Heathrow airport is the UK’s largest airport, the airport closest to Reading and the one you are most likely to arrive at. Upon arrival at Heathrow there are a few options available for travelling to Reading. The recommended option is to take a Railair coach from Heathrow direct to Reading. On the days of the International Weekend (see p4) representatives of the University will be at arrivals at Terminal 3 from 07.00 to 20.00 to direct international students to the Railair coach. The Railair coach shuttle service runs every 20 minutes and costs £17 with a journey time of 51 minutes. The coach leaves from the Central Bus Station at Heathrow and also stand 10 at Terminal 5, which is found by exiting Terminal 5 opposite the National Express sales desk. If arriving at a different terminal and you can’t find a University representative to direct you to one of these coach stops do the following:
- From Terminals 1 and 3 follow signs for the Underground and Central Bus Station
- From Terminal 4 use the free Heathrow Express shuttle service to take you to ‘Terminals 1, 2 and 3’. Then follow signs to ‘Terminals 2 and 3’ and as soon as you see signs for buses and underground follow these instead.
The drop-off point in Reading is Reading Railway Station. From here, if carrying luggage you are advised to take a taxi to your final destination. Local taxis will cost approximately £8 to take you to the University. Alternatively local buses run to the University of Reading from Reading Railway Station (see p17). For more information on the Railair coach service see:
www.railair.com/
An alternative to the coach and the most expensive option is to hire a taxi to drive you to Reading. You can arrange for a driver to meet you at the airport by pre-ordering from a company such as National Airport Links. They charge approximately £50 to meet you at Heathrow and drive you to your destination in Reading. The advantage of this service is that they can meet you at arrivals, help with your luggage and take you straight to your hall of residence or chosen destination in Reading.
www.nationalairportlinks.co.uk/
The final option is to take the train from Heathrow’s train station called Heathrow Central, formerly known as Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Reading Railway Station. Be advised that the train is not direct and has two changes, so may not be a good idea when carrying heavy luggage. The cost however is cheap with tickets starting from £15.40. Once at Reading Railway station taxis can be found outside the station along with buses.
www.thetrainline.com/buytickets
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