What is the risk?

[whole diary]

[basset44]

Hi All,

I prefer to travel by train and you all know the saying look after the pennys and the pounds will look after themselves

Yes have done my research and there is a R in the month of April. I will be travelling to Heathrow need to get there about 11.30 flight is 1.30. Allowing for delays I have looked at leaving Cardiff around 7.30. This
I know is peak time for travel towards London.

Have found that there is currently an advance fare to Hayes & Harlington 2 changes for 20.50, then 4.90 single from Hayes to Heathrow. My return date is not yet up but I could return in the afternoon from Hayes the next day for an incrediable 11.00 pounds plus 4.90 single.

Do you recommend this route or are there too many risks?

Thanks

[John R]

Too many risks. Only needs one of those connections to go pear shaped and you've missed your flight. And think of all the stress wondering whether your connection is going to be there.

If you can afford to go off on all these foreign trips (which seem quite regular given your subject of your posts), then you can probably afford to buy a reasonably priced rail ticket to get you to Heathrow, rather than trying to get the price down to the absolute minimum.

Don't forget on the way back, if your flight is delayed you will lose your advance purchase ticket, and will end up paying for a single that won't be much different from a flexible off peak return. (I don't think delayed flight would be an acceptable reason for missing your train.)

[Ollie]

(I don't think delayed flight would be an acceptable reason for missing your train.)

Correct.

[inspector_blakey]

(I don't think delayed flight would be an acceptable reason for missing your train.)

Correct.

A few years ago my parents travelled home from Heathrow to Wales using the RailAir service. Their flight was heavily delayed and the station staff at Reading endorsed their AP tickets so they could travel home at no extra charge.

If this arrangement has ceased then it's an unfortunate retrograde step in customer service and another disincentive for people to use FGW^▸ (First Great Western)!

[basset44]

Hi, I fully understand connections but when you look at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) web site and put in Cardiff to London the
cheapest anytime single is ranging from 88.50 to 103 on the 14th April so I would have to pay 103 to have the most Flexable ticket?

Coming back is not up yet but again it ranges from 88.50 I could book two advance tickets at 11.00 and go to the pub with the 126 pound saved.

Yes trips are often but wont be if I have to pay full price on the trains

[inspector_blakey]

The easiest way to travel to LHR from the west in my experience is to use the RailAir bus from Reading: this is a frequent and fast connection (45 mins from RDG^‡(resolve) to terminals 1,2,3, not sure about T4 or T5). It's also much cheaper than doubling back from Padd using Heathrow Express and probably cheaper than using Heathrow Connect from Hayes, and means you can do the journey with just one change.

It can be a bit of a bugger to persuade any journey planning sites to give you a journey that involves the RailAir bus. The best "work around" I have found is this (apart from phoning FGW^▸ (First Great Western) telesales who are usually pretty helpful: 08457 000125)

Go to the NRES^▸ (National Rail Enquiry Service) site http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
Under "Journey planner" click on "Advanced search options"
Enter your journey details (including which terminal at LHR you're travelling to)
Select the "direct trains preferred" radio button.
Select the "show me journeys from the following operator only" radio button and choose First Great Western.

At the moment it shows an advance purchase through single of ^30.50 leaving CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) 0725, arr Heathrow 1025.

The flexible return fare is ^170.00 Anytime (ouch) or ^76.00 if you're prepared to depart at 0855 and arrive 1145. So the AP may be your best option, just leave plenty of time between the scheduled arrival time of your flight and your departure from Reading.

[simonw]

Hi

Buy a ticket to Didcott Parkway, and then from Didcott Parkway to Heathrow, via the AirBus at Reading.

This will be your cheapest route, and will allow you to use most Cardiff bound trains.

[Ollie]

(I don't think delayed flight would be an acceptable reason for missing your train.)

Correct.

A few years ago my parents travelled home from Heathrow to Wales using the RailAir service. Their flight was heavily delayed and the station staff at Reading endorsed their AP tickets so they could travel home at no extra charge.

If this arrangement has ceased then it's an unfortunate retrograde step in customer service and another disincentive for people to use FGW^▸ (First Great Western)!

There is leniency, but officially it would be a no. It is technically something flight insurance should cover.

[G.Uard]

I used the Hayes and Harlington route when travelling to LHR from Gloucester last November, (principally because I can do it all for free).  No problems at all, but it is  quite a schlep over the bridge to the LHR platform.  (Not so good with heavy bags).  Coming back, around 19.00 hrs on a Saturday, connections were far less user friendly.



Alternatively, there is a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service from Bristol to Woking at 06.00, which arrives (with 2 changes) at 08:34.  Just a quick rail-air bus trip from there to LHR.  Anytime day single ^29.40 to Woking

[Ollie]

Hi, I fully understand connections but when you look at FGW^▸ (First Great Western) web site and put in Cardiff to London the
cheapest anytime single is ranging from 88.50 to 103 on the 14th April so I would have to pay 103 to have the most Flexable ticket?

Coming back is not up yet but again it ranges from 88.50 I could book two advance tickets at 11.00 and go to the pub with the 126 pound saved.

Yes trips are often but wont be if I have to pay full price on the trains

On the 14th April - 07:25 from Cardiff changing at Pad for the Heathrow Express Advance Single ^38.50 which seems pretty good to me

[Mookiemoo]

(I don't think delayed flight would be an acceptable reason for missing your train.)

Correct.

No - but I have had delayed train being enuff to get a refund from squeazy jet - two weeks on the run!

[grahame]

Isn't it a curious situation where (as I understand it) you are covered if your train run by another TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and connecting is delayed, but not if your aircraft is delayed ... lack of joined up thinking / lack of encouragement to use public transport.   

But (in defence of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) it is not purely their setup / them - they are just a part of the world wide flock.  Lisa and I flew from Bristol to Newark, New Jersey about 18 months ago and our Continental flight was delayed by three hours. Three hours was also the amount of time we had to change from plane to train at Newark Airport station, so of course we touched down about 10 minutes before the train left, and got through to the station shortly after it had gone.

Now ... we had Amtrak rover tickets which offer "unlimited travel" on Amtrak trains in the North West.  Except - it seems - you have to book your places ahead (we had done so for the first train that we missed!), there is only a limited seat allocation on each train for these passes, and they don't actually allow you onto the Acela (express) service - just the regional trains.  And not all trains call at the airport station either.  This means that although there WERE other trains (both Acelas and regionals) down to Washington DC^▸ (Direct Current) that night, and although we had purchased "unlimited travel tickets"  we were limited off the trains we needed to catch unless we brought fresh tickets.  I'll admit I felt cheated by the marketing which hadn't made the limits clear ... a somewhat bitter start to a week where we had - I felt - been penalised for no fault of our own, and indeed had made very reasonable plans.

I don't think that FGW limit holders of BritRail passes off trains, do they?   Even though the pence per mile rate is ultra-cheap?

I read in another thread the (was it?) Polish system of just a single standard fare.   I like it 

[Zoe]

Buy a ticket to Didcott Parkway, and then from Didcott Parkway to Heathrow, via the AirBus at Reading.

This will be your cheapest route, and will allow you to use most Cardiff bound trains.

However the train must stop at Didcot Parkway for this to be valid.

[bemmy]

I have travelled from Bristol to Heathrow changing at Didcot and Hayes, and it's a bit hassly. I allowed plenty of time (just as well as the delayed local train went non-stop from Maidenhead so I had to get off and wait for the next one). I got a single for ^17.40 which compared favourably with over ^30 single for the coach (I was going to be away too long to get a return). However on the way back I got the coach because of the chance of flight delays, and besides, at the end of a long haul flight I wasn't going to be wanting to change three or four times on my way home.

I probably wouldn't do it again -- the National Express coach from Bristol is hourly, takes just over 2 hours and being direct is a lot easier than any train option, and usually cheaper if you can get a return. And on the way home, if your flight is delayed they don't charge you for changing your reservation to the next available coach.

I hate travelling by bus though, so if the train service to Heathrow was reasonable (in price and flexibility) I would use it every time.

[super tm]

Do you not have travel insurance.  It does cover for some delays