Does the piccadilyline trains from Heathrow have a place

To hold luggage in each car?

How about the Heathrow Express train?

 

There is adequate luggage space on the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station, it's a great option for getting into London especially if you're staying somewhere in that vicinity or within access from the tube. Platforms are easy to manage ("minding the gap") in this regard with getting bags over the gap from the carriage to platform. The Express is probably the fastest way to get into central London and is reasonable. There is always usually enough space for all the luggage...no worries.

 

Another option is the National Express coach which goes to Victoria Station - might be a better location depending upon where you are staying - and of course as it uses the motorway it takes a bit longer but it's quite comfortable, easy and your luggage is stowed under the coach for you and taken off upon arrival. The cost is lower since it takes about an hour to get into town....more or less depending upon traffic at the time of day/night you arrive. It is easy to buy tickets when you arrive or, as with Heathrow Express, you can purchase in advance online.

 

Whichever way to get into London, have a great holiday :)

Edited July 24, 2016 by Host Bonjour

Heathrow Express has racks for luggage, but Piccadilly trains are just normal commuter trains. If you are travelling after 10am, you should have no problems with your bags - bearing in mind that You will be among the first to board the empty train.

 

Heathrow Express -

Edited July 24, 2016 by Bob++

As Bob's comment, Heathrow Express is geared for luggage. The tube isn't, though you're boarding at its start point so shouldn't be a problem. But heading in the opposite direction, central London to Heathrow, with luggage the tube can be fraught - especially at peak times.

 

Walk-up fare on the Heathrow Express is expensive - over £20 pp e/w. But less than half that if you pre-book weeks ahead. Yes, by far the quickest at about 15 minutes.

 

Tube is around £6 pp, central London in 30 to 40 minutes.

 

National Express bus is inexpensive, and the driver loads your luggage. Theoretical journey time about 35 minutes but very traffic-dependent.

 

But more important than base cost & speed is where in central London you want to get to. Choosing the wrong transportation for a particular destination can mean including an expensive black cab ride or awkward tube changes, making the simplest the most difficult, the quickest the slowest, and the cheapest the most expensive.

For Paddington area, Heathrow Express is probably best. For Victoria, probably Nat Express. For anywhere along the Piccadilly tube line, probably the tube. For other areas there are pros & cons - and for some areas the cons of all three can mean that a private transfer is best.

 

When asking for advice on the subject it's always best to quote day & date, time of day, precise destination, and any complications like kids, luggage, walking difficulties.

 

JB :)

For information - the current Piccadilly Line stock has an area by each set of doors for luggage - it is not huge but it is there. (I have just got off a Piccadilly line train about an hour ago).

 

Apparently the Piccadilly line stock is due to be replaced soon - it is getting rather old. This feature is incorporated in newer tube line stocks (e.g Jubilee Line) so it is very likely to continue.

We land at 8.a.m and are going to Earls Court.

We land at 8.a.m and are going to Earls Court.

 

After 9.30am the tube fare will be off-peak (abd maybe a bit less crowded).

 

Change from the Piccadiilly line to the District line at Hammersmith or Barons Court. It is an across platform change and will save you grief with escalators at Earls Court.

After 9.30am the tube fare will be off-peak (abd maybe a bit less crowded).

 

Change from the Piccadiilly line to the District line at Hammersmith or Barons Court. It is an across platform change and will save you grief with escalators at Earls Court.

 

Somewhere around Hammersmith / Earls Court is where the tube starts to get more crowded.

So that should work out quite well for you.:)

 

Should work out well even for travel in the opposite direction ................ but be aware that westbound the line splits into three - Heathrow T's 1,2,3,4 and Heathrow T's 1,2,3,5 and Uxbridge, and all three use the same line - so make sure you wait for the right train, they're only about 10 minutes apart.

 

JB :)

In Central London, there are train arrival boards which cleary indicate the destination of each Picadilly line train. Those not going to Heathrow may have various destinations listed. Ignore them. Trains ging to Heathrow will either be going to Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3 and then to Terminal 5. Others will go to Terminal 4 first, wait for about 10 minutes and head back to Central London, stopping at the Terminals 1,2, 3 station first.

Another tip from a local - the destination boards on the platform for the Piccadilly line are not the most reliable - always check the front of the train. The drivers are pretty good at telling pax where the train is going (especially at Acton Town when it is on its way to Uxbridge).

 

Apparently the Piccadilly line stock is due to be replaced soon - it is getting rather old.

 

"Mid-2020s" is TfL's latest line on the New Tube for London replacements - soon in big infrastructure project terms, I suppose :) And as they are designed to be ultimately automatic, I predict trouble from the unions.

 

TfL predicts 60% increase in Piccadilly line capacity by 2027 (I think), which might make the thing useable in peak hours in the centre of town....

Unless my memory fails me, you don't have to change trains on the underground from Piccadilly to District Line to avoid the escalators at Earl's Court.

Earls Court is a good station to exit from the Piccadilly, because it is a lift, then a ramp, so no stairs either.

We have been using this station on our annual visits to London for many years. We stay at a hotel halfway between Earl's Court and Gloucester Road, but always use Earl's Court station when we have luggage with us and are using the Piccadilly Line, because it is so easy.

Just not a lot of room *at all* on tube carriages for luggage so if you'll be traveling with large bags, even though it'll be off peak as it's central London, you might wish to get a taxi after arriving into Paddington just to get the rest of the way to your hotel. Just might be easier/more convenient with transferring, exiting...

only thinking about your comfort, luggage etc.

 

But as our members mention, it is of course quite easy to do, navigate.

 

Cheers :)

As I have been reading all your posts it seems to me that the tube would be the best way to get to Russell Station....please correct me if I am wrong...also don't have much luggage..

Thanks for all the replies. I booked a taxi as my husband did not want to take train

As I have been reading all your posts it seems to me that the tube would be the best way to get to Russell Station....please correct me if I am wrong...also don't have much luggage..

 

Yes, being on the direct Piccadilly tube line from Heathrow it's about as cheap and simple as you can get. :)

The route & stations are shown at eye-level in the carriages, and the stations are clearly marked (and usually announced), so you can follow your progress.

Watch for Covent Garden & then Holborn, Russell Square is next.

If escalator / stairs are difficult with your luggage, the station has a lift (elevator)

 

JB :)

Take the lift at Russell Square - the stairs are tricky without luggage! Nice part of London though.

Yes - Russell Square is one of the garden squares that are open to the public - many of them are fenced in and only for the use of local residents.

 

Edited July 27, 2016 by Bob++

Should work out well even for travel in the opposite direction ................ but be aware that westbound the line splits into three - Heathrow T's 1,2,3,4 and Heathrow T's 1,2,3,5 and Uxbridge, and all three use the same line - so make sure you wait for the right train, they're only about 10 minutes apart.

Trains going to Heathrow will either be going to Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3 and then to Terminal 5. Others will go to Terminal 4 first, wait for about 10 minutes and head back to Central London, stopping at the Terminals 1,2, 3 station first.

At busy times, it's worth getting the first Heathrow train if you can find space on it, even if it's the wrong Heathrow train. If you're on the wrong train, get off at Hatton Cross and wait for the next correct train. This avoids the risk, if you're starting in central London, that if you wait there for the correct train, it's actually too full for you to get on and you have to wait another 10 minutes or so for the next correct train.

 

However, I have not yet failed to get myself and my bags onto a Tube train, even once in the middle of the morning peak when carrying two 32 kg suitcases plus a carry-on backpack; or in the middle of the afternoon peak when carrying one 32 kg suitcase and another 15 kg suitcase plus the backpack. You just need to be a bit assertive sometimes. And trains from central London to Heathrow tend to be emptier towards the back of the train. (Don't ask me why; I don't know!)

Watch for Covent Garden & then Holborn, Russell Square is next.

If escalator / stairs are difficult with your luggage, the station has a lift (elevator)

Take the lift at Russell Square - the stairs are tricky without luggage!

IIRC, Russell Square is a lift-only station with no escalators (although my memory may be faulty here). I have had a quick look on the TfL website, which says that access to the street is not step-free even though there are lifts. If that is right, there is likely to be a certain amount of carrying luggage up or down stairs to get to the lift.

I was there a few days ago and definitely used the lift - whether there were a few stairs to negotiate when leaving the lift I can't really remember! It's amazing how easy it is to forget or not to recall. Done it so many times but don't think there are .....the main staircase is definitely too hard to do with luggage. Handy station for the hotels nearby though. Not far at all.

IIRC, Russell Square is a lift-only station with no escalators (although my memory may be faulty here). I have had a quick look on the TfL website, which says that access to the street is not step-free even though there are lifts. If that is right, there is likely to be a certain amount of carrying luggage up or down stairs to get to the lift.

 

There's a flight of 20 steps from platform level to the lifts.

 

The stairs at Russell Square are really emergency ones - 175 steps, mostly in a spiral.

 

Definitely no escalator.

 

http://www.directenquiries.com/stationDiagram.aspx?tab=StationAccessDetail&Title=Piccadilly+Eastbound+(Platform+1)+to+Ticket+Hall&did=0248-0014305%2b0248-0020037_P2H

 

As a station it's not really big enough for the traffic it gets, especially in rush hour. I tend to avoid it unless I am going somewhere right next door (and even then it's only about 10 minutes walk from other stations).