Slough to various London destionations - Best route and tickets?

[new2rail]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and have seen the great advice given here. I would be very grateful if anyone could help with the following:

For a month or so, we will need to travel from Slough to London - first Hammersmith, and then onto Queens Park or Brondesbury Park (and vice versa for the return journey).

We will be travelling with three children aged 9, 5 and 4 - during peak hours in the morning and departing around 4pm/5pm (not sure if that's peak or not).

Would anyone be able to give advice on the best route to take and the most cost-effective tickets to buy?

Have just found out that children aged 5-10 can use a zip oyster card for certain routes but have never used them before, so don't know how, or if, they can be used from Slough.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Mike395]

Hiya - how many times per week will you be making the journey?

 

[AlterEgo]

Welcome. Do you have a Family and Friends Railcard? This'll ensure a big saving which could easily be recouped in a month of even infrequent travel.

 

[LexyBoy]

Welcome. Do you have a Family and Friends Railcard? This'll ensure a big saving which could easily be recouped in a month of even infrequent travel.

Not before 10am in the Network area though.

I'd think a Travelcard would be best- Hammersmith and Queen's Park are a short trip from Paddington, Not clear if the OP is doing this regularly or occasionally though.

 

[new2rail]

Hi Mike395, AlterEgo and LexyBoy!

Thanks for the warm welcome and quick responses.

Apologies for not mentioning that we'll be doing this journey 5 times a week: Monday - Friday.

Also, we don't have a Friends and Family railcard.

Thanks again.

 

[W-on-Sea]

I'll answer the easy bit...

You *can* get a Zip Oyster for your kids aged 5-10, but it's not necessary if they're travelling with you (unless the oldest might be mistaken for being over 10).
As (I presume) you're living outside of Greater London (ie. in Slough) you need to apply online. See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14554.aspx for info

The only form of transport in Slough itself that the Oyster is valid on is the one TfL bus route there - route 81 to Hounslow. (You could use it on a Pay as you go basis, or with a travelcard valid for any combination of zones - all travelcards are valid on all TfL buses, even outside the zones, and regardless of the zones that are valid for train and tube travel) . It's just a quirk of history that that is a TfL route, really, as it's several miles until you find another.

While you *could* use the 81 bus that with a Zones 2-6 travelcard (to connect with the tube at Hounslow West) to get into London, and indeed that would probably work out cheaper than any other route, I think it'd be very impractical and too slow to do twice daily, with three children, on a regular basis.

The nearest station to Slough on the main line into Paddington at which Oyster cards are valid is the first one in Greater London - West Drayton.


I'll leave the more complicated business of trying to work out the best combination of train and travelcard fares to someone else... I think there would be various possible options (not least whether you would consider using a travelcard that doesn't include Zone 1 ) , and which one you went for would depend in part on whether cost or time & flexibility were more important.

 

[yorkie]

Would anyone be able to give advice on the best route to take and the most cost-effective tickets to buy?.

Welcome I'm glad you like our advice, I'm not sure how much you'll have read, but the best route to take may depend on various factors and it's not always easiest to judge. The most cost-effective tickets may not be for the best route either. If one of your criteria is easy interchange (potentially step-free), then it can even vary by direction.

For Slough - Hammersmith, I would say the easiest interchange is highly likely to be to change to the District Line at Ealing Broadway. If heading Eastbound (toward London, or "Up" in railway-terminology), then there should be step-free access at Ealing Broadway. Heading Westbound you would need to use the footbridge.

When you say "and vice versa for the return journey" do you mean that the return is from Brondesbury, to Queens Park, to Hammersmith to Slough? or can you simply go straight from Brondesbury to Slough?

We will be travelling with three children aged 9, 5 and 4 - during peak hours in the morning and departing around 4pm/5pm (not sure if that's peak or not).

Peak hours do vary depending on the ticket(s) held.

If you use Oyster PAYG, peak time depends on the moment you touch in at the start of your journey, this is in contrast to paper tickets that generally have time restrictions based on the time the train departs.

Off-Peak single fares apply from 09:30-16:00 and after 19:00 Monday to Friday (based on when you touch in, not when your service leaves).
If you travel into Zone 1 on Tube, DLR, London Overground or some National Rail services between 16:00 and 19:00 on Mondays to Fridays, you will be charged an off peak fare.

If you buy a Travelcard from Slough, then if you have bought an Anytime Day Travelcard or a Travelcard Season, then of course the evening peak isn't an issue anyway. If you have an Off Peak Day Travelcard from Slough, then the only restrictions in the evening peak are on a very small number of 'fast' trains from Paddington to Slough, we can provide a list of these trains if you are likely to do this, however if you are going via Ealing Broadway you would not be getting one of these trains anyway (plus it sounds like an Off Peak Travelcard won't suit you anyway).

 

[MikeWh]

For a month or so, we will need to travel from Slough to London - first Hammersmith, and then onto Queens Park or Brondesbury Park (and vice versa for the return journey).

We will be travelling with three children aged 9, 5 and 4 - during peak hours in the morning and departing around 4pm/5pm (not sure if that's peak or not).

Would anyone be able to give advice on the best route to take and the most cost-effective tickets to buy?

It's going to be a juggling act, I'm afraid. Hammersmith to Queens Park/Brondesbury Park is not easy to do without going into zone 1, which is where the costs rise. However, the good news is that within the London zones you will not need a ticket for the children (unless the eldest looks older than 10 where a zip card might save discussions).

The cheapest option is a period (week or any number of days from a month) travelcard for zones 2-6 for you. You'll have to start with the 50 minute bus journey on the 81 then use the Picadilly line to Hammersmith. Then it's the District line to Earls Court, Olympia shuttle to Olympia and Overground to Brondesbury Park. Realistically this will take ages.

Next cheapest I would say would be a season ticket from Slough to West Drayton for the eldest two kids and a season ticket from Slough to zones 2-6 just for you. This way you could use FGW stopping services and change at Ealing Broadway onto a District Line to Hammersmith, then as above.

Then to speed up the London bits you could add zone 1 to your travelcard which means that you can take the Hammersmith and City or Circle line from Hammersmith to Paddington then the Bakerloo line to Queens Park.

The most expensive option would be a Slough to zones 1-6 season for you and Slough to Paddington seasons for the two eldest kids. That way you could take fast trains straight into Paddington and take the Hammersmith and City or Circle line back to Hamersmith. Then as above to get to Queens Park.

One gotcha to be aware of at Paddington: There are two sets of Circle line platforms. You are only interested in the ones which are also Hammersmith and City line platforms.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Another (I think feasible) alternative to avoid expensive Zone 1 trains/tubes that you could contemplate would be:

Train from Slough to Ealing Broadway, change to the District line to Hammersmith.


The TFL journey planner (and my past regular experience of a similar journey) suggests getting the Hammersmith & City Line from Hammersmith to Royal Oak, and then bus 36 (frequent and reasonably fast) to Queens Park is the quickest way to do that bit of the journey - that also avoids zone 1. (there are other possible bus and tube options to, from Shepherds Bush/White City and Westbourne Park, but the 36 from Royal Oak is probably your best bet - and almost certainly, in most circumstances, quicker than using the relatively (by London standards) infrequent Olympia shuttle and the overground route via Willesden Junction (which also renders you liable to waiting around a bit)

So I reckon it would be feasible to do this avoiding zone 1.

 

[zero]

The cheapest option is a period (week or any number of days from a month) travelcard for zones 2-6 for you. You'll have to start with the 50 minute bus journey on the 81 then use the Picadilly line to Hammersmith. Then it's the District line to Earls Court, Olympia shuttle to Olympia and Overground to Brondesbury Park. Realistically this will take ages.

Actually zones 2-5 if only getting on the tube at Hounslow West, or potentially zones 2-4 if taking the 81 to the terminus and then walking a bit further to Hounslow Central.

The real cheapest public transport option is a bus pass only. 81 to Hounslow West, H91 from there to Hammersmith, then 295+316 to Queen's Park / Brondesbury.

Others can comment on how cost-effective this is, but an option I would consider is a Slough-Ealing Bdy season + zone 2-3 travelcard. Then District + Picc express to Hammersmith. (Edit: W-on-sea has sort of beat me to it.)

I was also suggesting 9, 10 or 27 from Hammersmith to Olympia then Overground +/- Bakerloo. If you time it right it will be faster and less painful than going through Zone 1 at rush hour too. But actually 36 from Royal Oak sounds better, unless your destination is closer to Brondesbury

 

[bb21]

Actually zones 2-5 if only getting on the tube at Hounslow West, or potentially zones 2-4 if taking the 81 to the terminus and then walking a bit further to Hounslow Central.

Others can comment on how cost-effective this is, but an option I would consider is a Slough-Ealing Bdy season + zone 2-3 travelcard. Then District + Picc express to Hammersmith. (Edit: W-on-sea has sort of beat me to it.)

Slough - Ealing Broadway Annual Season £1652.00
London Zones 2-3 Annual Travelcard £832.00

Slough - London Zones 2-6 Annual Travelcard £2096.00

So not cost effective to get them separately.

I was also suggesting 9, 10 or 27 from Hammersmith to Olympia then Overground +/- Bakerloo. If you time it right it will be faster and less painful than going through Zone 1 at rush hour too. But actually 36 from Royal Oak sounds better, unless your destination is closer to Brondesbury

The 9/10/27 is not a bad suggestion. However beware that the 9/10 depart from a different location to the 27 unless you walk further along the main road towards central London.

 

[zero]

The 9/10/27 is not a bad suggestion. However beware that the 9/10 depart from a different location to the 27 unless you walk further along the main road towards central London.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/hammersmith-2109.pdf says that they all depart from stop F, which I believe is the elevated bus terminus above the shopping centre (as opposed to the open air one at ground level)

 

[bb21]

Have things changed? Never knew that 27 left from there too.

If so then yes ignore what I said before.

 

[new2rail]

Hi everyone,

Apologies for not replying earlier but there has been some illness in the family.

Thanks so much for the fantastic information you've all provided.
We're really amazed at a) how knowledgeable you are and b) how willing you are to share your knowledge.

We've been implementing some of the suggestions - which have not only saved us a considerable amount of money but they've also made the journey easier.

We have a few queries regarding some suggestions which I'll try and ask through the individual posts (I'm not well-versed in how to use the forum).

Thanks again!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I'll answer the easy bit...

You *can* get a Zip Oyster for your kids aged 5-10, but it's not necessary if they're travelling with you (unless the oldest might be mistaken for being over 10).
As (I presume) you're living outside of Greater London (ie. in Slough) you need to apply online. See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14554.aspx for info

The only form of transport in Slough itself that the Oyster is valid on is the one TfL bus route there - route 81 to Hounslow. (You could use it on a Pay as you go basis, or with a travelcard valid for any combination of zones - all travelcards are valid on all TfL buses, even outside the zones, and regardless of the zones that are valid for train and tube travel) . It's just a quirk of history that that is a TfL route, really, as it's several miles until you find another.

While you *could* use the 81 bus that with a Zones 2-6 travelcard (to connect with the tube at Hounslow West) to get into London, and indeed that would probably work out cheaper than any other route, I think it'd be very impractical and too slow to do twice daily, with three children, on a regular basis.

The nearest station to Slough on the main line into Paddington at which Oyster cards are valid is the first one in Greater London - West Drayton.


I'll leave the more complicated business of trying to work out the best combination of train and travelcard fares to someone else... I think there would be various possible options (not least whether you would consider using a travelcard that doesn't include Zone 1 ) , and which one you went for would depend in part on whether cost or time & flexibility were more important.

Thanks for this. We didn't know about the 81 bus being a TfL route. It's good to know that any travelcard is valid on it (I'm presuming that includes paper travelcards?) and that you can use Oyster Pay as You Go.
Thanks again.
PS. Not sure how this ended up appended to my previous post - sorry if it's confusing...I think it's because it's got the same title?