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The Tube is the lifeblood of London, and normally provides fast and easy connections with all the big railway stations – as well as the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow.

But the London Underground is at a halt.

As millions of prospective travellers will discover during the latest RMT strike, connecting between the capital’s main rail termini and airports can prove slow and challenging.

These are the key connections:

Main rail stations

King’s Cross-St Pancras

The combined station serves Eurostar to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam; East Midlands Railway to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield; and the East Coast Main Line to Yorkshire, northeast England and Scotland.

Thameslink, which runs beneath St Pancras, provides a direct link to Luton Airport Parkway, Gatwick airport and London Bridge. From the latter, Southeastern Trains run to Waterloo East, a short walk from the main Waterloo station.

Changing from Thameslink to the Elizabeth line gives access to Liverpool Street, Paddington and Heathrow airport.

Euston

The hub for the West Coast Main Line, serving the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, is a 10-minute walk from King’s Cross-St Pancras, which has good connections on Thameslink to Luton and Gatwick airports, as well as London Bridge. For the Elizabeth line it is easiest to walk to Tottenham Court Road station, about 15 minutes away. Reaching Victoria is difficult, but stations on the main line via Gatwick to Brighton and the Sussex coast are also accessible from London Bridge.

Marylebone

The best hope is to walk to or from Bond Street on the Elizabeth Line – about 20 minutes.

Paddington

The Elizabeth line provides direct access to Liverpool Street. With a change at Farringdon, Thameslink links Luton airport, Gatwick airport and London Bridge. Heathrow airport is accessible on the Elizabeth line and the premium-priced Heathrow Express.

Victoria

Both the rail station and coach station are hard to reach without the Tube. Buses provide the main option but are likely to be crowded and slow. For destinations in Surrey and Sussex, trains from London Bridge provide an option.

Charing Cross

To reach Luton or Gatwick airports, change at London Bridge (two stops away on Southeastern). Alternatively the Elizabeth line with its many possibilities – including Heathrow, Paddington and Liverpool Street – is a 15-minute walk away at Tottenham Court Road. For Euston, you could walk in half-an-hour; buses are likely to take about as long.

Waterloo

The hub for South Western Railway has a handy adjunct: Waterloo East, served by Southeastern trains that take four minutes to London Bridge, with Thameslink connections to King’s Cross-St Pancras, Luton and Gatwick airports. It could, though, be quicker to walk to Blackfriars station (about 12 minutes), on the Thameslink line.

London Bridge

Convenient for most locations, either direct (to King’s Cross-St Pancras, Luton and Gatwick airports) or with a single change at Farringdon to the Elizabeth line (Liverpool Street, Paddington and Heathrow airport).

Fenchurch Street

A 15-minute walk from London Bridge or 10 minutes from Liverpool Street station.

Liverpool Street

The UK’s busiest rail station is a hub for Greater Anglia (including the Stansted Express). It is on the Elizabeth line, directly connected with Paddington and Heathrow airport. The first station west is Farringdon, where you can change to Thameslink for Luton and Gatwick airports.

Airports

Heathrow

With the Piccadilly line out of action during the Tube strike, the Elizabeth line will provide the main alternative. It runs to Paddington and through the centre of the capital to Farringdon (with connections on Thameslink to Luton and Gatwick airports, as well as London Bridge). The Heathrow Express also runs, but only as far as Paddington.

Gatwick

Thameslink trains run to London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras. At Farringdon you can change for the Elizabeth line to Liverpool Street, Paddington and Heathrow. But note Thameslink will not be able to call at Farringdon before 7.30am from Monday to Thursday, nor after 10.30pm on Monday and Wednesday.

Gatwick Express and Southern trains also serve Victoria. Southern trains stop at Clapham Junction, which has a wide range of London Overground trains running around the capital’s suburbs.

Stansted

The Stansted Express train runs to and from Liverpool Street, which is on the Elizabeth line.

London City

The main public transport used by London City passengers is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which runs to and from Bank and Tower Gateway. Bank is a 15-minute walk from London Bridge station, and Tower Gateway is 10 minutes on foot from Liverpool Street.

But the DLR will be closed due to a separate strike on both 9 and 11 September. The recommended alternative approach is on the Elizabeth line to Custom House and then take a short bus ride (473 or 300) to the airport. The 129 (Newham to Woolwich) and 474 (Canning Town to Manor Park) also serve the airport.

Luton

Thameslink trains from central London offer frequent rail departures to and from Luton Airport Parkway, from where the Dart monorail runs to the airport terminal. The Luton Airport Express also runs from St Pancras.

Southend

The airport’s dedicated station is on the route to London Liverpool Street, which is on the Elizabeth line.