GWR App issues-Heathrow Ticket Pickup?

MaryEllen,

I don't have an answer for you. I know someone will soon. But I laughed at this:

And won't you all be glad when I'm done asking train questions?

I feel the same way. Folks are so helpful.

The Elizabeth line and Heathrow express both share a rail station at Heathrow T 2/3. The rail station is for both terminals. As you approach the fare gate for the rail station there are a number of self service ticket machines. I suspect there’s a staffed ticket office too but I’ve never actually looked for it or noticed it. Once past the fare gates there are several elevators to take you down to the train platforms.

When leaving the secure area of baggage claim follow the signs for trains to London and Heathrow Express.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/heathrow-terminals-2-3-rail-station-only/

The GWR system is problematic to overseas users.

The landscape has changed a bit this week about Heathrow to Bath in that a new option has now appeared. Through bookings have now been restarted on the Rail Air Coach to Reading.

Travelling via the Hayes all rail route the Off Peak Single is £61.70 and the Super Off Peak Single is £45.10 (after 0950).

Taking Rail air to Reading then train is £64.70 Off Peak Single and £52.90 Super Off Peak Single so a fairly small supplement for avoiding the Elizabeth Line change and no slower.

Rail Air now stops right outside the terminal, rather than the central Bus Station.

I was at Reading on Wednesday and it has had a huge transformation for the positive.

If you are aiming for advance fares they are £42.10 after 0955, but not really recommended off a flight, as tied to one departure.

To find those on LNER input your point of origin as 'Heathrow Terminal 3 Bus'.

The LNER website (I don't do apps) is working fine for me, that is where I am finding these fares from. I see the same fares on Northern Rail and on Great Western, so I don't know why National Rail would be giving different fares, but they look to be phantom fares.

So it may be worth your retrying LNER.

isn31c, thank you. LNER seems to only provide the Rail air to Reading option, not the all rail option. 34.10GBP per person (two together railcards) for advance, 41.25 Super Off Peak (which I'd prefer).
National Rail is still showing 29.75 per person for the Elizabeth option.

The Rail air to Reading is a total of 2 hours, 25 min, with 3 changes.
National Rail is 1 hour 49 min, 2 changes.

Of concern: the details of the Rail air to Reading show that we would have 13 minutes to get from the Reading Bus to Reading Rail Station, and that it is a 13 minute walk. Is that accurate?

Based off of the above response from Rocket, it seems best to buy the GWR ticket and pickup the ticket when we get there. Not sure I trust the app to work when I need to retrieve the ticket if it can't even provide me with all of the steps to register.

I don't have an answer for you. I know someone will soon. But I laughed at this:

And won't you all be glad when I'm done asking train questions?

I feel the same way. Folks are so helpful.

katiecem, Well, I sure know that I'll be glad when this whole train business is done! And we're only doing 3 train journeys!

At Reading the coach drops you off at the station entrance so that's fine.

13 minutes is extravagant- on google maps- https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Reading+Rail+Station+-+buses/@51.4582657,-0.9722297,19z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x48769b178c745999:0x5f95e635f06bff2b!2sReading+Station!8m2!3d51.4580217!4d-0.9715645!16s%2Fg%2F1thq4stj!3m5!1s0x48769b1788d1442b:0x8126b17896625db1!8m2!3d51.458145!4d-0.971641!16s%2Fg%2F11sd0vtjbm?entry=ttu
the stop is marked by the Red Flag outside Unit 11. 2 to 3 minutes is closer to the walk.

I got to the stop opposite the Malmaison in 5 minutes, totally non plussed by the utter change in the built landscape since my last visit and not knowing exactly where my stop was as I had rewritten my plans in a 7 minute train ride. I was meant and booked to be on a train to Oxford from Reading, not a service bus. But I was 1 hour early so gave myself a treat of a bus ride on the spur of the moment.

The LNER system has not caught up with the very recent rail air Timetable Change (of 3 weeks ago)- this is the up to date TT - https://www.railair.com/timetables/RA1/pdf?date=2023-07-23&day=

So you change once- at Reading.

On LNER to get the all rail option you need to use 'Heathrow Rail' as your origin. That offers you 1 change on HEX to Paddington or 2 changes on the Hayes route.

I am really unsure why on LNER with a 2T on any train after 0950 (start of Super Off peak single) I am seeing a £29.75 fare for the Elizabeth line option and £41.25 each for the bus/rail option, but you are seeing something different, apparently.

I am really unsure why on LNER with a 2T on any train after 0950 (start of Super Off peak single) I am seeing a £29.75 fare for the Elizabeth line option and £41.25 each for the bus/rail option, but you are seeing something different, apparently.

That is what I'm seeing, maybe I just wrote it confusingly!

GWR amusingly indicates Railair to be a rail-replacement bus in its app which it is in a way but not in the normal sense.

Through fares have usually been available with Railair but for many years they have always been more costly than separate bookings. Now for some but not all journeys a through fare may the cheaper way; in some cases there is now an off-peak single when formally only an Anytime fare was offered and in others there has been an actual fare cut. So worth checking both ways round.