We are planning to buy Heathrow Express tickets online for travel from London to LHR on a specific date in August.
The web site doesn't have anywhere to select a departure time when buying tickets, just the date of travel. Can we take the Heathrow Express train any time we want on the date specified on the ticket? I see that it runs every 15 minutes.
Thank you.
Yes, you buy the ticket for the day of travel. Then you pick whatever train is convenient.
I assume you are buying tickets ahead to get a reduced price. The advance tickets are for a specific date, but you can take any train you want on that day. Just make sure you have the direction of travel correct.
The Heathrow Express may not be your best means of transport from the airport.
What is your ultimate destination?
Op said they are going to Heathrow. Ultimate destination doesn’t matter.
It does matter. There’s no point wasting money on the HEX if you’re nowhere near Paddington. The tube could be faster-and it’s almost guaranteed to be cheaper!
Sorry - this is purely speculation.
What happens if your plane is late and you only get to the HE station in Heathrow after midnight. Are the tickets still valid?
Misread......where are you starting from? Heathrow Express may not be your best means of transportation especially since the real cheap tickets for August aren't available.
@l p enersen- No, they are not valid. Validity is only for the day of issue. Given the volatility of flights currently that is one reason why many people on this forum do not recommend HE (me included)- if you are flying out there is a case to be made for booking a HE train ticket months in advance, flying in is more questionable.
There are other posts that tell you how to get into London after midnight on non night tube nights.
But bearing the night curfew in mind you are unlikely to be landing unscheduled after 2300.
If your flight was running that late chances are it will be diverted elsewhere- Gatwick probably.
But the OP is not going into London after a flight; they are leaving London and going to the airport for a flight out. They should be pretty sure of the correct date for that. If that flight is canceled, they will have bigger problems than an invalid HEX ticket to deal with.
The point is that unless you are starting within walking distance of Paddington then the HEX is unlikely to be the best transport option even if you get the heavily discounted tickets. And for August that is probably not an option. The Elizabeth line or Piccadilly lines may well be quicker and definitely cheaper.
Go ahead and travel the way that you want to. Sometimes easy is worth the extra money!
My point would be that unless you are travelling to Paddington itself the HEX is not the easy option. It will require a change to another form of transport that would be inconvenient.
What a good question! And thanks to everyone who's offered helpful information! We are making similar plans to travel from Lambeth to Heathrow in late October. The Heathrow Express is a good option in my opinion and while it costs more than the slower train options, discounts are available online with early reservations. We'll probably do that.
The other two train options also leave from Paddington, but unlike the Heathrow Express can be caught from multiple locations before Paddington. The Elizabeth Line has 6 stops between Paddington and Heathrow (about 35 minutes travel time) and the Picadilly Line has 18 stops between Paddington and Heathrow (about an hour travel time). The Heathrow Express has no stops between Paddington and Heathrow (15 minutes travel time).
Of course getting to or from Paddington or any of the other Elizabeth Line or Picadilly Line stations will require more time - another factor in travel planning. The adventure continues!
Garrison
Garrison....the Piccadilly line doesn't go to Paddington.
If you are actually starting from Lambeth North, you can take the Bakerloo line to Piccadilly Circus and transfer to the Piccadilly line to Heathrow.
I ran some of your routes through the London tube journey planner. Taking the Elizabeth line to Heathrow from Lambeth North will take 1 hour and 3 minutes. It will cost 13.30 GBP per person
Taking the way I suggested will take three minutes longer but only cost. 5.60 GBP.
Taking the Heathrow Express from Lambeth North will take about 55 minutes and cost the most unless you but a ticket on the HE way in advance. It will still cost more than taking the Piccadilly line.
My apologies everyone for any confusions my statements have caused. I should have double-checked my sources. Frank II is correct. The Picadilly Line does not stop at Paddington, though it does go to Heathrow.
Here's a useful "Transit For London" planner people may find helpful:
https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/
Garrison
