Romford to Windsor & Elon Central

[newguy]

Hi
Please can I check something. I want to travel to Windsor Castle from Romford. The best way seems to be to get the Elizabeth Line to Slough and then change at Slough and get a GWR service to Windsor & Eton Central. I am a bit confused about what I am reading online. Some people seem to suggest that I can use a TFL contactless bank card and scan in and Romford and then simply tap out at Windsor. Others suggest I need to have a separate ticket for the GWR part. Please could somebody advise, is it a contactless trip all the way?

Many thanks

 

[Watershed]

Contactless PAYG has been valid on the GWML as far as Reading, and on the branches to Windsor, Marlow and Henley, for several years now. Earlier this year it also became valid on SWR services to Windsor & Eton Riverside - although that's a slower and less convenient way of getting between Romford and Windsor.

However, if you're making a day trip it's cheaper to buy a paper ticket. This costs just £19.50 for an Off-Peak Day Return, as compared to £11 each way (£22 in total) if you use contactless PAYG. Similarly it's £24.70 for an Anytime Day Return but £16.20 for a peak PAYG fare each way (£32.40 return).

If you have a Railcard or are traveling in a group of 3+ people then the difference in price is even bigger, since these discounts cannot be obtained with contactless. Normally contactless PAYG singles are supposed to cost half of the equivalent paper return, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

NB Elizabeth line services from Romford don't run directly beyond Heathrow. You'll have to change for a Maidenhead or Reading-bound service somewhere en-route, as these all start at Abbey Wood. The recommended interchange station is Whitechapel, which makes sense as it gives you a better chance of getting a seat before everyone heading out of Zone 1 piles on.

You can change to/from Greater Anglia and/or GWR services at Liverpool Street or Paddington if you prefer. The quickest option depends on when you depart, so I'd suggest having a look at a realistic journey planner like CityMapper before you set off.

 

[newguy]

Thank you Watershed that really helpful

 

[redreni]

Worth bearing in mind journey planners always allow at least 15 minutes for a change of train at Paddington, which can give the misimpression that it isn't worth changing at Paddington, when in fact it is.

My policy is generally that if, when I arrive at Paddington on a Westbound Elizabeth Line train, there is connection of at least 5 minutes but less than 20 minutes onto a GWR Didcot Parkway train, I will go for that.

If you're unfamiliar with Paddington station then you might want to allow slightly longer as a minimum, but 10 minutes should be plenty for most people.

GWR trains run non-stop from Paddington to Slough at all times except in the evening peak on weekdays. They run non-stop from Slough to Paddington at all times except in the morning peak on weekdays. They're much quicker than the Elizabeth Line, so for a day trip to Windsor, I would definitely recommend them.

 

[newguy]

Worth bearing in mind journey planners always allow at least 15 minutes for a change of train at Paddington, which can give the misimpression that it isn't worth changing at Paddington, when in fact it is.

My policy is generally that if, when I arrive at Paddington on a Westbound Elizabeth Line train, there is connection of at least 5 minutes but less than 20 minutes onto a GWR Didcot Parkway train, I will go for that.

If you're unfamiliar with Paddington station then you might want to allow slightly longer as a minimum, but 10 minutes should be plenty for most people.

GWR trains run non-stop from Paddington to Slough at all times except in the evening peak on weekdays. They run non-stop from Slough to Paddington at all times except in the morning peak on weekdays. They're much quicker than the Elizabeth Line, so for a day trip to Windsor, I would definitely recommend them.

Thank you Redreni. I had been using the Google journey planner and it pretty much always suggested the change at Slough from the Elizabeth Line. I'll bear your suggestion in mind, although I've never been to Paddington before.

Newguy

 

[MarlowDonkey]

My policy is generally that if, when I arrive at Paddington on a Westbound Elizabeth Line train, there is connection of at least 5 minutes but less than 20 minutes onto a GWR Didcot Parkway train, I will go for that.

If going to Windsor, it's going to depend on the connection times of the shuttle to Windsor. What you might gain by walking across Paddington for the GWR train, may be lost waiting at Slough.

However as noted, the OP wiill be on an Elizabeth Line Heathrow train or a Paddington terminator until they change to a Reading or Maidenhead one, which could be at Paddington and if changing at Paddington there's the GWR option.