Fare increases between London & Stansted

[Watershed]

It would be nice to see cheaper Advance options between London and Stansted, like on EMR to Luton or GWR to Gatwick (from Reading).

They exist but are only sold through the Stansted Express website. £11 each way from Tottenham Hale or £12 from Liverpool Street or Stratford if booked at least 3 months in advance - more expensive if booked closer to the day of travel.

Because of the artificial retailing limitations GA have imposed, many people won't be aware of these fares.

There are many challenges involving airports and inflexible train tickets (e.g. reroutes or delayed flights) but plenty of passengers (me included!) would happily take these risks to save money on the rail fare.

The "Advance" fares that Heathrow Express and Stansted Express sell are not actually train-specific but just date-specific.

 

[Deerfold]

The "Advance" fares that Heathrow Express and Stansted Express sell are not actually train-specific but just date-specific.

And TransPennine's allow catching a train up to 3 hours later if an incoming plane is delayed.

 

[AY1975]

Greater Anglia have increased fares on the London <> Stansted route, and introduced some evening restrictions.

Single fares are now £21 off-peak day single (CDS southbound/DOS northbound) and £23 for anytime day single (SDS). Furthermore, the off-peak single (DOS) in the northbound direction has an added evening peak restriction.

For reference, there used to just be a £25 Anytime Single and a £38 Anytime Return. Whilst not exactly cheap, these offered a very simple choice. Of course GA couldn't help but gouge airport passengers when implementing single leg pricing.

When did these changes take effect? brfares.com has the current fares for at least the period since 1st March, 13th Jan-28th Feb, and 7th Dec-12th Jan, and I can't find any reference to the said £25 Anytime Single and £38 Anytime Return fares on there.

And how much does it cost using contactless?

I've also come across the Stansted Airport Transfers website at https://london-stansted.airporttransfertickets.com/ offering return tickets for £22. However, although the site doesn't appear to say this, I am guessing that these are intended exclusively for foreign visitors to the UK arriving at Stansted.

 

[Tetchytyke]

offering return tickets for £22

They're offering single tickets for £22.

 

[Deerfold]

They're offering single tickets for £22.

£23 to Liverpool Street, £22 to Stratford or Tottenham Hale (so, the same single prices as anywhere else, without offering off-peak tickets at off-peak times)

Each date says £22 on it, but is £23 when clicked on (which may contravene the laws on drip pricing) - or £46 for a return.

 

[Haywain]

When did these changes take effect? brfares.com has the current fares for at least the period since 1st March, 13th Jan-28th Feb, and 7th Dec-12th Jan, and I can't find any reference to the said £25 Anytime Single and £38 Anytime Return fares on there.

If you had gone one step further back you would have found them. They were in force until 6th December 2025.