Great Western Rail
About
Great Western Rail offers air-rail interlining and standalone booking with AccesRail 9B/450. Passengers can make a single booking that covers both the air and the rail segment (via a print at home ticket) to a selection of train stations. Passengers receive an intermodal ticket that covers both their flight and rail journey.
Depending on which airport the passenger travels, train connections are slightly different:
Arriving at Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Part of this interoperable ticket includes a Heathrow Express ticket to enable passengers to travel between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and London Paddington train station. The passenger must change trains at London Paddington train station.
Arriving at Gatwick Airport (LGW)
Passengers traveling from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) receive two rail tickets valid on FGW trains from the airport to Reading train station and from Reading train station to their destination. The passenger is required to change trains at Reading train station.
Destinations
Great Western Rail offers train service between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with a connection at London Paddington train station, or London Gatwick Airport (LGW) with a connection at Reading train station to/from the following destinations:
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) from/to:
- Bath (QQX)
- Bridgwater (UBW)
- Bristol Temple Meads (TPB)
- Bristol Parkway (BPR)
- Cardiff (CFW)
- Exeter (EXS)
- Gloucester (GLO)
- Hereford (HFH)
- Newport (XNE)
- Oxford (OXQ)
- Penzance (PZE)
- Plymouth (PLH) / Par (PCW) / St Austell (USX)
- Swansea (SWS)
- Swindon (XWS)
- Taunton (TTY)
- Worcester (UWC)
Map
Great Western Rail tickets are available as follows:
Standalone sales (ticketed on 9B plate) are possible in these BSP/ARC markets:
- ARC USA
- BSP Australia
- BSP Austria
- BSP Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg
- BSP Canada
- BSP Czech Republic
- BSP Finland
- BSP France
- BSP Germany
- BSP Hong Kong
- BSP India
- BSP Indonesia
- BSP Ireland
- BSP Italy
- BSP Japan
- BSP Macao
- BSP Malaysia
- BSP Mexico
- BSP Norway
- BSP Scandinavia – Open in Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- BSP Singapore
- BSP South Korea
- BSP Spain
- BSP Switzerland/Liechtenstein
- BSP Taiwan
- BSP Thailand
- BSP UK
- BSP Vietnam
GDS Participation
- Abacus
- Amadeus
- Apollo
- Axess
- Galileo
- Infini Sabre
- Sirena Travel
- SITA
- Travel Sky
- Topas
- Worldspan
Eligibility
- Available worldwide.
Train Range
- 9B flights 5000 – 6299
Booking Classes
| First Class | Standard Class |
|---|---|
| J-Class | Y-Class |
| *C-Class | *M-Class |
| Anytime tickets | Anytime tickets |
*These sections are only available to book over 4 weeks in advance of departure.
First Class
- Available on all Intercity services
- Free WiFi
- Electric plug at seat
- Complimentary refreshments
- Access top the First Class lounges in London – Paddington and Cardiff Central stations.
Standard Class
- Available on all Intercity services
- Free WiFi
- Electric plug at seat
- Complimentary refreshments
- Access top the First Class lounges in London – Paddington and Cardiff Central stations.
Auto Cancellation of Booking
- Anything which has not been ticketed will be auto-cancelled within 36 hours of departure.
Discounts
- Child fare: under the age of 16
GDS Availability Display
The image below is a typical GDS availability display demonstrating a possible itinerary between London Heathrow and Oxford train station.
PNR Booking
The image below is a PNR booked on the GDS by a travel agent or an airline ticketing officer (ATO).
SSR CTCE:
When issuing on 9B/450 plate please use “ SSR CTCE” format at the booking time in order to communicate PAX email address to 9B so that 9B could send an email 72 hours to departure reminding passenger about compulsory check-in on accesrail.com.
Refunds
- Before departure: 15% penalty until 24 hrs to departure
- Within 24 hours to departure and after Departure: non refundable
- Requests for refunds must be initiated at the point of sale.
- For interline fares refunds will be applied according to fare rules.
Groups
- No group bookings allowed. Up to 99 passengers with unique names can be issued on the same PNR.
Check-in
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Passenger visits check-in.accesrail.com within 72 hours prior to departure.
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Passenger enters his/her first and last name and one of the following: PNR Locator or; e-ticket number.
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Passenger prints the travel document, which is required for boarding.
Travel documents
At the time of purchase the travel agent issues the e-ticket and receives the e-ticket pickup number via Special Service Request (SSR). To retrieve their actual travel document, passengers must check-in prior to boarding the train.
The issued travel documents include one Great Western Rail ticket and a Heathrow Express e-ticket if the passengers is arriving at Heathrow Airport. Passengers arriving at Gatwick Airport receive 2 Great Western Rail tickets. The GWR ticket contains information on connections between two train stations, as seen bellow. They can be printed at home once the customer has checked-in on the AccesRail website.
Heathrow Express E-ticket
Passengers traveling between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington Station receive a Heathrow Express e-ticket and a page containing information on connections between airports and train stations.
Period of Validity
- J-Class and Y-Class: GWR ticket is valid on any departure on the date shown on the ticket
Heathrow Express: valid to be used within 48hrs of the travel date marked on the ticket.
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are not included in the ticket. J-Class and Y-Class tickets are open-tickets so the passenger can board any departure with an available seat on the date shown on the ticket. Q-Class passengers can take any available seat on the scheduled departure.
Baggage policy
Travelers bring their own luggage on the train and must be able to handle their own luggage without assistance, within the following:
- one item of hand luggage that must be capable of being held in their lap if required,
- plus up to 2 items of luggage each not exceeding 30 x 70 x 90 cm in size.
Airport Transfers
Additionally, passengers receive information on transfer connections between the airport and the London Paddington train station.
How to commute between HEX terminals and London Paddington station:
During the check-in process on accesrail.com passengers receive 2 tickets: one for Great Western Rail and one for Heathrow Express. Passengers are entitled to travel with Heathrow Express between London Heathrow and London Paddington train station. PDF printed documents are required to board: HEX and GWR.
From Heathrow Airport
- If you’re arriving at Terminal 2 or Terminal 3, follow signs for trains to Heathrow Central station. From there, take a Heathrow Express service to London Paddington. Journey time is 15 minutes.
- In Terminal 5 the station is at basement level and reached by lift or escalator. All trains call at Heathrow Central and then run non-stop to London Paddington. Journey time is 21 minutes.
- In Terminal 4 take the inter-terminal shuttle to Heathrow Central (departures every 15 minutes – travel time is 4 minutes). From there, take a Heathrow Express service to London Paddington. Journey time is 15 minutes.
From London Paddington
Trains usually depart from platforms 6 and 7 from London Paddington:
- If you’re going to Terminal 2 or Terminal 3, board any train and get off at Heathrow Central. Journey time is 15 minutes.
- For Terminal 5, get on the London Heathrow train at Paddington and stay on board at Heathrow Central – all trains continue to Terminal 5, arriving 6 minutes later.
- For Terminal 4, change at Heathrow Central and catch the free transfer service. These connecting trains depart every 15 minutes and travel time is 4 minutes.
From Gatwick Airport
The railway station at LGW is located at the South Terminal and is also just a few minutes from the North Terminal by a free shuttle.
Terms & Conditions
The conditions of travel are always according to the carrier (rail/air) on which the customer is travelling. For more information, please visit https://www.gwr.com/
FAQ
What if the passenger misses their train connection?
For passengers in J-Class and Y-Class, this is not an issue as they can travel on any departure on the date shown on the ticket. For passengers in Q-Class, they can take the next scheduled train (subject to availability).
