Reading to London-Leicester Square

[dixitox]

Hello Everybody,

I recently move to the UK to work in Reading.

My wife is planning to study English on the Kaplan International London, Leicester Square. Probably daily from 8am to 5pm.

I could use your wisdom and advises for choosing the route and most importantly the payment (ticket/card) option, I understand this route can be expensive, so which could be my best option to save some pounds.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[telstarbox]

Would your wife accept a slower journey if the ticket is cheaper?

 

[dixitox]

Good question, maybe, depends on how much slower and how much cheaper

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I could use your wisdom and advises for choosing the route

By train, there are two routes. Non-stop trains from Reading to London Paddington and then the Bakerloo line of the Underground south to Leicester Square. Or stopping trains from Reading to London Waterloo and Bakerloo line north to Leicester Square. A combined ticket for both National Rail and the Underground is available which would be valid by both routes. Another option is a ticket purely for National Rail and then pay separately for the Underground with an Oyster card either as a season ticket or pay by the day.

If you take the slower route via Waterloo, I imagine that a combination of tickets which were not valid via Paddington could work out cheaper but would be a much slower journey.

If you not living in Reading, but just the Reading area, the easiest local station to reach could also be relevant to the choice of route.

I imagine there are also regular coach services from Reading to London. Again these can be slow as they are caught in traffic congestion.

 

[LexyBoy]

Where you live will make a difference - if you're in East Reading then the Waterloo line from Earley will be best. Assuming central Reading, the obvious choices first:

Reading to London Paddington takes approx. 30 minutes, and the Tube another 20 or so. This is the most expensive, but fastest option. The trains are also very busy and she is likely to have to stand frequently. Cost: £477 per month (inclusive of unlimited travel within London).

Reading to London Waterloo takes approx. 90 minutes. Waterloo is about 20 minutes walk from Leicester Sq (and Charing Cross which can be reached with a change at Waterloo on the same ticket is even closer). These trains start at Reading so she's guaranteed a seat on the way in. I am sure there was a cheaper season ticket for this route but it doesn't appear now. Cost: £392.50 per month (valid to Paddington as well, but not on the Tube).

Reading to London Paddington on the stopping trains takes approx. 40-60 minutes depending on the service, plus Tube. Using a combination of tickets this can be done for £391.40 per month including unlimited travel within London. This is using a Reading-Maidenhead season and a Maidenhead-London Travelcard. The trains she uses must call at Maidenhead - there are a few trains at peak times which run non-stop between Maidenhead and London so don't take much longer than the Reading-London fast trains. Note that this combination may cause trouble if she wants to use the Waterloo-Reading route.

These are the options I would recommend and which will not cause problems. It is possible to make the journey considerably cheaper, however I would not recommend these tickets to someone who wants a hassle-free journey.

Whatever ticket you choose, remember that season tickets can be bought for any period from 1 month to a year - so if you're going on holiday in 2 months time, ask for a ticket valid up to the last day you need it. That way you can avoid paying for unnecessary validity.

Finally (and without wishing to sound cheeky), it's not clear if your wife already has a place at Kaplan or is just planning to go there. If money is an issue, there are several good English schools in Oxford which is a much cheaper and more pleasant commute.

I imagine there are also regular coach services from Reading to London. Again these can be slow as they are caught in traffic congestion.

You'd think so wouldn't you. However, there aren't.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I am sure there was a cheaper season ticket for this route but it doesn't appear now.

You could presumably devise your own via Waterloo only season ticket including the Travelcard by splitting at one of the numerous stops in the same manner as the Maidenhead route.

By bus or coach you can get to Heathrow and from there to Leicester Square by the Picadilly line.

They don't seem to be offering season ticket prices

http://www.reading-buses.co.uk/articles/heathrow-bound/
The day return from anywhere in Reading is quoted as £ 18, but there's the cost from Heathrow to Leicester Square on top of that.

 

[dzug2]

You'd think so wouldn't you. However, there aren't.

There are - not that frequent and from Calcot out near the M4 somewhere. And on a quick glance at times no good to OP

 

[LexyBoy]

They don't seem to be offering season ticket prices

They do - a very reasonable £100 per month. Oyster PAYG would be £8 per day (£7 with a Railcard), making £160 for a 20-day month, or a Zones 1-6 Travelcard is £169.

Quite a good saving - but probably the longest journey.

You could presumably devise your own via Waterloo only season ticket including the Travelcard by splitting at one of the numerous stops in the same manner as the Maidenhead route.

Unfortunately it doesn't really work on that line as the pricing structure is more of a commuter model rather than intercity, so tickets from intermediate stations cost more per mile than from Reading (like a bus route). With FGW the premium is on the direct Reading-London service and the local routes are cheaper per mile.

Does anyone know about the Via Staines seasons or am I just imagining their existence?

There are - not that frequent and from Calcot out near the M4 somewhere. And on a quick glance at times no good to OP

So, neither frequent nor from Reading then

 

[Greenback]

How long has it been now since the old Goldline commuter coach services to London finished? They were quite handy as they picked up by the Uni when I was a student there, which saved going into Reading. A few students seemed to use them back in the day.

 

[telstarbox]

Reading to London Waterloo takes approx. 90 minutes. Waterloo is about 20 minutes walk from Leicester Sq (and Charing Cross which can be reached with a change at Waterloo on the same ticket is even closer). These trains start at Reading so she's guaranteed a seat on the way in. I am sure there was a cheaper season ticket for this route but it doesn't appear now. Cost: £392.50 per month (valid to Paddington as well, but not on the Tube).

To the OP - it is a short walk from Charing Cross to Kaplan: http://goo.gl/maps/C0QpV

and the walk from Waterloo is: http://goo.gl/maps/LPUIW which is quite scenic. http://goo.gl/maps/umfmp

 

[dixitox]

Thanks a lot for all the advises