Going to Heathrow, worried about crowds.

[rajguna]

I'll be going to heathrow to send someone off (also going so I can carry their heavy luggage) and we'll need to be there before 7:30am on the 6th of December.

The way I usually go is to catch a train to Charing Cross, get the Northern line to Leicester Square and then onto the Piccadilly line.

I saw that there is a train at 5:33 from Catford Bridge so we could get there by 7:15. I've gone to the airport at many different times but I've never had to deal with really crowded trains (even on the underground) but I'm a little bit worried about having issues during the morning rush especially with getting the luggage on the train. Could someone tell me how it will be like?

The above mentioned route is what I use all the time but is this the best route or are there any better alternatives?

Lastly just to confirm, the person who is leaving will have their Oyster Card and from looking at the ticket calculator it will cost £7.20 and as I'll be coming back during peak times as well if I have at least £14.40 there shouldn't be issues right?

 

[RochdalePioneers]

Also factor in walking time from the tube to whichever terminal they are going to. Heathrow Central to T3 took me 10 minutes and I walk quickly

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk 2

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Probably wouldn't be faster but I find a more relaxing alternative to the tube is to go to Feltham and then take bus 285 to Heathrow (Central Bus station for Terminals 1,2 & 3).

In your case the 05.33 from Catford Bridge would get you to Waterloo East at 05:52 then train from Waterloo Main station at 06:20 arriving Feltham 06:46. (There is a 05:58 ex-Waterloo but you'd have to very nippy to get that.) Buses are every 10 minutes, your most likely one is 06:58 arriving Heathrow at 07:21, traffic permitting. You will need to cross the footbridge at Feltham to get to the bus stop but there are lifts.

 

[34D]

If 07:30 is the closing time for the flight check-in, then common sense would seem to suggest planning to arrive by 06:45 or 07:30 at the latest.

As you allude, the tubes will be bursting at that point, so you may not get on the first one.

 

[MikeWh]

Lastly just to confirm, the person who is leaving will have their Oyster Card and from looking at the ticket calculator it will cost £7.20 and as I'll be coming back during peak times as well if I have at least £14.40 there shouldn't be issues right?

The outward journey will be charged as off-peak because it starts before 0630, so you'll only need £12.10 (£4.90+£7.20).

 

[yorkie]

Lastly just to confirm, the person who is leaving will have their Oyster Card and from looking at the ticket calculator it will cost £7.20

No. £4.90 for them. It's off peak.

and as I'll be coming back during peak times as well if I have at least £14.40 there shouldn't be issues right?

You will be returning between 0630 & 0930 so it'll cost you the peak fare of £7.20 to return, so £12.10 in total, so if you have £14.40 balance that is more than sufficient.

I suggest considering auto top-up for peace of mind in future though.

 

[MikeWh]

Also, you might find using the Jubilee line less of a strain. Travel in the last coach or two from Catford Bridge then change at Waterloo East using the county end exits to get to Southwark tube. Change at Green Park for the Piccadilly.

 

[rajguna]

Terminal 4 is a pretty quick walk from station to check in, and being there at 7:30 still give us nearly 3 hours till the flight departs.

Probably wouldn't be faster but I find a more relaxing alternative to the tube is to go to Feltham and then take bus 285 to Heathrow (Central Bus station for Terminals 1,2 & 3).

Appreciate the idea but I might feel really nervous about getting caught in traffic during the bus journey.

I completely forgot that peak has a starting time. :roll:

Also, you might find using the Jubilee line less of a strain...

Not an expert on underground lines but I always thought that the Jubilee line was one of the more busy (aka crowded) ones.


What do you think of the idea of walking from Charing Cross to Leicester Square and getting the Piccadilly from there? Walking will probably be more relaxing and take about the same amount of time as going through CHX underground and getting to Leicester Square.

 

[yorkie]

What do you think of the idea of walking from Charing Cross to Leicester Square and getting the Piccadilly from there? Walking will probably be more relaxing and take about the same amount of time as going through CHX underground and getting to Leicester Square.

Providing you are able to touch in at Leicester Square before 0630 (which, looking at the times, you should be OK for that), the increase in cost is 30p (each).

But if you touch in at Leicester Square after 0630, then the additional cost is £2.30 (each), as instead of a £4.90 off-peak mixed-mode fare for your whole journey, you will be paying a £2.20 off peak NR-rate fare from Catford to Charing Cross, and a £5.00 peak TfL-rate fare from Charing Cross to Heathrow.

 

[rajguna]

I don't understand, what's the additional cost of walking from one station to another?

 

[yorkie]

I don't understand, what's the additional cost of walking from one station to another?

There is no cost to walk from one station to the other, but the question is whether you pay for one journey from Catford to Heathrow, or two separate journeys to & from central London.

Providing you commence your 2nd journey before 0630 then the additional cost is only 30p.

You cannot "break your journey" on Oyster PAYG (walking between certain approved interchanges, known as OSIs, does not count as a break of journey, however Charing Cross [NR] to Leicester Square [LU] is not an OSI).

 

[greatkingrat]

Another possibility is using the District from Embankment (which is an OSI with Charing Cross) then a simple cross platform interchange at Hammersmith.

 

[Paul Kelly]

If you are up for walking (I presumed not because of the heavy luggage!) then a good option might be to walk from Charing Cross to Embankment station (very much shorter than to Leicester Square; it's virtually beneath Charing Cross mainline station) and then take a District Line train as far as Barons Court, where it's an extremely easy cross-platform interchange to the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow. And Charing Cross to Embankment is an Oyster OSI, so no issues there.

Edit: greatkingrat said exactly what I did with much greater efficiency (one line of text instead of three!)

 

[Mojo]

Another possibility is using the District from Embankment (which is an OSI with Charing Cross) then a simple cross platform interchange at Hammersmith.

This would be my preferred option for travelling between Charing + and Heathrow.

 

[rajguna]

The luggage is a wheeled suitcase which will probably weigh about 25kg and I've walked with / carried similar before. It's not the mass that worries me, it's getting it on the train and keeping it in a place so it isn't in the way of people getting on and off.

The reason I mentioned the walking to Leicester Square idea was because with it there was one less crowded train you needed for the journey but if the District is not much of a busy line that would be ok as well.

 

[bb21]

The Sub-Surface Lines (Met, District, Circle and Hot&Cold) are full-size vehicles rather than tube-sized ones, so would offer more breathing space should the train be busy.

The walk to Embankment should also be an easier downhill one.

 

[OLJR]

we'll need to be there before 7:30am on the 6th of December

That is a super early start! I would recommend taking a hotel at LHR?

I saw that there is a train at 5:33 from Catford Bridge so we could get there by 7:15

Do you know about the deadline for conformance? You must present yourself at security 35 minutes ahead of your flight even if you have printed your boarding card at home and have no luggage to check. If the train is late you do not have much breathing room. Another good reason to take a hotel!

 

[rajguna]

Two things.

I keep thinking about crowds but actually how crowded will the lines be at 6am, it won't be as bad as when peak time starts will it? because by that time we'll already be on the last train going the opposite direction of the rush.

Secondly, if I touch in at station A but after getting to the platform I find out that the trains are way too crowded, how do I get out of A? If I touch out of A to get to station B don't I get charged?

I read about same station exits and I just want to confirm if I've got this right.

If I get out in less than 2 minutes I will be charged a max fare which will be refunded if I start a new journey within 45 minutes.

Between 2 and 30 minutes I get charged a minimum fare (don't actually know what the minimum fare is).

 

[MikeWh]

Secondly, if I touch in at station A but after getting to the platform I find out that the trains are way too crowded, how do I get out of A? If I touch out of A to get to station B don't I get charged?

I read about same station exits and I just want to confirm if I've got this right.

If I get out in less than 2 minutes I will be charged a max fare which will be refunded if I start a new journey within 45 minutes.

Between 2 and 30 minutes I get charged a minimum fare (don't actually know what the minimum fare is).

You are correct on both counts. Assuming the stations are zone 1 tube ones then the minimum fare is £2.10 all day. This can be refunded by the helpdesk if you don't end up capping.

 

[Nym]

If you're going into Charring X, walk to Embankment and take the District to Barons Court then Piccadilly onwards to Heathrow T4.

This has the last amount of steps possible and avoids what isn't a very plesent change with luggage at Leicster Square. Barons Court is a cross platform interchange as previously noted. However, at insane AM you may be better either;

First train to South Kensington and Piccadilly from there, or if the 1st/2nd calls Hammersmith, change there as some early morning diagrams may turn at Hammersmith...

 

[anme]

I also recommend changing at Barons Court - not really any different to Hammersmith but somehow a nicer atmosphere. Having said that, I normally change at South Kensington as the Piccadilly line is much quicker through Earls Court, but this involves a lot of stairs for at most a couple of minutes saving, so probably not worth it for people with lots of luggage or a less masochistic attitude than mine. Tube should be OK at that time of day, and you're heading out of central London. The bus from Feltham is a very good option for terminal 4, but less so for other terminals in my experience.

It's good to get to the airport in plenty of time. Avoids stress in case of any problems, and in this case should mean you avoid the worst of the crowds.

 

[CatfordCat]

I can't say I've done the journey, but I would have thought that 0530-ish ex Catford and 0615-ish from central London are not exactly going to be 'peak' journeys in terms of passenger loadings. (I'll let someone else answer the complicated questions about the ticketing angle)

The 1973 tube stock (as used on the Piccadilly Line) has a bit of space between doors and seating area to allow for luggage.

You might have a more comfortable (but more expensive) journey using Heathrow Connect / Express - although you'd have to cross to Paddington for this option.

0730 is allowing time before check-in, isn't it? There is always the possibility of something going wrong on any journey, and aiming at a flight, you should really allow for this.

You sound quite nervous about being on a busy tube train - one possible alternative (that will also be cheaper, albeit slower) would be bus 75 to Croydon and express bus X26 from Croydon to Heathrow. (Links are to the timetables, and yes you could get there from Catford by 0630 if you wanted.) The X26 counts as a bus as far as Oyster is concerned.

 

[nicobobinus]

+1 for the CX-Embankment-Barons Court/Hammersmith option.

Four or five years ago I had the delight of regularly commuting into Central London at 6am. 6:30am in the core is not exactly deserted, but no busier than off peak - it's beyond 7am before trains start getting very busy. My route was different to the one the OP intends, but I rarely had issues getting a seat.

As for the return trip at high peak, my advice would either be X26/75 to avoid the central melee altogether or the Piccadilly Line to Piccadilly Circus then down to Charing Cross on the Bakerloo. You'll get a seat at Heathrow no problem and the Bakerloo tends to start dumping out it's loads by Piccadilly Circus so you may even get a seat there in the middle of the peak. I wouldn't recommend changing at Hammersmith to the District heading in as you'll probably be standing as far as the big pax exchange at Victoria, if not all the way to Embankment. I'd also forget the 285 to Feltham option heading back - you'll be standing all the way to Waterloo, probably in crush loads between Richmond and Clapham Junction.

 

[rajguna]

The flight is at 10:30 so there is plenty of time.

A lot of recommendations for the Embankment - Baron's Court route, so that's what I'll do on the day, thanks everyone.

I'll be spending some time with the person at the airport after checking in so by the time I have to start my journey home it'll probably be off-peak so no issues there.

I'm not nervous about busy trains, I travel during peak times on a regular basis and not just in this country. I also do the airport route quite regularly (through Leicester Square) but never this early so I guess I was asking about crowds because I wanted to know about what to expect when we're there and thanks to the advice from you guys I'm not worried anymore.

 

[sammyg901]

I haven't used the X26 since they doubled the frequency but it used to be exceptionally busy on the early journeys and then run ridiculously slowly/late on the peak time journeys. One to avoid!

 

[GodAtum]

I haven't used the X26 since they doubled the frequency but it used to be exceptionally busy on the early journeys and then run ridiculously slowly/late on the peak time journeys. One to avoid!

I ve taken the X26 and around Croydon I would not feel safe having my luggage on it.

 

[IslandDweller]

Another vote for District to Barons Court then very easy change to Piccadilly.
You mentioned 25kg case. Worth checking with the airline about that as many (including BA on most routes) now have a 23kg limit.

 

[Mojo]

The first one or two trains are normally exceptionally busy, then it gets quiet until about 07.00-07.45.

 

[johnnycache]

For terminal 4 you can use bus 490 from Feltham station

 

[TonyR]

I would recommend you have a few alternative routes up your sleeve and check online before you set off for any train delays or tube closures. When I have an early start I have a choice of two stations and have had cause to be thankful I checked live departures first before setting off.