On 08/03/2010 11:54, d wrote:
On Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:42:33 +0000
Ivor The wrote:
On Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:08:22 +0000 (UTC), d
wrote:

The only reason they can still charge extortionate fares is because there
are enough mugs willing to pay them.

Are you talking about HEx, or taxi firms?

HEx. It would be worth the cost if it went to central london but it terminates
at paddington and so most people are going to have to get the tube anyway.
So whats its point?

HEx+taxi can be cheaper than taxi all the way.

The key things to know about Heathrow Express are
a) it is designed to compete with taxis, not with the Underground, or
buses, cycling, walking or pogo sticks.
b) BAA paid for it, so it is their toy, and they can charge whatever
they want. If World+Dog wanted to set the fairs, W+D should have paid to
build it.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:54:08 +0000 (UTC), d
wrote:

Why? If I've forked out a grand on a holiday whats 50 quid for a taxi to make
sure I actually make it to the airport?

How you choose to travel is unimportant. You pays your money, etc.

But your initial rant was that HEx fares are extortionate, which in
context they are not.

Your confidence in taxis as a reliable form of transport is almost as
amusing.

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 13:13:51 -0800 (PST)
Mizter T wrote:
Bingo - CJB, you do so love trotting out a BAA-bashing post each time
a part of the Piccadilly line is closed 'out west' (i.e. somewhere
twixt central London and Heathrow).

When arrangements were made for HEx and Heathrow Connect (HC) to
accept z1-6 Travelcards - and later any Oyster card (merely on sight)
- then the fact that HEx and HC tickets continued to be sold was proof
of rip-off Britain in your eyes. Now that there's no such arrangement,
it's also proof of rip-off Britain in your eyes.

The heathrow services are part of the london rail network. Theres no
reason
for them NOT to accept travelcards other than the fact they're given
special
treatment for reasons no doubt involving brown envelopes down at
whitehall.

It was given special treatment because its construction wasn't paid for by
Government. Try finding another new railway that wasn't!

tim

CJB wrote:
As might be expected from the bankrupt wholly Spanish-owned BAA its
train services were cashing in big-time on the disruption to the
Piccadilly Line this weekend. In the past All Zone Travel Cards have
been accepted on both HEX and CONnect. However in an admirable
demonstration of 'rip-off' Britiain, and at the expense of its long
suffering airline passengers, BAA and its two Paddington / Heathrow
train 'services' were not accepting any Travel Cards this weekend.
Instead BAA was charging the usual full-price rip-off fares it
normally does for its tatty and worn trains into outer London. And HEX
staff were seen today (Sunday) at T5 ensuring that passengers do
indeed pay the exorbitant £18 (whatever) SINGLE fare into West London.
Indeed they were stationed at every TfL ticket machine deterring
passengers from even thinking of going by tube/bus/tube into Central
London. CJB.

Other people have made the valid point about BAA owning/funding Heathrow
Express: All good points, which I'd associate myself with.

However, if I where part of the authorities making decisions about BAA's
future expansion plans I think I'd be using this as a bargaining chip...
Something along the lines of "you can have your sixth terminal but as
part of the deal, you must improve and reduce the cost of public
transport to the airport, including accepting travelcards and Oyster
cards on the Connect."

Even without such a deal, how difficult would it be to accept Oyster on
Heathrow Connect with surcharge added when someone touches in or out at
Heathrow?

Philip wrote:

Even without such a deal, how difficult would it be to accept Oyster
on Heathrow Connect with surcharge added when someone touches in or
out at Heathrow?

Not at all difficult, it just needs a suitable zone defining, beyond zone 6,
so let's call it zone 'H'

It is after all what happens at Watford Junction's zone W, which is beyond
zone 8.

Paul S

"Paul Scott" wrote in message
...
Philip wrote:

Even without such a deal, how difficult would it be to accept Oyster
on Heathrow Connect with surcharge added when someone touches in or
out at Heathrow?

Not at all difficult, it just needs a suitable zone defining, beyond zone
6, so let's call it zone 'H'

BAA don't want ticket gates for their platforms at Heathrow, though this
might not be a problem if TfL (and their customers) were prepared to accept
increased charges for unresolved journeys, in case they ended at Heathrow
Connect. More to the point, can TfL come up with a method of using Oyster
PAYG as far as Hayes & Harlington then a paper ticket on to Heathrow. How
does a passenger touch out while staying on the train at Hayes & Harlington?

Peter

In message , at
19:12:09 on Mon, 8 Mar 2010, Philip remarked:
However, if I where part of the authorities making decisions about
BAA's future expansion plans I think I'd be using this as a bargaining
chip... Something along the lines of "you can have your sixth terminal
but as part of the deal, you must improve and reduce the cost of public
transport to the airport, including accepting travelcards and Oyster
cards on the Connect."

TPTB already have proxies for this, because of limits (in the planning
process) on number of vehicle movements and air pollution. So the only
tenable solution, for BAA to meet those targets, is for them to ensure
more people get a train. A cheaper fares structure is one way to
increase ridership, but not the only one.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 20:05:30 on
Mon, 8 Mar 2010, Peter Masson remarked:

BAA don't want ticket gates for their platforms at Heathrow

It would make the trains harder to use as free inter-terminal shuttles.

In fact, you'd have to issue FOC "platform tickets", which would
completely nullify having barriers at all!!
--
Roland Perry

On Mar 8, 8:05*pm, "Peter Masson" wrote:

"Paul Scott" wrote:
Even without such a deal, how difficult would it be to accept Oyster
on Heathrow Connect with surcharge added when someone touches in or
out at Heathrow?

Not at all difficult, it just needs a suitable zone defining, beyond zone
6, so let's call it zone 'H'

BAA don't want ticket gates for their platforms at Heathrow, though this
might not be a problem if TfL (and their customers) were prepared to accept
increased charges for unresolved journeys, in case they ended at Heathrow
Connect. More to the point, can TfL come up with a method of using Oyster
PAYG as far as Hayes & Harlington then a paper ticket on to Heathrow. How
does a passenger touch out while staying on the train at Hayes & Harlington?

They don't. Come Crossrail, they won't - Oyster PAYG will inevitably
be accepted on the whole route. Somehow!

Peter Masson wrote:
"Paul Scott" wrote in message
...
Philip wrote:

Even without such a deal, how difficult would it be to accept Oyster
on Heathrow Connect with surcharge added when someone touches in or
out at Heathrow?

Not at all difficult, it just needs a suitable zone defining, beyond
zone 6, so let's call it zone 'H'

BAA don't want ticket gates for their platforms at Heathrow, though
this might not be a problem if TfL (and their customers) were
prepared to accept increased charges for unresolved journeys, in case
they ended at Heathrow Connect. More to the point, can TfL come up
with a method of using Oyster PAYG as far as Hayes & Harlington then
a paper ticket on to Heathrow. How does a passenger touch out while
staying on the train at Hayes & Harlington?

I'd completely forgotten the free transfers, which would be a real pain to
deal with. But I suppose in principle they could have standalone validators,
without gates.

If they ever build Airtrack there'll have to be a means of paying for
journeys to/from Staines, so a few things might have to change...

Paul S