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.

wrote in message
oups.com...
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.

Peter Smyth

On 27 Sep 2006 14:59:37 -0700, 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.

Maybe because of the traffic problems on the M4?

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.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/b...re/5386632.stm

In message , at 23:11:43 on Wed,
27 Sep 2006, Peter Smyth remarked:
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.

Presumably most of their coaches *were* stuck on the motorway (along
with the unfortunate passengers). If the coaches were available there
are other ways to get from Heathrow to Reading (via M3 & Bracknell
perhaps).
--
Roland Perry

jonsie 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.

Maybe because of the traffic problems on the M4?

Indeed. Credit to FGW for using the fact that they're a rail company to
their advantage and sorting this one out.

(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...)

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

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.

In message om, at
01:22:10 on Thu, 28 Sep 2006, John B remarked:
(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.
--
Roland Perry

In message .com, at
02:02:49 on Thu, 28 Sep 2006, Earl Purple
remarked:
Maybe because of the traffic problems on the M4?

There are alternatives to using the M4.

Only if your coaches aren't already stuck on the M4.

The A4 is one option although it may be busy.

If the M4 is closed (and at Slough, too), it will doubtless be
completely clogged up with diverted traffic. Slough town centre must
have been a real mess.

Other alternatives via the A40 / M40.

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.

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

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