There are five main methods of connecting with the national rail network, one of which is the Underground system. The other four are bus and coach operations that provide a frequent and comfortable connection with principal stations on the rail network.
Passengers travelling to the West or South West of Britain will wish to join trains at either Woking or Reading, while those heading for the Midlands will head for either Gerrards Cross or London. Other areas of the country are served from the eight mainline terminal stations in London.
A frequent shuttle service by comfortable coaches connects each Terminal with Woking station throughout the day from around 06:00 until 00:00. Coaches run at least hourly, and every 30 minutes during the working day. Journey time varies between 40 minutes and an hour, depending on traffic conditions on the M25.
Coaches to Reading start at Terminal 4 and visit the other Terminals in turn before setting off down the M4. Average journey time is one hour, longer during rush hours. Services run from around 05:30 until 00:00 and a lounge is available at the Reading end until early evening.
The Chiltern Railair link runs hourly from around 07:00 until 23:00. Average journey time to T1 is 30 minutes, and 45 minutes to T4. This service is particularly useful for passengers heading for Banbury and Birmingham, but note that the Chiltern trains terminate at Birmingham's Snow Hill station, not the principal station at New Street. If you have a connection to make at New Street, leave the Chiltern train at Moor Street station which is a 400 metre walk from New Street.
Airbus operates frequent services on eight specific routes from Heathrow to London. The mainline rail stations served by Airbus are Paddington and Euston (A2 route), Marylebone (Airbus Direct), Kings Cross and St Pancras (Airbus Direct) and Victoria (A1 route). Journey times fluctuate with the traffic conditions, and you should allow at least one and a half hours to reach one of the mainline stations. Airbus loses out to the Tube on time, but is the economical route to take if you have a lot of luggage and want to see something of London en route.
For detailed information on timetables and fares, call 0171 3877070.
Further details of the Reading Rail Air link are available on 0118 957 9425. Disabled customers have special facilities at Reading station, and should phone ahead to ensure help will be available. The number is 0118 9579334, and is only staffed on weekdays from 09:00 until 14:30. Outside these hours, 0118 9579644 is the number to call.
Full details of the Chiltern Rail Air link are available on 0990 165165. Through tickets are obtainable from rail stations, or separate payment for the coach journey can be made on board. The fare from Heathrow to Gerrards Cross is around £6.00.
Note that the A1 and A2 Airbus routes do not serve Terminal 4. If you require either of these routes, take the free Transfer bus to any of the other Terminals from which all the Airbus routes operate. Airbus travel enquiries are handled on 0181 8972688.
Although the train operating companies are required by law to make passengers aware of the ticket options available to them for a journey, they can sometimes forget to mention that another company's service might be quicker or cheaper. When making an enquiry about a train journey, ask for the quickest option, the cheapest option, and whether alternative routes exist.
Inter-city rail travel in the UK is generally punctual and fast, if rather expensive. If you intend to travel on from Heathrow by train, it is certainly worthwhile looking at the option of coach travel, which is considerably less expensive, or for longer distances you may be as well using a domestic flight from Heathrow.
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