Heathrow Express Questions.

[northernrail]

Hi
Could anyone tell me the journey times from Paddington-Heathrow T5.
And is the Shuttle from Heathrow Central-T5 one dedicated unit?
Thanks Adam

 

[merlodlliw]

17:40 London Paddington

17:55 Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3
18:01 Heathrow Airport T5

One unit

 

[jopsuk]

Terminal 4 has the dedicated shuttle unit- a "connect" class 360 in "express" livery

 

[Jordy]

The Terminal 4 unit is 360205, it has been rebranded and refurbished especially.

 

[tbtc]

Terminal 4 has the dedicated shuttle unit- a "connect" class 360 in "express" livery

That must be one boring job - shuttling up and down every few minutes...

 

[paulravuslante]

That must be one boring job - shuttling up and down every few minutes...

And in only one direction. Drivers man each end of the unit for a fast turnaround at Central. The diagrams for this service are usually covered by the same faces.

 

[northernrail]

Whats the typical hours the driver would work

 

[paulravuslante]

Whats the typical hours the driver would work

Usually around 8 to 9 hours, including a 50-60 min meal break and sometimes other smaller breaks, or so I'm lead to believe.

 

[Striker]

Good grief. Maybe they should save that job as punishment for misconduct.

 

[EWS 58038]

I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a hefty bonus for doing that shift.

 

[jon0844]

It must be very hard to remember the route....


....when you've fallen asleep!

 

[mumrar]

That must be one boring job - shuttling up and down every few minutes...

My mind is instantly taken back to working a stint of just over 5 hours on the infamous 'town car' at Stourbridge.

 

[12CSVT]

My mind is instantly taken back to working a stint of just over 5 hours on the infamous 'town car' at Stourbridge.

At least you get to see daylight on the Stourbridge shuttle. Now just imagine spending your whole shift going round and round in circles on the Glasgow Subway.

 

[scotsman]

At least you get to see daylight on the Stourbridge shuttle. Now just imagine spending your whole shift going round and round in circles on the Glasgow Subway.

Not only that, but it's ATC on the subway.

 

[paulravuslante]

I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a hefty bonus for doing that shift.

Nope! Staff who live near T4 appreciate the shorter commute to the sign on point though.

 

[jopsuk]

At least you get to see daylight on the Stourbridge shuttle. Now just imagine spending your whole shift going round and round in circles on the Glasgow Subway.

Aye- at least the Victoria Line (which is also fully underground and ATO) the drivers get to change ends... Think the W&C is manual control?

 

[island]

W&C has a spare driver at peak times to allow for the necessary sub-1 minute turnaround. Driver drives into Bank, gets out of the cab with all necessary haste, presses a plunger which tells the other end that the way is clear, where the spare driver has got in and off he goes. The alighting driver then walks to the other end ready for the next train.

 

[332 > 444]

Im surprised i've seen no mention of the HEX branded 360 in revenue service 22/12 as most of the 332s were buggered up due to the snow. Sometimes on a saturday they use a 332 and on sundays the HEc runs to Terminal 4 along with another HEc branded 360 going back and fourth at irregular intervals.

 

[paulravuslante]

Im surprised i've seen no mention of the HEX branded 360 in revenue service 22/12 as most of the 332s were buggered up due to the snow. Sometimes on a saturday they use a 332 and on sundays the HEc runs to Terminal 4 along with another HEc branded 360 going back and fourth at irregular intervals.

The HEx branded 360 is back on the T4 transfer on Saturdays now. It was being re-carpeted allegedy (even though I thought it was done back in the summer)! Indeed on Sundays, the Connect trains run the T4 service as they come in from Padd, do a few trips on the shuttle before returning to Padd. Tomorrow there will be some strange goings on with Connect eastbound terminating at Ealing Broadway and westbound starting from Hayes?!

 

[332 > 444]

Don't you have an early today and you are still awake at that time??

 

[paulravuslante]

Don't you have an early today and you are still awake at that time??

No, I'm on mids now! Thank god!

 

[neil36]

Could any tell me if its worth the extra cost for First Class on board the Heathrow Express or not.I will have just finished an 18 hr flight ( 3 flights in total) although I am booking First Class with First Great Western ( Paddington-Newton Abbott).I do have a fair bit of luggage ( L suitcase,L holdall & possible rucksack as well).I have seen some pics already,but I am in two minds.Any suggestions would be helpful

 

[jon0844]

I've been in First Class (when it was a free trip to launch Wi-Fi) and it's okay, but you're on it for about 15 minutes!

As a result, there's really no point that I can see. Am I also right in thinking they've now made Wi-Fi free for the whole train (or is that a promotion?).

When I came back on it last Sunday, I actually put my bag in the vestibule and sat in a flip-down seat. I couldn't see the TV, but it was quiet (the trains are well sealed) and the seat was perfectly comfortable. For 15 minutes, I'd happily stand! Not that you'd need to as I've never seen it that busy, and if a section is busy (a large group) that doesn't mean you can't walk down a bit.

Anyway - in my opinion there's really little point paying for first class even if you'd just gone around the world and not managed to sleep for a minute of it! Go standard and enjoy first class, which may well just be a good sleep, when you get to Paddington.

 

[paulravuslante]

Could any tell me if its worth the extra cost for First Class on board the Heathrow Express or not.I will have just finished an 18 hr flight ( 3 flights in total) although I am booking First Class with First Great Western ( Paddington-Newton Abbott).I do have a fair bit of luggage ( L suitcase,L holdall & possible rucksack as well).I have seen some pics already,but I am in two minds.Any suggestions would be helpful

I'd suggest sticking with standard. The standard carriages have larger luggage racks (part of the racks is used up with coat hangers / magazine racks in First Class). The only reason to choose First Class would be if you need a table to work from or fancy a free FT or magazine - not much point otherwise.

If you're looking for less busy carriages in standard then the rearmost carriage on London bound trains is never full, but do note that you'll be furthest away from the FGW ticket gates at Paddington and if you arrive in Paddington on platform 6, you will have to negotiate your bags across a rather large gap between the train and platform. Somewhere in the middle of the train would be nearer the trolley bays at Paddington - keep a £1 / €1 coin handy if you want one of these.

And before someone else mentions it, you could always consider Heathrow Connect for a cheaper / slower / less frequent journey to Paddington. If you do this please bear in mind that it only runs from Heathrow Central and there are only normal size luggage racks on these trains. Therefore your baggage could be getting in the way of other customers - especially during busy times.

I've been in First Class (when it was a free trip to launch Wi-Fi) and it's okay, but you're on it for about 15 minutes!

As a result, there's really no point that I can see. Am I also right in thinking they've now made Wi-Fi free for the whole train (or is that a promotion?).

Yes, WIFI is free for the whole train, provided you register your details on an initial screen which loads when you open your browser.

 

[LE Greys]

And before someone else mentions it, you could always consider Heathrow Connect for a cheaper / slower / less frequent journey to Paddington. If you do this please bear in mind that it only runs from Heathrow Central and there are only normal size luggage racks on these trains. Therefore your baggage could be getting in the way of other customers - especially during busy times.

I thought that HEX ran to/from T5 and HC ran to/from T4.

Anyway, it's always my preferred way of getting to the airport, because HEX prices are simply a ripoff perpetrated by BAA to take advantage of a captive market. HC may have inflated prices, but not quite so bad. On problem is that they don't accept Travelcards through the tunnel, so you have to buy a separate ticket from Hayes to the airport. Or as I've done in the past, get off and drag my cases up the stairs at Hayes to buy one, but they don't accept railcards either, so there was a double reason. One good thing is that they're normally not busy off-peak.

 

[paulravuslante]

I thought that HEX ran to/from T5 and HC ran to/from T4.

That still happens on Sundays, but for the rest of the week (since last June) Connect terminates / starts at Heathrow Central. T4 is served Monday to Saturday by HEx branded unit 360205 shuttling between there and Heathrow Central. All of these services connect with the HEx departures to Paddington and arrive just after the HEx from Paddington.