In message <NcadnaBGJem34fnVnZ2dnUVZ8qDinZ2d@eclipse.net.uk >, at
06:35:37 on Fri, 27 Jun 2008, Philip Hardy <philip@phardy.karoo.co.uk>
remarked:
>>> So build an HSL between London/Heathrow and
>>> Manchester/Leeds/Teesside/Newcastle/Glasgow/
>>> Edinburgh.
>> It needs to stop in the Midlands too, otherwise I'll be continuing
>>to fly from BHX to hubs in continental Europe.
>
>Well I've got to say that I find that getting a train from East Yorks.
>to London, then the Heathrow Express or Underground to the airport is
>rather easier than flying from Humberside to Schipol and changing
>there. And it's often cheaper.
I find the reverse. It's at least three hours from Nottingham to LHR by
train (via St Pancras), with one fast and one slow train an hour meaning
it's effectively one train an hour. BHX is an hour away by car, at any
clockface time I require.
I've never yet found that a long haul fare via Schiphol fails to be
cheaper than the fare from LHR.
>I've never had a bad experience at LHR. Quite the opposite infact. When
>arriving back from Calgary last year at Terminal 3 it took me no more
>than 20 minutes from getting off the aircraft to getting on the
>Underground train (including picking up my case). Can't complain.
That's extremely fast! I normally time from landing to getting on a
train, and these days LHR and LGW can rarely better an hour. Last time I
landed at LGW it took more than 20 minutes to walk/train from the gate
to the railway station (and that's without bags to collect). But that's
not my main objection to LGW/LHR - more that they are such dumps with
excessive security queues; and too many of the flights I would catch
leave at 7am, which is simply too early if you are travelling from the
Midlands.
>I'll be traveling through T5 in a few weeks time. We'll see how it goes.
Do let us know.
--
Roland Perry