Heathrow to Colchester

[Jib2244]

hi, I need to travel from Heathrow Terminal 3 to colchester tomorrow, is it cheaper for me to use contactless on the underground to Liverpool Street / Stratford then buy a GA ticket.

I was going to buy an advance ticket (via Elizabeth line) but was concerned that if my flight is delayed I would miss that train from Heathrow and have to buy another one.

Any feedback will be very much appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Watershed]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Your concerns regarding Advance tickets are entirely understandable as sadly, the general rule on the railway is that if you miss your first train whilst travelling on an Advance ticket, it has no further validity at all. Therefore you'll want to buy a "walk-up" (Off-Peak or Anytime) ticket, since these aren't tied to a specific train or itinerary.

A through ticket from Heathrow to Colchester is routed "+via London" and is therefore valid on either the Elizabeth line or the Heathrow Express. Because it's valid on the HEx it's quite expensive at £65.60 for an Anytime Day Single (there's no Off-Peak version).

Normally, the alternatives involving 'split' tickets would involve tradeoffs between the cost and the trains you can take (e.g. whether you can take fast trains that run non-stop from Stratford to Colchester). However, Greater Anglia are currently selling promotional Hare Fares for £18 between London and Colchester. These are intended for a day return journey, but there is nothing stopping you from using them for a one-way journey and 'throwing away' the return part.

If you are happy to leave Liverpool Street at 09:30 or later (the Hare Fares aren't valid before then), this would be ideal. You would use Oyster/contactless for either the Elizabeth line or Piccadilly/Central line from Heathrow to Liverpool Street/Stratford (costing £13.30 or £5.60 respectively), followed by the Hare Fare for £18.

The Hare Fares can only be bought through the Greater Anglia website or app, unfortunately.

 

[Jib2244]

Hi Watershed, thank you for your detailed response, I arrive back in England at 13:35 (approx) so the hare fares will be great for me. Thank you for your help!

 

[John R]

Note that the Hare Fare sale ends tonight, so probably best to buy the ticket now.

 

[Jib2244]

Note that the Hare Fare sale ends tonight, so probably best to buy the ticket now.

Thanks John, I did notice that earlier today (currently in USA) so I quickly bought it. Thanks for letting me know though

 

[signed]

Note that if you travel off-peak and want to save £7 (£5 on peak), you can take bus SL9 (or 278) for £1.75 from stand 19 at Heathrow Central Bus Station (just outside Terminal 2&3) to Hayes and Harlington station (15min) before taking the Elizabeth Line to Liv Street. £6.85 peak and £5.25 on-peak.

 

[SickyNicky]

And if you're off-peak, are prepared to travel on the underground, and are happy to break your journey at Hatton Cross, you will bring the underground fare down to £3.50 instead of £5.60 - the journey to Hatton Cross is free (use Oyster or contactless) and off-peak fares are available from there.

 

[signed]

And if you're off-peak, are prepared to travel on the underground, and are happy to break your journey at Hatton Cross, you will bring the underground fare down to £3.50 instead of £5.60 - the journey to Hatton Cross is free (use Oyster or contactless) and off-peak fares are available from there.

I've been wondering what cap would be triggered by doing that split.

1-5 or 1-6? Not relevant to OP, but if 1-6, then the bus & split would be a net benefit if you intend on hitting the cap then you would pay the lower 1-5 cap.

 

[talldave]

I've been wondering what cap would be triggered by doing that split.

1-5 or 1-6? Not relevant to OP, but if 1-6, then the bus & split would be a net benefit if you intend on hitting the cap then you would pay the lower 1-5 cap.

I find TfL capping to be a bit of a lottery. My son & I went spotting around Heathrow on Monday and my Oyster capped at £14.25 which doesn't even appear to be a published PAYG capping amount!

 

[SickyNicky]

I've been wondering what cap would be triggered by doing that split.

1-5 or 1-6? Not relevant to OP, but if 1-6, then the bus & split would be a net benefit if you intend on hitting the cap then you would pay the lower 1-5 cap.

If in doubt, use a different card for the Heathrow to Hatton Cross journey. Then it will certainly be zones 1-5. I've done this split a few times, but have never got to the cap so can't say for sure.

 

[Joe Paxton]

And if you're off-peak, are prepared to travel on the underground, and are happy to break your journey at Hatton Cross, you will bring the underground fare down to £3.50 instead of £5.60 - the journey to Hatton Cross is free (use Oyster or contactless) and off-peak fares are available from there.

Worth being aware that one needs to negotiate a flight of stairs up from the platform to ground level where the ticket gates are - there's no lifts, nor an escalator. Not a problem for many, but potentially an issue for those with lots of luggage - and one thing you definitely do not want to do is leave your luggage unattended at platform level whilst you head upstairs to exit and re-enter through the ticket gates... doing so would be a rapid way of making yourself rather unpopular!

 

[WestAnglian]

Note that the Hare Fare sale ends tonight, so probably best to buy the ticket now.

I've just tried the Greater Anglia OJP and found I was offered a Hare Fare for tomorrow. So maybe nobody told the web retailer that the offer has expired.