Information for offer holders
Alternative Transport to Loughborough
If you are unable to use the free coach service, you will find the following information useful.
Travel to Loughborough
- Public Transport
- General Advice
- Taxis from London
- Information and Web-Links
- From Heathrow Airport
- From Gatwick Airport
- From East Midlands Airport
- From Manchester Airport
- From Birmingham Airport
- From Loughborough Town Centre to the University
Public transport
General Advice
Please remember that public transport services are less frequent on Sundays and travel to Loughborough will be easier if you can plan to arrive during the rest of the week. If you are carrying a lot of luggage, you should try to travel by the most direct route with the least number of changes between forms of transport and/or stations. You will probably be tired after your long flight and London is a busy capital city. You may find the FlightLink coach service between the London Airports and East Midlands Airport (near Loughborough) more convenient than the train, as there is no changing involved while carrying heavy luggage.
Taxis
It is very expensive to take a taxi from airports in the London area to Loughborough and we would not recommend this. However, it is possible to pre-book with several taxi firms in Loughborough who operate a special service between Loughborough and airports in London.
The cost is in the region of £150, payable by cash, and the driver will need to know your name, expected arrival time, flight details and country of departure at least two days beforehand. This may be particularly suitable if you are unable to use the free coach service and you are travelling in a group, either with friends or family.
A1 ACE Taxis
17a Limehurst Avenue
Loughborough
Tel: 01509 215500
Fax: 01509 265415
You can find the details of other local taxi companies by searching the Yellow Pages.
Information and web links
Information Desks are located in every arrivals lounge at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. The staff at these desks will be able to advise you on transport, local overnight accommodation, changing money, etc.
To find out contact details for Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, go to:
http://www.baa.com/ and choose the airport you are planning to use from the left-hand menu. This will give you phone numbers for various services.
Useful web-sites to plan your journey:
Transport for London (including maps of the underground)
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
Train timetables and fares:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
http://www.thetrainline.com
Coach service information (including Flightlink)
http://www.nationalexpress.com
Information on Public Transport in Loughborough
http://www.travelineeastmidlands.co.uk/
From Heathrow Airport, London
By Train (UK Rail)
You can travel on the underground (Piccadilly Line) to London Kings Cross/St Pancras railway station. The journey takes approximately 1 hour. Alternatively, you can use the Heathrow Express http://www.heathrowexpress.com from Heathrow Airport to travel into central London, arriving at Paddington train station.
You will then need to take the underground - either Circle line or Hammersmith & City line east to Kings Cross/St Pancras railway station.
When you get off the underground train, you will then walk about 5 minutes to St. Pancras main-line railway station.
This will involve carrying your luggage up and down escalators (moving staircases) or steps.
Trains run regularly to Loughborough Station from Kings Cross/St Pancras and these journeys take between 1.5 and 2 hours, depending on how many stops are made (on some services you may have to change at Leicester).
On Sundays, trains are less frequent and slower.
By Coach
You can get a National Express coach at Heathrow Airport, which will take you directly to East Midlands Airport. This service departs every 2 hours (journey time about 4 hours).
From Gatwick Airport London
By Train
There is a First Capital Connect service to Luton railway station, then take the East Midlands Trains service to Loughborough.
Alternatively, you can take the Gatwick Express http://www.gatwickexpress.com to Victoria railway station. Then take the underground - Victoria Line - north to Kings Cross/St Pancras railway station.
For information on getting from Kings Cross/St Pancras to Loughborough, please see Heathrow Airport.
By Coach
See National Express above.
From East Midlands Airport
East Midlands Airport is approximately 10 miles from Loughborough University and taxis are available. If you are bringing lots of luggage, it is often easier to take a taxi, than to use the bus. The cost for a taxi fare to the University is approximately £15.00 and you should then arrive in comfort.
By Bus
Buses travel to Loughborough every hour, on the hour, during the day at a cost of approximately £2.40. You can find details of routes and timetables at:
http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/emaweb.nsf/Content/SkyLinkLoughborough
From Manchester Airport
By Train
Trains go from the Manchester Airport railway station. You will have to change trains to get to Loughborough; there is no direct train service.
From Birmingham Airport
By Train
Trains go from the Birmingham International railway station. You will have to change trains to get to Loughborough; there is no direct train service.
How to get from Loughborough Town centre (either the Railway station, bus station or High Street) to the University campus
There are plenty of taxis which wait outside the Railway Station or bus station in Loughborough. Fares will cost around £6 and the journey takes approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively the ‘Sprint’ bus runs directly to the University from the bus-stop outside the railway station and costs about £1.50. You can find a timetable at:
http://www.kinchbus.co.uk/index.aspx
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