User:Nicholasjf21/London/Arrival
By air
[edit]London has five main airports.
- () - has five terminals. Flights arrive here from all over the world, including North America and Australia. According to the owner, , Heathrow is the world's busiest airport, serving over 67 million passengers in 2004. The "Heathrow Express" train goes from all terminals to in 15 minutes. All terminals are also served by the Piccadilly Line of London's Underground train network. The Underground is cheaper than the Heathrow Express, but journey time to central London is around 45 minutes. Expect to pay around £5 for travel to the centre of London.
- () - has two terminals. There are "" trains to , which take about 30 minutes. Local Commuter trains are also available, and are cheaper with a slightly longer journey time.
- (). London Stansted is the main airport for Low Cost Airlines from Europe. Their are direct train connections to Liverpool Street Station. The National Express A9 bus service operates a 45-55 minute service to train and tube station. As of July 2005, this costs £7 one way.
Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are all operated by BAA (British Airport Authority).
- () - mainly handles European flights
- () - in the area of the city. Flights from airports in the UK and Europe only. London City Airport is linked to the Canary Wharf area and to the Liverpool Street Station by a shuttle bus. The Docklands Light Railway opens in December 2005 providing direct links to Canary Wharf and on to Bank tube station in the city
By rail
[edit]International services
[edit]There are Eurostar services direct to the city from Brussels, Lille and Paris. They arrive at St Pancras.
Domestic services
[edit]Express rail services link London to all other major cities in Britain. The main stations include:
- Euston for services to the West Midlands, north and mid-Wales, northwest England and western Scotland.
- King's Cross for services to West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, northeast England and eastern Scotland.
- St Pancras for services to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
- Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street for services to Essex and East Anglia.
- Waterloo, Victoria and Charing Cross for trains to the south
- Paddington for services from the west, southwest England, and south Wales
By sea
[edit]Ferry services run from Portsmouth, Hull and Dover in the UK to neighbouring towns in Europe. Catamaran services provide a faster crossing. Rail, bus and taxi services provide connections to the London.
Hovercraft services between Dover and Calais ended in October 2000 after thirty years of service. Although not useful for entering the country, a hovercraft ferry service still runs to the Isle of Wight.