option.

M3 J3 and Bracknell is a better alternate (and it's further away from
the influence of the original jam).

I know all the routes to Bracknell. Worked there once. From Heathrow
you could even just go onto the A30 then A329 through Ascot. Of course
that route may also be full of A4-avoiding traffic.

If you're starting at Heathrow T4 then you're already on the A30. If
not then you can head round the ringroad.

funfly3 wrote:
Earl Purple wrote:
jonsie wrote:
On 27 Sep 2006 14:59:37 -0700, wrote:

Maybe because of the traffic problems on the M4?

There are alternatives to using the M4. The A4 is one option although
it may be busy. Other alternatives via the A40 / M40.

A40 M40 is no real option if the tailback was past J8/9 towards J10 and
J8/9 was chock a block

The other end of the A404 (I mean the M40 not Marylebone) is quite a
long way from that junction.

"Peter Smyth" wrote:
Don't know what's going on but FGW cancelled the Railair to Reading
this evening and pax had to go via Hayes & Harlington Station. That is
apparently via a 140 bus from Heathrow to H&H, then Thames Strain
(sorry FGWL) stopping all stations to Reading. Great when folk have
paid £15 for the journey by coach. Anyone know what or why? I have
heard rumours that FGW are cancelling the entire LHR-Reading service in
the near future - perhaps they have already. CJB.

Presumably because of this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/b...re/5386632.stm

Telling passengers to use alternative routes seems more sensible than
letting them sit on a coach for hours stuck on the M4.

This is one thing I've never understood. I fail to see how they can run a
reliable service when 90% of the journey involves one of the most
notoriously clogged sections of motorway in the country. They've got
getting in and out of Reading to a T, with only the A4 from Cemetery
Junction to Thames Valley Park/A3290 being without a bus lane, but relying
on the M4 from J10 to J4 is madness. Rush hour accidents on there can quite
easily seriously clog the motorway until around 10-11am, which would affect
a fair few services.

Having said that though - what is desperately needed is fast services from
Reading to Hayes + Harlington, as the only services that stop at H+H from
Reading are the slow "stop everywhere" services, which is madness
considering what a crucial link it is. I say add H+H to all services that
just call at Twyford and/or Slough and/or Maidenhead, with possibly a few
services just going ReadingH+HPaddington. That, and just get rid of the
RailAir coaches altogether. With the roads around there, the trains are by
far the best way to go.

--
"For want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died."

"Roland Perry" wrote:
(in any case, if I paid to go on a horrible coach and then found myself
on a comfortable train instead, then I'd be delighted - all too often
this happens the other way round...)

A bus, plus an all stations stopper, doesn't sound more comfortable than
the airport coaches! And would take much longer than the coach is
scheduled to.

I don't know why they didn't, but surely they could have used the Heathrow
Connect service - a direct rail link to Hayes + Harlington from Heathrow.

--
"For want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died."

"allan tracy" wrote

I know I can't be alone in my choice, as the railway will certainly
sell you a ticket for via Paddington into Heathrow.

It won't sell me one, unless someone else is paying. The coach, or Turbo to
Hayes then service bus, or Turbo to Hayes then Heathrow Connect are
comparable in journey time and much better value for money. Another
alternative is SWT to Feltham then service bus.

Peter

AstraVanMan wrote:


I don't know why they didn't, but surely they could have used the Heathrow
Connect service - a direct rail link to Hayes + Harlington from Heathrow.


BAA aren't known for being co-operative about allowing nonpremium pax to
use the tunnel into the airport. remember the tube closures which
according to this group, LUL had to pay a hefty amount for HEX to take
travelcards for a day

"AstraVanMan" wrote

Having said that though - what is desperately needed is fast services from
Reading to Hayes + Harlington, as the only services that stop at H+H from
Reading are the slow "stop everywhere" services, which is madness
considering what a crucial link it is.

Reading to Hayes & Harlington is 4tph in 35-36 minutes, which would be quite
good for 25 miles, if it weren't for the trains on the Main Lines which do
it in under 15 minutes pass to stop. With a few exceptions the Relief Line
service is not all stations, trains normally calling at 5 or 6 of the 8
intermediate stations, and the intermediate stations do need trains to Hayes
& H, and to Ealing Broadway and Paddington. There isn't track capacity to
superimpose a fast service, nor for Main Line trains to call at Hayes & H.

Peter

Earl Purple wrote:
funfly3 wrote:
Earl Purple wrote:
jonsie wrote:
On 27 Sep 2006 14:59:37 -0700, wrote:

Maybe because of the traffic problems on the M4?
There are alternatives to using the M4. The A4 is one option although
it may be busy. Other alternatives via the A40 / M40.

A40 M40 is no real option if the tailback was past J8/9 towards J10 and
J8/9 was chock a block

The other end of the A404 (I mean the M40 not Marylebone) is quite a
long way from that junction.

but the M4 was clogged to M4 J8/9 the 404 exit and the A4 was clogged
too so you could not get to the M40, whether its a long way or not makes
little difference, the coaches would have had to have flown to the M40
from Reading