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The London
Underground comes out to Heathrow in the form of the Piccadilly
Line. The big attraction is price, frequency and speed. (45-60 minutes
to most hotels in Central London with trains around every 5 minutes).
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The
downside is crowded carriages and around 20 stations into town. There
will be an Underground station near your ultimate destination, (after
perhaps a change).
Heathrow Airport is in Zone 6 of London's zoned transport system.
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The
Underground carriages become grossly overcrowded during peak rush
hours. Heathrow is first stop so you will get a seat, getting off
in Central London with lots of luggage at this time maybe an experience
you can do without after a long flight.
When you are returning to Heathrow make sure you board the right train.
Not all Piccadilly Line trains go to Heathrow and trains that visit
Terminal 4, do not visit Terminal 5 and vice-versa.
Fares
Heathrow Airport is in Zone 6. Nearly all hotels visitors will use
are in Zone 1 or 2. The Fare is £4.00 adult into Central London.
Consult our London
Underground page for more details. You will probably find it advantageous
to purchase a travel pass called
The
Travelcard or Oyster
Card - you can purchase these at the Underground ticket offices
at Heathrow. |
Important!
Different Trains Visit Different Terminals.
Since
the opening of Terminal 5 on 27th March 2008, a rather complicated
routing of Underground trains at Heathrow applies.
Crudely, there are two different routes that Underground trains take,
if you are travelling to Terminal 4 or Terminal 5 make sure you board
the right train!.
Trains normally alternate between the different routes, if yours is
not the first train, the next Heathrow train will be. |
- Route
1 (Terminal 4) - Incoming trains from London will branch off after
Hatton Cross station to Terminal 4. After Terminal 4 the train
loops around to Central (Terminals 1,2,3) before going back to
London. These trains do not go to Terminal 5 and do not travel
the other way from Central to Terminal 4.
- Route
2 (Terminal 5) - Incoming trains from London will go straight
to Central (Terminals 1,2,3) before going onto Terminal 5 where
the train terminates. After a short while the train will return
to London the same way. These trains do not visit Terminal 4.
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Train
Times
The
first train to central London leaves Heathrow at around 5.15 a.m.
, (45 minutes later on Sundays). The last train leaves at around midnight
(60 minutes earlier on Sundays).
The first train from central London arrives at Heathrow at around
06:30 (08:00 on Sundays) and the last train leaves around 00:00 (23:30
on Sundays).
There is a night bus, route N9 which runs throughout the night at
30 minute intervals from the central bus station. The route includes
stops at Hammersmith, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly.
This bus starts/ends at Terminal 5 and also visits the Central Bus
Station for Terminals 1,2 and 3. Terminal 4 is not visited this service. |
| London
Underground Cash Fares (from 2 Jan 2009 ) |
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Zones
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Adult
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Child*
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Oyster
Card PAYG |
| Peak |
Off
Peak |
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1
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£4.00
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£2.00
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£1.60 |
£1.60 |
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1-2
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£4.00
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£2.00
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£2.20 |
£1.60 |
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1-4
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£4.00
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£2.00
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£2.80 |
£2.20 |
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1-6
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£4.00
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£2.00
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£3.80 |
£2.20 |
*
Childrens Fares
Children under 11 can travel free (see below), 11-15 years can pay £0.50
with an Oyster Card.
Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground
Under-5s
Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses
and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket.
Children in this category do not need Photocards.
Children 5-10
Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams without the need
for a Photocard.
They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are
travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under
11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground.
Under-11s travelling
with an adult will not be issued with tickets but will be allowed to pass
through the ticket gates at stations. Again no Photocard is required for
children travelling with adults.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
11-15s
Children aged 11-15 travel free at any time across the bus network, but
must have a Photocard.
11-15 year olds have a £1 daily cap and £0.55 single journey
fare with Oyster Card on the Tube but must have a Photocard.
Obtaining a Photocard
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children and
collect on arrival.
Note you must apply at least three weeks in advance of your visit.
Advance
application for Child Photocard
Child Discounts Without Photocards
Child Travelcards
For visitors with accompanied children of 11-15 years old you can avoid
the whole photocard issue by simply purchasing a child Travelcard.
There are children's Travelcards available where no photocard is required,
Accompanied Child Day Travelcard £1
Adults with valid Travelcards can buy child rate Off-Peak Day Travelcards
(valid in all zones) at a reduced price of £1 for up to 4 children
(aged 5-15 years inclusive). The adult must accompany these children at
all times. These £1 Travelcards are only valid at off peak times,
so if you want to travel at peak times you need a 'standard' child's Travelcard
that is more expensive.
No Photocard is required for an accompanied Child Day Travelcard.
Underground Child Fares
There is a cash child flat fare of £2 per journey on the London Underground.
No Photocard is required. |
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