Birmingham International
There is a direct rail service between Milton Keynes Central and
Birmingham International (see route diagram).
Usually there is 1 train per hour and a typical journey time of 50 minutes. Note that trains on this route do not operate in the early
hours of the morning. Timetable information is available from the national
rail timetable site. There is a less frequent express bus (service
777) from
Milton Keynes Coachway (80 minute journey time) and it does offer a few
journeys in the early hours.
For a day trip to the airport from Milton Keynes, check out
Silverlink's fares on the rail page.
Gatwick
Regrettably there is no longer a direct rail service between Gatwick
and Milton Keynes Central. The direct service was withdrawn in 2002 to
reduce congestion on the lines south of Milton Keynes. Rail passengers
from Milton Keynes now have a choice of 3 routes.
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Route |
Pros & Cons |
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Milton
Keynes Central to Watford Junction;
Watford Junction to Gatwick (via Olympia) |
- avoids crossing London using the Underground and requires the fewest
changes
- the fares for this route are also a little cheaper than
crossing London
- the Watford to Gatwick train only
runs once an hour - if you miss a connection at Watford then you
face a 1 hour delay
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Milton
Keynes Central to London Euston;
Underground from Euston to Victoria;
Gatwick Express from London Victoria to Gatwick |
- both the Virgin
and Gatwick Express trains are comfortable
- services on this route are generally frequent
- crossing London by Underground can be difficult if you have a
lot of luggage - especially at peak times
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Milton
Keynes Central to London Euston;
Underground from Euston to King's Cross;
Thameslink from King's Cross to Gatwick |
- services on this route are generally frequent
- crossing London by Underground can be difficult if you have a
lot of luggage - especially at peak times
- Thameslink is less comfortable and more prone to overcrowding
than Gatwick Express
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Journey times by all three routes are similar (typically 2 hours but longer at weekends). Plan your journey using the
national rail
timetable site
and it will select the fastest route for your preferred departure time
(use the View Details button to see the route it has selected).
Tickets valid for travel via London can be used on all 3 routes - note that Network
card discounts are not available for travel on the Gatwick Express.
As an alternative to rail there is an express bus (service
230 or 707) from
Milton Keynes Coachway. Buses run approximately 2 hourly (including
the early hours of the morning when trains do not run). The journey
time is about 3 hours.
Heathrow
There is no direct rail service from Milton Keynes to Heathrow but
there is a direct bus route and a choice of rail routes involving a
change of train.
Which Terminal?
Heathrow has 5 terminals. Terminals 1, 2 & 3
share bus and rail stations but terminals 4 and 5 are not close to the other
terminals and so have their own bus and rail arrangements. Also note
that some buses call at terminals 1, 2 & 3 separately rather
than use the central bus station. See finding your bus for more
information. |
Wrong Terminal?
If you accidentally disembark at the wrong
terminal, there is no need to panic. Terminals 1, 2 & 3 are
connected to each other by pedestrian subway. Terminal 4 is
connected to terminals 1,2 & 3 by the fast Heathrow Express
train. Terminal 5 is also connected to terminals 1, 2 & 3 by
Heathrow Express. Journey time is only a few minutes and travel between the
Heathrow stations is free. |
Heathrow by National Rail & Underground
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Route |
Pros &
Cons |
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Milton
Keynes Central to London Euston;
Underground from Euston to Heathrow |
- frequent services throughout most of the day
- using the London Underground can be difficult if you have a
lot of luggage - especially at peak times
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Heathrow by National Rail & Heathrow Express
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Route |
Pros &
Cons |
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Milton
Keynes Central to London Euston;
Underground from Euston Square to Paddington;
London Paddington to Heathrow
note: Euston Square is
separate from the main Euston station and is a short walk along
the Euston road
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- frequent services throughout most of the day
- the Heathrow Express is fast &
comfortable
- time saved using the Heathrow Express
partially offset by the need to travel from Euston to
Paddington
- the Heathrow Express is expensive -
Heathrow to London Paddington is £15.50 one way, £29
return (a £1 discount is available if purchased online)
the Heathrow Connect service runs over the same route to
terminals 1, 2 & 3 but takes an extra 10 minutes (because
it stops). It is much cheaper at £6.90 one way, £12.90
return.
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Heathrow by National Rail & Dedicated Bus
Link
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Route |
Pros &
Cons |
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Milton
Keynes Central to Watford Junction;
Watford Junction to Heathrow via RailLinks bus
note: the RailLinks bus
departs from bus bay 1 from Watford Junction station. It will drop
passengers directly at terminals 1, 3 & 4 as well as the
Central Bus Station.
see finding
your bus for details of where to pick the bus up at Heathrow
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- avoids crossing London using the Underground and requires the fewest
changes
- service frequency is every half hour for much of the day
- the fare for the bus link part of the journey
is £9 one way, £18
return. These fares can be paid separately on the bus or added
to your rail ticket
- service is expected to be
withdrawn in May 2008; the replacement service will be hourly
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Heathrow Train Times
The journey time for all the above options is
typically about 2 hours (longer at weekends). Use the national
rail timetable site and enter Milton Keynes Central and
Heathrow in the To or From boxes as appropriate. The planner will select the fastest route for your preferred departure
time (use the View Details button to see the route it has selected).
Regrettably it is no longer possible to force the planner to
show a particular route.
A timetable for the Watford bus link can be downloaded from
the Virgin
website.
Heathrow by Direct Bus
A direct bus (services
230/707) operates from Milton Keynes Coachway to
Heathrow 17 times a day with a typical journey time of under 2 hours.
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Finding Your Bus at Heathrow |
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Finding a bus at Heathrow can be a minefield for the
unwary. Some of the signs for bus services are confusing and some
detailed information is not up to date. Many different bus companies
serve Heathrow and some have on-site representatives but they will not
necessarily be knowledgeable about all services.
Terminals 1, 2 & 3
If you arrive at terminals 1, 2 or 3 you need to be
aware that there is a central bus station linked to these terminals by
pedestrian subways. However, terminals 1, 2 & 3 also have individual
bus stops. Some buses serve these terminals individually rather than use
the central bus station.
Currently all buses to Milton Keynes use the
bus station. So from terminals
1, 2 & 3, follow the signs for the Central Bus Station.
Be aware that on some signs, the bus link to Watford is
not listed under 'Bus Services' but may appear under 'Train Connections'
or 'Rail Links' or 'Rail Air' . The bus will
normally have red Virgin branding.
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Bus Stop Guide
| Bus |
Location |
Stop
|
| 707 to MK |
Central Bus Station |
6-15 |
| RailLink to Watford |
Central Bus Station
Terminal 4 |
1/2
14 |
Note: these details were checked at September 2006 but
they may be subject to change
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Terminal 4
National Express routes to Milton Keynes no longer
serve terminal 4. It is now necessary to take the free Heathrow Express
rail connection from terminal 4 to terminals 123 and then make your way
to the Central Bus Station. The RailLink bus to Watford continues to
serve terminal 4 for now but a revision is expected in May.
Terminal 5
There is a new bus station for terminal 5. The
National Express services from Milton Keynes are expected to serve
terminal 5 directly. The RailLink bus to Watford will not serve terminal
5.
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Heathrow Day Trip
For cheap off-peak day trips from Milton Keynes to
Heathrow, consider a Silverlink One Day
Travelcard and use the rail/Underground route.
Luton
There is no direct rail service from Milton Keynes to Luton but
several express bus routes provide a reasonable service. There are 22 National
Express buses a day from the Coachway to Luton Airport - the journey time is
just 45 minutes. Alternatively, a bright red Virgin
bus (VT99) picks up at the
front of Milton Keynes railway station and the shopping centre and runs to Luton
Airport approximately hourly with a journey time of just under an hour -
this service does not operate through the night.
Stansted
A direct bus (service
777) operates from Milton Keynes Coachway to Stansted 11 times a day with a journey time of about 2 hours 15 minutes.
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