Your favourite Airport dedicated Rail service

[Dhassell]

Don't really like Stansted Units, They smell funny

 

[WestCoast]

I suspect GIP, owners of Gatwick, aren't particularly impressed by GTR's GatEx operation especially as they have been investing heavily in improving the airport experience.

Best in the UK is probably Birmingham, a nice driverless people mover whisks you from arrivals to the awaiting pendolinos and 350s all for way under a fiver and the total journey time is rarely over 20 minutes to New Street. Manchester is a close second, with the benefit of 24/7 services and the tram to other places than the City Centre.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

i suspect GIP, owners of Gatwick, aren't particularly impressed by GTR's GatEx operation especially as they have been investing heavily in improving the airport experience.

Well they do not pay a penny for the service ..

Best value for money has to be NS and Amsterdam - Schipol - makes UK look a right rip off for the money.

Berlin looks a fairly good deal ..both S/Bahn and I/Regio are the same modest price.

 

[WestCoast]

Well they do not pay a penny for the service ..

Best value for money has to be NS and Amsterdam - Schipol - makes UK look a right rip off for the money.

Berlin looks a fairly good deal ..both S/Bahn and I/Regio are the same modest price.

Dislike Amsterdam, too many people, ticket machines that only take Maestro cards, unclear signage on next trains, non-existent staff, Chipkaart system confusing/expensive for the unprepared.

Copenhagen on the other hand is excellent, direct access via the driverless Metro or train with a simple ticketing system (accepting all cards and cash) and friendly staff on hand.

 

[306024]

HK is good, especially as you can effectively use the Central check-in as a left-luggage (or could). It's such a pity though that the bit on the train when it goes across the Tsing Mai bridge is enclosed - probably would be worth the ride for that alone.

Surprised no one has mentioned the Shanghai Pudong maglev link (is it still running ?). Cracking along at 425km/h (or so the indicators in each carriage said) with not a heap of sway (about as much as a TGV at top whack). Almost seemed as if the cars on the expressway next to it were going backwards. Love to have seen it go by from the road side and bet James Bond would have struggled to stay on the top of it. Shanghai end just more than a little far from the centre.

If you are going to Hong Kong Island a number 11 bus is a far more spectacular ride than the train, but agree the Central check-in is excellent to avoid lugging bags on the train.

Trouble with the Shanghai maglev is it is the equivalent of Heathrow Express terminating at Ealing Broadway. You still have to get the tube into town, but worth doing for the novelty if nothing else.

Oslo and Stockholm both have expensive but quick Airport Expresses, Copenhagen is quite convenient too.

DLR to London City is best, quick and simple.

 

[sheff1]

Berlin looks a fairly good deal ..both S/Bahn and I/Regio are the same modest price.

You must be referring to Schönefeld. The problem there is that both the airport and, especially, the station are compete dumps. Last time I was at the station only one TVM was in working order and that did not accept cards. The queues were horrendous and there is no ticket office.

If/when the new airport opens things should be better - I understand the station has been built for some time.

 

[sheff1]

Oslo and Stockholm both have expensive but quick Airport Expresses.

The local trains in Oslo are only a couple of minutes slower to Oslo S and are half the price.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

You must be referring to Schönefeld. The problem there is that both the airport and, especially, the station are compete dumps. Last time I was at the station only one TVM was in working order and that did not accept cards. The queues were horrendous and there is no ticket office.

If/when the new airport opens things should be better - I understand the station has been built for some time.

Schonefeld is a hole , but not long for this life , when the new airport and branch line finally kicks into life .....

I knew it in DDR days - no change really - but the trains and costs into the city are fine and good VFM.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Dislike Amsterdam, too many people, ticket machines that only take Maestro cards, unclear signage on next trains, non-existent staff, Chipkaart system confusing/expensive for the unprepared.

Copenhagen on the other hand is excellent, direct access via the driverless Metro or train with a simple ticketing system (accepting all cards and cash) and friendly staff on hand.

There is a decent ticket office - with helpful staff - and easy enough to find the trains and so on..

 

[HowardGWR]

Well they do not pay a penny for the service ..

Best value for money has to be NS and Amsterdam - Schipol - makes UK look a right rip off for the money.

Berlin looks a fairly good deal ..both S/Bahn and I/Regio are the same modest price.

See my earlier posting. It must be an English speaker's way of looking at it or something. Schiphol is the correct name.

 

[Via Bank]

Does the DLR to City Airport count?

I only ever use the Heathrow Express if I'm expensing it, because it's horrendously overpriced. But it does do its job very well. The wifi works, sort of. The seats are OK and have power sockets. I can buy my ticket on my phone and store it in the Wallet app, which is more than other TOCs seem capable of.

Just remember to bring the noise cancelling headphones to drown out the insipid advertising. Can they not remove the pointless 'first class' area and designate it a quiet coach?

 

[glbotu]

I mean, I've only used the Stansted Express, because, well, the others all have reasonable alternatives (in fact, I've used Stansted from Cambridge more, but still). That's also been true abroad.

Sure, I could have got the Arlanda Express when I was in Stockholm. But the Pendeltog (S-Bahn) was so much cheaper and equally frequent and empty.

Getting on the Ostiense - Fiumicino train (connecting with one of the 15 tph or so from Termini - Ostiense) is also pretty convenient, if a tad slower.

With Heathrow, the Piccadilly is pretty quick and not that crowded (most people probably end up on the Express/Connect I guess).

Amsterdam is just great. Schiphol Airport being a major junction means it's useful not just for Amsterdam, but also Den Haag, Utrecht, Rotterdam etc and also just so cheap (as well as being one of the few countries with a nation-wide smart ticketing system).

Tyne and Wear Metro to Newcastle Airport is nice. It's quick, frequent and the whole train tends to tip out by Haymarket.

The Hamburg S-Bahn is good.

From Gatwick I almost always get Thameslink.

In fact, the worst Airport service I've been on has to be JFK. The hugely over-priced AirTrain (basically, imagine if the Gatwick people mover charged you £15), followed by a hugely overcrowded NY Subway E train from Jamaica/Sutphin Blvd (which is definitely the least pleasant airport station ever - with the Air-Conditioned Subway trains dumping all their heat into the tunnels and stations, in the summer, it's completely unbearable).

 

[takno]

In fact, the worst Airport service I've been on has to be JFK. The hugely over-priced AirTrain (basically, imagine if the Gatwick people mover charged you £15), followed by a hugely overcrowded NY Subway E train from Jamaica/Sutphin Blvd (which is definitely the least pleasant airport station ever - with the Air-Conditioned Subway trains dumping all their heat into the tunnels and stations, in the summer, it's completely unbearable).

You're almost always better off getting the LIRR from Jamaica to Penn, which is quicker, fairly comfortable and barely more expensive. If you do that the whole thing including Air Train can be done in 30-40 minutes for about 9 quid, and is one of the better airport transits in the US.

Tend to agree things are better in the UK. Hell, I've walked to and from a few of the UK regional airports quicker than some of the US transit options.

 

[Eeveevolve]

Dislike Amsterdam, too many people, ticket machines that only take Maestro cards, unclear signage on next trains, non-existent staff, Chipkaart system confusing/expensive for the unprepared.

Copenhagen on the other hand is excellent, direct access via the driverless Metro or train with a simple ticketing system (accepting all cards and cash) and friendly staff on hand.

Used my RBS Visa card in a Chipkaart machine from when I went last Feb. No problems.

 

[Max]

I wouldn't generally take Heathrow Express out of choice but it can be very useful for early morning flights, which would be impossible to make without taking night buses from my home in east London. Last time I made this journey I took the second Central Line train of the morning to Lancaster Gate, walked up to Paddington and took the express. All in all it was very quick and convenient!

Also surprised that nobody has mentioned the advance fares that HEX now sell, which can be pretty good value. The one thing that gets on my nerve are the very poor ticketing facilities at the Heathrow stations, though I noticed that they were installing new machines at Terminal 5 last time I was there - does anybody know if these offer TOD?

As for the other two, the Gatwick Express is completely pointless given the journey times are no better than the Southern and Thameslink semi-fast trains, and I've generally had good experiences with Stansted Express (though it can be very overcrowded at certain times).

 

[MK Tom]

The lack of off-peak fares on Stansted Express seriously puts me off and incentivises me to use the Citylink bus from St. Pancras (which is handier coming from Euston too). But the Class 379s do have one of the best interiors of any modern train on the network.

Heathrow Express is simply fabulous and is the only one that provides the kind of comfort I expect from a premium service.

Gatwick Express used to be pretty good but is now a joke, especially the laughable first class offer.

 

[HowardGWR]

Relating to the stories about the inadequate provision of TVMs at Schönefeld, Berlin, I read somewhere (I think it was a Berlin newspaper on the net) that the huge queue for the one machine missed the fact that elsewhere on the station, not signposted, there were several of them and thus no queues at that location.

It struck me that a direct complaint to DB should have resulted in adequate signing. Perhaps it has now. The whole situation has arisen from the late delivery of the new BER airport, adjacent to Schönefeld, still awaited.

However, if one wants to get a feel of how life was under the DDR, a trip from alighting at that station and then trudging about a quarter of a mile or more to the "downtown bus station" atmosphere of the airport is a back-to-the-future type experience.

Much the same could be said about Gatwick, unfortunately. It really is a somewhat seedy location, to say nothing of the rip-off treatment of foreign visitors on Gatex fares, but I think the airport owners and NR are awaiting to see if Gatwick gets its desired expansion (2019 the covenant on the second runway ends) before investing much further.

 

[anti-pacer]

MANCHESTER AIRPORT

Fast, frequent trains to the city centre, and unlike Heathrow, other places too in 3 of the 4 UK nations. Add to this the Metrolink trams.

BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT

Fast, frequent trains to both Birmingham and Coventry city centres, and to a big host of other destinations nationwide too. The only let down here is a lack of direct services to the East Midlands, except Derby.

SOUTHAMPTON AIRPORT

For a small airport, well connected by direct trains to various parts of the country, as well as frequent trains into the city centre and other parts of that region.

GATWICK AIRPORT

Fast, frequent trains to various parts of Central London, as well as other parts of the South East. What let's it down is a lack of direct services to other parts of the country.

 

[All Line Rover]

Also surprised that nobody has mentioned the advance fares that HEX now sell, which can be pretty good value.

Only good value at weekends (min. £5.50 STD / £7.50 1ST single). Very good value, actually (particularly first class), as it's date-specific, not train-specific.

The cheapest fare on weekdays if booking at least 3 months in advance is £12.10 STD single. With the fare rising to £16.50 STD single if booking at least 2 weeks in advance, I don't consider that good value when a walk-up return fare is £36.

 

[yorksrob]

Heathrow Connect - It's a perfectly good airport service and a lot cheaper than the Express. It also feels "select" given it's existence is almost completely denied by the airport authorities

 

[swt class 450]

Heathrow Connect - It's a perfectly good airport service and a lot cheaper than the Express. It also feels "select" given it's existence is almost completely denied by the airport authorities

I definitely agree. Its a shame that the Heathrow Connect is so poorly advertised. Every day hundreds of tourists get scammed in to taking the Heathrow Express instead.

 

[Clip]

I definitely agree. Its a shame that the Heathrow Connect is so poorly advertised. Every day hundreds of tourists get scammed in to taking the Heathrow Express instead.

This is not a scamming tourists - the options are there for people to see at Paddington and 'hundreds of tourists every day'? Youre going to have to back that statement up or its just hyperbole.

Hex is the best airport service all round really.

 

[Butts]

Heathrow Express only free bit between T5 and others otherwise use tube or Connect.

Gatwick only if included as part of a Virgin Ticket from the Midlands to the Airport. Are you supposed to get freebies in 1st Class still on GE ? Otherwise use Thameslink or Southern.

Stansted - never used

Wolverhampton or S&D to Birmingham International on Virgin 1st Class £7.50 from SAD - perversely can be had cheaper from Wolves !!! Added bonus of hitting 2 Lounges to "stock up" for free biccie with coffee on flight.

 

[bradford758]

Used my RBS Visa card in a Chipkaart machine from when I went last Feb. No problems.

Up to about a year ago, machines used to only take coins and local debit cards, the alternative being a slightly higher price at a ticket office. Now take most credit cards, but I think the ticket system is unchanged.

Sent from my 4009X using Tapatalk

 

[swt class 450]

This is not a scamming tourists - the options are there for people to see at Paddington and 'hundreds of tourists every day'? Youre going to have to back that statement up or its just hyperbole.

Hex is the best airport service all round really.

They are basically scamming tourists by only advertising the Heathrow Express and almost completely ignoring the fact that the cheaper Heathrow Connect exists. Therefore many people every day think that Heathrow Express is the only service to serve Heathrow Airport and are not aware of their other options. If someone asks how they can get to London or how they can get to Heathrow they only ever tell them about Heathrow Express. I have even caught their staff (who i prefer to call the "blue gestapo") telling lies to foreign tourists in order to get them to pay the rip off Heathrow Express fares.

 

[Clip]

They are basically scamming tourists by only advertising the Heathrow Express and almost completely ignoring the fact that the cheaper Heathrow Connect exists. Therefore many people every day think that Heathrow Express is the only service to serve Heathrow Airport and are not aware of their other options. If someone asks how they can get to London or how they can get to Heathrow they only ever tell them about Heathrow Express. I have even caught their staff (who i prefer to call the "blue gestapo") telling lies to foreign tourists in order to get them to pay the rip off Heathrow Express fares.

I think you ought to look up the word scam in the dictionary and then look up who also runs the connect service.

The people wearing Heathrow Express uniforms(not gestapo or any other childish name you call them) are under no obligation to inform anyone about cheaper and slower journeys to Heathrow airport including the FAR cheaper underground option.

TLR No scam, you dont seem to understand about HeX and their operation.

 

[Ianno87]

They are basically scamming tourists by only advertising the Heathrow Express and almost completely ignoring the fact that the cheaper Heathrow Connect exists. Therefore many people every day think that Heathrow Express is the only service to serve Heathrow Airport and are not aware of their other options. If someone asks how they can get to London or how they can get to Heathrow they only ever tell them about Heathrow Express. I have even caught their staff (who i prefer to call the "blue gestapo") telling lies to foreign tourists in order to get them to pay the rip off Heathrow Express fares.

Whilst I doubt it qualifies as "scamming", arriving at Heathrow one sees signs pointing to Heathrow Express in abundance, whereas you really have to be looking for the Underground to find it.

Plenty of tourists must arrive at Heathrow wishing to get to "London" without having even thought about their onward journey, and with plenty of Pound Sterling in their pockets which they haven't quite grasped the value of yet (indeed, HEx may be their first sterling transaction on arrival).

This is why I think HEx may still be commercially successful even after introduction of Crossrail - it's all in the advertising of the product at Heathrow (even if it creates the daft situatio of HEx being busier into town than it is coming out).

 

[Clip]

They are basically scamming tourists by only advertising the Heathrow Express and almost completely ignoring the fact that the cheaper Heathrow Connect exists. Therefore many people every day think that Heathrow Express is the only service to serve Heathrow Airport and are not aware of their other options. If someone asks how they can get to London or how they can get to Heathrow they only ever tell them about Heathrow Express. I have even caught their staff (who i prefer to call the "blue gestapo") telling lies to foreign tourists in order to get them to pay the rip off Heathrow Express fares.

They have no obligation to inform others of cheaper means of transport to the airport - if they did then they would have to inform them of the underground service but I don't see you complaining of that.

I am unsure if you fully understand the operation of HeX and to call their staff the 'blue gestapo' is mighty childish of you when they are only doing their job.