When we visited London in 2014, we wanted to save money by getting the Piccadilly directly to our hotel at Earl's Court. That journey felt like ages and we arrived at our hotel exhausted at night, so we considered paying for the express for the return. Upon looking it up we found that taking the District to Paddington and then the Express takes even longer! (Edit to add: The journey on the Piccadilly probably felt like ages because in our hometown Munich 45 minutes on a train gets you from the airport (NE) to the southern areas of the city. In London we went from Heathrow (SW) to still the western parts of London - Earl’s Court)
The journey from central London to Heathrow does indeed seem to take forever - I’m from Manchester and I think our tram into the airport takes even longer (you’d just get the train though, there’s not much in it in terms of fare) but the issue I had I think with the tube was that it was a sweltering day in the summer and it felt claustrophobic due to the searing heat
To make your point shorter, Heathrow users should consider their ultimate destination before choosing the HEX. With a difference of just 12 minutes between HEX and the Elizabeth Line, a one-seat trip on the Elizabeth is likely to take even less time than a trip on the Tube or by taxi to Paddington followed by a transfer to Heathrow Express. And that makes a lot of sense. If I want to go from Heathrow to The City or the Docklands for a business meeting, the Elizabeth Line service makes a lot more sense. Another lesson is that trains are just better for air travelers than buses. I see that all time, with people taking one or two suitcases per person -- sometimes entire families or students traveling together, so you can see you can imagine how much luggage can be involved -- on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from cities as distant from Los Angeles as San Diego, three hours away, and then transferring to an "LAX Flyaway" bus at Union Station. By the way, that San Diego to LAX trip is going to cost about $41 USD per person in coach (2nd) class, which isn't immaterial, although the SD-LA train trip is about 130 miles, and 3 hours of train riding. That beats a long miserable and unpredictably stressful car trip, with all the traffic on the 5 and 405 freeways.
Hello Hugh, thank you for a comprehensive review. If travellers have heavy luggage I suspect HEX if the better option. Also consider that foreign arrivals may not speak English well and therefore it's easier for them just to take HEX plus a taxi on arrival into Paddington. I don't know whether you saw BBC Tom Edwards RUclips clip re the crowded Liz Line coming into Central London in the morning rush but in such cases arrival travellers coming from LHR with lots of luggage would receive black looks from those commuters who board down the line and have to stand. !
It depends a lot on where you are travelling from to be honest. I’ve used the HEX a few times when travelling from near Paddington, and the speed is great when pressed for time. I would honestly never recommend the Piccadilly Line - it is just a pain of a journey, and not worth saving the few quid unless you’re REALLY tight for cash. Good to have three options though! London is lucky in that respect.
With the Hong Kong airport express, you could check in to your flight and hand your luggage over to the airline right there in the train terminal, although apparently since Covid, they no longer do that. It certainly made for a nicer ride to the airport, not needing to herd our checked luggage onto the train.
This was also the case with the Heathrow Express in its early years. The check in service was later discontinued. In the days before online check in, using the check in in Paddington was a great way to avoid crowded counters in Heathrow.
@@jonni129 Yes it was a great service while it lasted. One minus point was that it wasn't offered by every airline (presumably for reasons of cost and/or security).
The taxi comparison assumes that it’s only one person travelling. You can fit up to five in a taxi for the same fare. Train fares are all for one person
The Elisabeth Line can be very busy during morning and evening peaks. The Heathrow Express is a better option during peak times. The Elisabeth Line is a local stopping service to which has been added Heathrow. Trains are not very frequent. Alot of extra time should be allowed in case there is a signal failure, points failure or some damage to overhead equipment. Check on the day which trains are running. In an emergency, take a taxi.
It should be mentioned that advanced purchase tickets on HEX are only £5.50. If you are coming off a 24 hour flight from Australia, the HEX beats an hour on a crowded tube even with a short £2.50 Zone 1 Tube connection at Paddington
Advances are not a good idea when arriving by plane, at least in my opinion. If the flight is delayed then bam that advance ticket is worthless. Of course you could allow plenty of time to account for potential delays but then if everything runs to time you could end up hanging around for ages at the airport when all you want to do is get to your hotel as you're tired. Personally I would say the Elizabeth Line is the best option as it won't be as crowded as the Tube but not nearly as pricey as the £25 walk up HEX fare. Plus you can book a hotel near one of the stops on the Elizabeth Line, there must be lots of decent hotels to choose from that meet this criteria.
It’s an interesting question but I’m not really sure how many people are choosing between the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Line as not only do they not cross over (other than at Heathrow) there’s only really one good connection between the two (CX Northern Line). Really it just comes down to frequency and where you’re coming from/going to. That said if they increased Elizabeth line-Heathrow frequency to every 15 or 7.5 minutes it really would make the Express a hard sell.
As noted above it depends whereabouts in the capital you are. I mean if you are staying in South Kensington or Earls Court then the tube is the obvious option.
Funny you mentioned the Hong Kong Airport Express as the counter example of a good airport link when in reality it's no different to the HEX. While it's 2x and 3x as quick compared to the equivalent express and normal bus services, it's also 3x and 6x in price respectively. Furthermore, the train only gets you to the central business district with no residential and the few most pricey hotels in the city, so realistically most people will have to transfer to a local train, while the buses serves all the major districts without the need of changing.
In other words it strictly depends on where you're going. Connecting to the rails at Kings Cross or Waterloo for a trip east/north to final destination you might find Piccadilly far more useful.
Probably not. Take the Elizabeth line to either Bond Street (Jubilee line) or Tottenham Court Road (Northern Line) for Waterloo (also Euston from Tottenham Court Road) or Farringdon (sub surface or Thameslink) for the Cross and St Pancras (Thameslink will also get you down to Brighton and into Kent)
Only used Heathrow Express once, and was shocked at the price. The standard class seats were very good, so it did feel like a premium product. I don't know what the seats are like on the Class 387 units running on the line now, but if they are ironing board seats like the other 387 units it does not seem worth the extra money.
Heathrow express need go beyond the airport join on South West trains track it turn 3rd rail go Weybridge cut over crowded on South West trains for same price from Waterloo and Paddington just like the Gatwick express going beyond the airport I think be a good service?
There's nothing quite like getting off an American Airlines flight and onto first class HEX to be greeted by a rude and unhelpful member of staff to show you the contrast between the 2 countries and their idea of what customer service looks like. Yeah, happened to me and the lady opposite me. #Cultureshock
I'm sorry, but you were perhaps unlucky on the day. I have had very helpful service on HEX and very poor service on American Airlines. In AA business class I was served drinks in plastic and paper cups by flight attendants who acted like they wanted to be anywhere else except working on that plane.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 You're right and the lady opposite me didn't have the correct ticket and the person speaking to her made this very apparent without a hint of grace or generosity of spirit.
@@SirKenchalot Not good at all. In general rail staff (even on a service like HEX) lack skills in such cases. Staff at some UK train firms do this better than others. It can be worse with some of the national rail operators in mainland Europe.
![Trains at London Liverpool Street [LST] + FULL STATION WALKTHROUGH!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/s7Gw1tdZpWk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Trains at London Liverpool Street [LST] + FULL STATION WALKTHROUGH!](/img/tr.png)
When we visited London in 2014, we wanted to save money by getting the Piccadilly directly to our hotel at Earl's Court. That journey felt like ages and we arrived at our hotel exhausted at night, so we considered paying for the express for the return. Upon looking it up we found that taking the District to Paddington and then the Express takes even longer!
(Edit to add: The journey on the Piccadilly probably felt like ages because in our hometown Munich 45 minutes on a train gets you from the airport (NE) to the southern areas of the city. In London we went from Heathrow (SW) to still the western parts of London - Earl’s Court)
The journey from central London to Heathrow does indeed seem to take forever - I’m from Manchester and I think our tram into the airport takes even longer (you’d just get the train though, there’s not much in it in terms of fare) but the issue I had I think with the tube was that it was a sweltering day in the summer and it felt claustrophobic due to the searing heat
To make your point shorter, Heathrow users should consider their ultimate destination before choosing the HEX. With a difference of just 12 minutes between HEX and the Elizabeth Line, a one-seat trip on the Elizabeth is likely to take even less time than a trip on the Tube or by taxi to Paddington followed by a transfer to Heathrow Express. And that makes a lot of sense. If I want to go from Heathrow to The City or the Docklands for a business meeting, the Elizabeth Line service makes a lot more sense.
Another lesson is that trains are just better for air travelers than buses. I see that all time, with people taking one or two suitcases per person -- sometimes entire families or students traveling together, so you can see you can imagine how much luggage can be involved -- on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from cities as distant from Los Angeles as San Diego, three hours away, and then transferring to an "LAX Flyaway" bus at Union Station. By the way, that San Diego to LAX trip is going to cost about $41 USD per person in coach (2nd) class, which isn't immaterial, although the SD-LA train trip is about 130 miles, and 3 hours of train riding. That beats a long miserable and unpredictably stressful car trip, with all the traffic on the 5 and 405 freeways.
Hello Hugh, thank you for a comprehensive review. If travellers have heavy luggage I suspect HEX if the better option. Also consider that foreign arrivals may not speak English well and therefore it's easier for them just to take HEX plus a taxi on arrival into Paddington. I don't know whether you saw BBC Tom Edwards RUclips clip re the crowded Liz Line coming into Central London in the morning rush but in such cases arrival travellers coming from LHR with lots of luggage would receive black looks from those commuters who board down the line and have to stand. !
It depends a lot on where you are travelling from to be honest. I’ve used the HEX a few times when travelling from near Paddington, and the speed is great when pressed for time. I would honestly never recommend the Piccadilly Line - it is just a pain of a journey, and not worth saving the few quid unless you’re REALLY tight for cash.
Good to have three options though! London is lucky in that respect.
With the Hong Kong airport express, you could check in to your flight and hand your luggage over to the airline right there in the train terminal, although apparently since Covid, they no longer do that. It certainly made for a nicer ride to the airport, not needing to herd our checked luggage onto the train.
This was also the case with the Heathrow Express in its early years. The check in service was later discontinued. In the days before online check in, using the check in in Paddington was a great way to avoid crowded counters in Heathrow.
@@jonni129 Yes it was a great service while it lasted. One minus point was that it wasn't offered by every airline (presumably for reasons of cost and/or security).
Checking in and handing your luggage at down town station pass into history because of COVID-19 😢.
Ever since I was little I remember that this train was expensive than others.
The taxi comparison assumes that it’s only one person travelling. You can fit up to five in a taxi for the same fare. Train fares are all for one person
The Elisabeth Line can be very busy during morning and evening peaks. The Heathrow Express is a better option during peak times. The Elisabeth Line is a local stopping service to which has been added Heathrow. Trains are not very frequent.
Alot of extra time should be allowed in case there is a signal failure, points failure or some damage to overhead equipment. Check on the day which trains are running. In an emergency, take a taxi.
Indeed BBC Tom Edwards recently had a RUclips clip about overcrowding coming into London in the morning peak.
Alan Fisher vibe on the first seconds 🤣🤣🤣
It should be mentioned that advanced purchase tickets on HEX are only £5.50. If you are coming off a 24 hour flight from Australia, the HEX beats an hour on a crowded tube even with a short £2.50 Zone 1 Tube connection at Paddington
Advances are not a good idea when arriving by plane, at least in my opinion. If the flight is delayed then bam that advance ticket is worthless. Of course you could allow plenty of time to account for potential delays but then if everything runs to time you could end up hanging around for ages at the airport when all you want to do is get to your hotel as you're tired. Personally I would say the Elizabeth Line is the best option as it won't be as crowded as the Tube but not nearly as pricey as the £25 walk up HEX fare. Plus you can book a hotel near one of the stops on the Elizabeth Line, there must be lots of decent hotels to choose from that meet this criteria.
@@AlexEwan1 Agreed. Arriving at an airport is the LAST place I would book a fixed-time advanced ticket. Maybe OK on the outbound journey though.
@@AlexEwan1 The advance purchase is for any train on a particular day.
@@surreygoldprospector576 They are not fixed time. They are valid for 24 hours
@@gregessex1851 Ah - that makes more sense. :o)
It’s an interesting question but I’m not really sure how many people are choosing between the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Line as not only do they not cross over (other than at Heathrow) there’s only really one good connection between the two (CX Northern Line). Really it just comes down to frequency and where you’re coming from/going to. That said if they increased Elizabeth line-Heathrow frequency to every 15 or 7.5 minutes it really would make the Express a hard sell.
As noted above it depends whereabouts in the capital you are. I mean if you are staying in South Kensington or Earls Court then the tube is the obvious option.
Funny you mentioned the Hong Kong Airport Express as the counter example of a good airport link when in reality it's no different to the HEX. While it's 2x and 3x as quick compared to the equivalent express and normal bus services, it's also 3x and 6x in price respectively. Furthermore, the train only gets you to the central business district with no residential and the few most pricey hotels in the city, so realistically most people will have to transfer to a local train, while the buses serves all the major districts without the need of changing.
Fair enough I’ve never been to HK
The elizabeth line has created an awkward scenario where the all stations stopper travels to more destinations than the express
In other words it strictly depends on where you're going. Connecting to the rails at Kings Cross or Waterloo for a trip east/north to final destination you might find Piccadilly far more useful.
Probably not. Take the Elizabeth line to either Bond Street (Jubilee line) or Tottenham Court Road (Northern Line) for Waterloo (also Euston from Tottenham Court Road) or Farringdon (sub surface or Thameslink) for the Cross and St Pancras (Thameslink will also get you down to Brighton and into Kent)
Could you do a video on the signals on the London Underground and departing screens
Only used Heathrow Express once, and was shocked at the price. The standard class seats were very good, so it did feel like a premium product. I don't know what the seats are like on the Class 387 units running on the line now, but if they are ironing board seats like the other 387 units it does not seem worth the extra money.
Standard class seats on the 387 are the ironing boards. They did upgrade first class for the HEx service though.
X26 from Croydon is the way😁
It need siding at terminal 5 for elizabeth line so Heathrow express go beyond airport?
Heathrow express need go beyond the airport join on South West trains track it turn 3rd rail go Weybridge cut over crowded on South West trains for same price from Waterloo and Paddington just like the Gatwick express going beyond the airport I think be a good service?
There's nothing quite like getting off an American Airlines flight and onto first class HEX to be greeted by a rude and unhelpful member of staff to show you the contrast between the 2 countries and their idea of what customer service looks like. Yeah, happened to me and the lady opposite me. #Cultureshock
I'm sorry, but you were perhaps unlucky on the day. I have had very helpful service on HEX and very poor service on American Airlines. In AA business class I was served drinks in plastic and paper cups by flight attendants who acted like they wanted to be anywhere else except working on that plane.
@@ib9rt I guess it can happen anywhere then.
@@SirKenchalot From my own experience HEX is so fast that you would normally see onboard staff only when they make the onboard ticket check.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 You're right and the lady opposite me didn't have the correct ticket and the person speaking to her made this very apparent without a hint of grace or generosity of spirit.
@@SirKenchalot Not good at all. In general rail staff (even on a service like HEX) lack skills in such cases. Staff at some UK train firms do this better than others. It can be worse with some of the national rail operators in mainland Europe.
If you vook well in advance, it is. Otherwise, use the Elizabeth line..
1:18
lololololol
it's one of the worst examples, it only skips 2 stations so, hah, gotcha
Do You Miss The Class 332?