On Mar 16, 11:04*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:34:21 +0000, Joe wrote:
Hi all,

Just trying to work out what the best way of doing Central London to
Heathrow Airport on Oyster PAYG is (without using Piccadilly line).

Unless you are a long way off the tube network then I'd use the tube.

I heard that there was a bus from Hayes/Harlington so might be worth
taking FGW or Heathrow Connect (interestingly their website says PAYG
not valid but the map seems to disagree) to there before changing.

I had reason to go to Hayes and Harlington last week and the train was
pretty quick. Shame the walk at Paddington to reach the damned platform
took almost as long as the train journey! *Seriously though Paddington
is a dreadful interchange unless you are very lucky with a H&C train and
the platform allocation for the FGW train. *The nightmare that is
Paddington station - stairs, overbridges, ramps etc and then queuing for
another ticket and then waiting for a train and then slogging to the
platform - is not worth contemplating. It's bad enough unencumbered but
with luggage there is no way I would use it to get to Heathrow.

The bus is the 140 which is a frequent route and runs 24 hours a day.
The stop is literally outside the front door of the station.

Any better ways?

Honest answer - if you can use the tube then do so. I use it from
Walthamstow changing at F Park and every journey I've made has been
flawless.

You can often catch up by one train changing at Finsbury Park and
Green Park, despite the long change, worth doing if the wrong terminal
comes along first.
How about Cockfosters - Finsbury Park - Oxford Circus - Ealing
Broadway for Heathrow Connect, then bus 140, or 350 if you're going to
Terminal 5 (not 24h)
IME Ealing - Oxford Circus is as fast or faster by the Central line.

On Mar 17, 8:36*pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:56:57 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
Why would anyone wish to gain a few
minutes by fighting their way off a busy Vic Line train, down stairs,
along a long corridor, down more stairs and then battling for position
on the platform to get on an undoubtedly busy Picc Line train and then
have to stand? *

It's true I never used that trick with luggage. It's more useful for
catching up with the Rayners Lane train you just missed when there's
only one every 20 minutes.


How about Cockfosters - Finsbury Park - Oxford Circus - Ealing
Broadway for Heathrow Connect, then bus 140, or 350 if you're going to
Terminal 5 (not 24h)
IME Ealing - Oxford Circus is as fast or faster by the Central line.

This is madness - every time you change you risk delay and disruption.

OK then change at holborn for the same number of changes.

*For any
journey I make to Heathrow the biggest risk factor is always the bus to
the station - I'd certainly not want to be relying on a bus for the
final leg if I could possibly avoid it.

This may be true but the OP specifically ruled out all the other
options.

On 16 Mar, 23:04, Paul Corfield wrote:

Seriously though Paddington
is a dreadful interchange unless you are very lucky with a H&C train and
the platform allocation for the FGW train. *The nightmare that is
Paddington station - stairs, overbridges, ramps etc and then queuing for
another ticket and then waiting for a train and then slogging to the
platform - is not worth contemplating. It's bad enough unencumbered but
with luggage there is no way I would use it to get to Heathrow.

Do you think Paddington is worse than other rail-tube interchange
points? It feels about the same to me as the ones I've used, and as
far
as the H&C line goes substantially better than most.

Ganesh

In message
, at
01:25:05 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, Ganesh Sittampalam
remarked:
Seriously though Paddington
is a dreadful interchange unless you are very lucky with a H&C train and
the platform allocation for the FGW train. *The nightmare that is
Paddington station - stairs, overbridges, ramps etc and then queuing for
another ticket and then waiting for a train and then slogging to the
platform - is not worth contemplating. It's bad enough unencumbered but
with luggage there is no way I would use it to get to Heathrow.

Do you think Paddington is worse than other rail-tube interchange
points? It feels about the same to me as the ones I've used, and as
far
as the H&C line goes substantially better than most.

Paddington, and especially the H&C line, is virtually impossible if you
have luggage. There are substantial stairs both up and down to
negotiate. Some other stations are nearly as bad - Victoria for example.

But by making other choices you can devise virtually step-free routes by
avoiding these points-of-failure.
--
Roland Perry

On 18 Mar, 09:34, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
01:25:05 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, Ganesh Sittampalam
remarked:

Seriously though Paddington
is a dreadful interchange unless you are very lucky with a H&C train and
the platform allocation for the FGW train. *The nightmare that is
Paddington station - stairs, overbridges, ramps etc and then queuing for
another ticket and then waiting for a train and then slogging to the
platform - is not worth contemplating. It's bad enough unencumbered but
with luggage there is no way I would use it to get to Heathrow.

Do you think Paddington is worse than other rail-tube interchange
points? It feels about the same to me as the ones I've used, and as
far
as the H&C line goes substantially better than most.

Paddington, and especially the H&C line, is virtually impossible if you
have luggage. There are substantial stairs both up and down to
negotiate. Some other stations are nearly as bad - Victoria for example.

But by making other choices you can devise virtually step-free routes by
avoiding these points-of-failure.

Fair enough. Even with luggage I've never bothered to try to find step-
free
routes though no doubt at some point in my life I will start to care
about
such issues.

Ganesh

On Mar 18, 9:34*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
01:25:05 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, Ganesh Sittampalam
remarked:

Seriously though Paddington
is a dreadful interchange unless you are very lucky with a H&C train and
the platform allocation for the FGW train. *The nightmare that is
Paddington station - stairs, overbridges, ramps etc and then queuing for
another ticket and then waiting for a train and then slogging to the
platform - is not worth contemplating. It's bad enough unencumbered but
with luggage there is no way I would use it to get to Heathrow.

Do you think Paddington is worse than other rail-tube interchange
points? It feels about the same to me as the ones I've used, and as
far
as the H&C line goes substantially better than most.

Paddington, and especially the H&C line, is virtually impossible if you
have luggage. There are substantial stairs both up and down to
negotiate. Some other stations are nearly as bad - Victoria for example.

But by making other choices you can devise virtually step-free routes by
avoiding these points-of-failure.

There is step-free access from the Bakerloo to the concourse at
Paddington.

In message
, at
15:41:26 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, MIG
remarked:
There is step-free access from the Bakerloo to the concourse at
Paddington.

That's a major improvement. Previously iirc there was an escalator down
to a minor concourse, with stairs from there to the platforms.

Where is the top of the lift?
--
Roland Perry

On Mar 19, 8:43*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
15:41:26 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, MIG
remarked:

There is step-free access from the Bakerloo to the concourse at
Paddington.

That's a major improvement. Previously iirc there was an escalator down
to a minor concourse, with stairs from there to the platforms.

Where is the top of the lift?
--
Roland Perry

The stairs from the LU ticket office/concourse to the main concourse
now incorporate escalators at the edges.

Luckily there was always an escalator from platform level leading to
the passageway to the ticket office, so it adds up to step-free
access.

Combining that with cross-platform interchange with Jubilee and the
fairly good accessibility thereof, it makes for some useful options
(assuming the escalators are working of course).

On Mar 19, 8:43*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message
, at
15:41:26 on Wed, 18 Mar 2009, MIG
remarked:

There is step-free access from the Bakerloo to the concourse at
Paddington.

That's a major improvement. Previously iirc there was an escalator down
to a minor concourse, with stairs from there to the platforms.

Where is the top of the lift?
--
Roland Perry

Ah, I see the confusion on rereading. I was including escalators as
step-free, because the discussion was about luggage.

This obviously wouldn't be wheelchair-accessible, if that's what the
term means.