New RailAir route from Watford to Heathrow, and improved Woking times from today

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• Paul says:

  20 Aug20 August 08:26

  Obviously you can now take the Elizabeth line to Hayes, then change platforms to get to Heathrow.
  Which I would still prefer to risk getting stuck on the M4.

• HighlandTB says:

  20 Aug20 August 08:39

  We travel regularly to Heathrow to visit family who live near Woking, does anyone know if the bus does stop to pick up passengers at the McLaren roundabout?

  • HighlandTB says:

    20 Aug20 August 09:35

    Thanks I think it will be fine being picked up from the roundabout but on the return going to Woking. (To avoid any bad weather!)

• P Purcell says:

  20 Aug20 August 08:50

  Very expensive to & from Reading on RailAir. For Reading/Twyford-Heathrow I get the train and change at Hayes & Harlington

• Paul says:

  20 Aug20 August 08:54

  When I lived in Woking I used to catch the bus a lot. You say it’s not cheap but it’s at least a fifth the cost of a cab and most of the time I was happy to trade a little extra journey time for the price.
  My experience was that they were on time and reliable, with decent Wi-Fi

• Liz says:

  20 Aug20 August 08:55

  What’s the best app to use to buy a combined ticket if we’re taking a train to Watford Junction and then RailAir to Heathrow and want to use a railcard to get a discount? Some of the apps I use to buy train tickets are not showing the RailAir coach as an option.

  • tony says:

    20 Aug20 August 09:23

    I’m in a similar position and typically find with a network railcard you are better off buying two separate tickets. But as made very clear in the article the Reading service is so expensive that for me it’s typically cheaper to go to Paddington and come back our to the airport

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    20 Aug20 August 09:42

    i would use the national rail enquiries website as that will link to one of the train operators sites.

    Sometimes with the apps the additional ticket types are deeper in the booking pricess

    On LNER app for example you need to click on ‘mix and match tickets’ to get travel card included options so the train + coach option could be in there.

  • ChrisBCN says:

    20 Aug20 August 10:27

    And NEVER use an app that charges you booking fees (eg Trainline). Use only the apps that are run by the train companies themselves, all of them can sell you a ticket from anywhere to anywhere. The operating train company all is usually best as you may occasionally (well, rarely) find a discount – but it is better for delay repay if you need it.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

      20 Aug20 August 11:15

      Indeed.

      I use LNER even though I’ve not traveled on them in ages.

      But they sell vouchers which you can often get rebates on via credit cards and airtime.

      I’m currently being offered 5% on both and they stack.

      • Ruralite says:

        20 Aug20 August 12:25

        Yes I find LNER good, especially when you can combine with an Amex offer. They’ve also just sent me a 20% off code for my birthday.

• jj says:

  20 Aug20 August 09:11

  It’s telling that there is only enough demand for two buses an hour from Reading. That’s a drop in the ocean compared with the volume of passengers at Heathrow, a decent proportion of which will be coming from the West.

  Outside London, public transport has so many issues if you want to get to Heathrow. My local station has only 4 trains on a Sunday, for example, compared with >50 on weekdays. Only 40% of trains in Wales run on time with multi-hour delays on the Great Western main line being common, so you need to allow massive contingency. You can’t get back to most of Wales after the early evening, so you risk being stranded in London. Flexible fares, essential in case of delays, are usually more expensive than the cost of driving and parking. You can’t take large sporting equipment on the train. Multiple connections become impractical if you have heavy baggage.

  I always consider the train and/or Railbus as a possible transport solution. I use it less than one time in five.

• Greenpen says:

  20 Aug20 August 09:22

  I have used the Reading RailAir service quite a few times as there is a direct rail service from my home town. But not if carrying luggage as the hassle and physical effort required to get to my station and then to the bus stop at Reading is too much!

  Some time ago they added a loop off the motorway to allow passengers to be picked up on the outskirts of some town. I have had to suffer this slow loop several times and no one ever gets on! It adds about 15 frustrating minutes to the trip. I think a timetabled 40 minute trip is unrealistically optimistic as if you are not the first stop at LHR then even more time is added on.

  The lounge is fine if it’s cold and wet outside but it’s just a waiting room. WiFi on the bus works well.

  By the way, four pages of comments before 10 on a Sunday morning seems to suggest a demand for information and hints on bus bargains!

• acewoking says:

  20 Aug20 August 09:32

  We live in Woking, but 20 minutes walk from the station. It’s not worth getting a taxi to the station then waiting for the bus, so we just get a taxi to Heathrow. On the way home, we take the Railair to Woking, then a taxi from the station, there are always plenty waiting there. The cynic in me thinks that the 30 minute service gives them an excuse to cancel more buses, their thinking is that it will still only mean a 1 hour wait not a 2 hour wait for the next one.

  • polly says:

    20 Aug20 August 16:02

    Agree, it’s only useful for me going to LHR Dublin alone. Once it’s 2 of us, it’s a taxi, am afraid. We live 10 mins drive from Woking station. And hope it’s not cancelled.

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