The Anonymous Widower

How Do Premier League Clubs Get To Away Matches?

I asked this question of Google AI and received this reply.

Premier League clubs rely on highly coordinated, luxury transport strategies involving charter flights, bespoke luxury coaches, and high-speed trains to get players to away matches smoothly and fresh. Because marginal gains in player recovery can decide games, clubs spare no expense to minimize travel fatigue, bypass public congestion, and avoid security risks.

The logistics usually split into a two-pronged operation: support staff (like kit managers and chefs) drive ahead in an equipment van to prepare the stadium’s dressing rooms hours in advance, while the players and coaching staff travel together using one of three primary modes of transport:

1. Domestic Charter Flights

For long-distance matches—such as a London club travelling to Newcastle, or Manchester teams heading to the south coast—clubs almost exclusively charter private planes.

The Routine: Teams arrive directly at private airport terminals with no commercial queues. They step straight from their coach onto a chartered jet.

The Controversy: Flying is heavily criticized by environmental groups because clubs often use them for exceptionally short distances. Investigations have highlighted frequent domestic flights lasting under 30 minutes (like flying from East Midlands to Blackpool) just to save an hour of road time and keep players on a precise sleep schedule.

Frequency: Usage varies wildly by club. Traditional powerhouse clubs with packed European schedules (like Manchester City, Manchester United, and Newcastle) fly frequently to domestic fixtures to maximize recovery, whereas some clubs like Crystal Palace have explicit policies prohibiting domestic flights unless absolutely necessary.

2. Luxury Bespoke Coaches

For shorter geographic distances (typically under 3 to 4 hours of road travel), clubs use highly customized team buses.

The Experience: These are not standard coaches; they are multimillion-pound rolling lounges. They feature extra-wide ergonomic leather seats, built-in kitchen facilities with personal chefs, high-speed Wi-Fi, satellite TV, and modern physiological recovery equipment.

Matchday Arrival: Even if a team flies or takes a train across the country, their dedicated team coach is usually driven empty to the destination city ahead of time. It meets the players at the airport or train station so they can make a unified, secure entrance into the stadium’s tunnel.

3. High-Speed Rail

When travelling between major well-connected conurbations—most notably trips between London and Manchester or Liverpool—trains are a very popular option.

The Process: To avoid traffic delays on major motorways, clubs frequently book out entire first-class carriages or charter dedicated private train blocks.

The Justification: Rail travel offers a balance of speed and comfort, allowing players to stretch their legs and move around more easily than on a flight or coach. However, clubs have occasionally pulled away from trains due to the risk of public interaction or security concerns at busy main stations.

I would feel, that you would get similar answers if you asked the question, about other groups of people, who always travelled together. Quite a few would be sporting teams.

How Will The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Luxury Coach Affect Coach Travel?

I asked this question of Google AI and received this reply.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is poised to fundamentally disrupt long-distance passenger travel by successfully bridging the gap between absolute sustainability and luxury transit requirements. While battery-electric powertrains struggle under the intense weight and range demands of heavy, multi-axle touring coaches, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) offer a direct, zero-emission replacement for traditional diesel engines without sacrificing performance, passenger capacity, or operator flexibility.

Leading global manufacturers are rapidly transitioning these concepts into production. For instance, Wrightbus has advanced its 1,000 km long-range tri-axle hydrogen coach project, while Daimler Buses is aggressively road-testing its Setra “H2 Coach” technology carrier. In Spain and the UK, Irizar is refining its hydrogen-powered i6S Efficient models to preserve critical lower-deck luggage bays while meeting severe range demands.

I suggest, that the following two related posts are read to get a feel for the difference there will be between a diesel and hydrogen fuel-cell power for luxury coaches.

I would expect that the ride quality in a hydrogen-powered coach, will at least equal that of the best hydrogen-powered-buses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 25, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Design, Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Details At Hayes And Harlington Station

Yesterday, on my way to Reading, I changed trains at Hayes and Harlington station and took a few pictures.

An Ideally-Placed Waiting Room

These pictures show a waiting room on the Westbound platform of the Elizabeth Line.

The Elizabeth Line has these Western destinations.

  • Heathrow Terminal 4
  • Heathrow Terminal 5
  • Maidenhead
  • Paddington
  • Reading.

Note.

  1. If you are travelling to any of the Heathrow destinations and you are riding on a Maidenhead or Reading train, then Hayes and Harlington station is the last station you can change for the Airport.
  2. If you are travelling to any of the destinations on the Reading branch and you are riding on a Heathrow train, then Hayes and Harlington station is the last station you can change for the Airport.
  3. If you are travelling from any of the Heathrow destinations to any of the destinations on the Reading branch, then Hayes and Harlington station is the first station you can change for the Reading branch.
  4. If you are travelling from any of the Reading branch destinations to any of the Heathrow destinations, then Hayes and Harlington station is the first station you can change for the Heathrow destinations.
  5. To aid the change of platform in the third and fourth changes, there is a step-free footbridge at Hayes and Harlington station.

The waiting room at Hayes and Harlington station, which is complete with heating could be a welcome refuge whilst changing trains at Hayes and Harlington station.

The golden rule seems to be, that if you’re on the wrong train on the Elizabeth Line, then change for your desired destination at Hayes and Harlington station.

Track Warnings

These pictures show the bilingual track warnings at Hayes and Harlington station.

I hope Network Rail are analysing, if the warnings work.

The Main Step-Free Route Across The Tracks

These pictures show the main step-free route at Hayes and Harlington station.

Note.

  1. The route with lifts, is rather tucked in at the Western end of the station.
  2. There are toilets under the bridge on the Eastbound platform.
  3. The steps are rather steep, so if you have any issues, I would use the lifts.

The golden rule is if you are going between the Reading and Heathrow branches with a change of direction from Eastbound to Westbound at Hayes and Harlington station, then make sure, you start your journey in the back of the train.

The Secondary Route Across The Tracks

These pictures show the secondary route at Hayes and Harlington station.

Note.

  1. I believe this bridge is better placed for some travellers, who need to reverse direction at Hayes and Harlington station.
  2. It is also convenient for the waiting room.

In Heathrow Rail Link Withdrawn, But MP Vows To Carry On, I asked this question.

Could Hayes And Harlington Station Become A Transport Hub For Heathrow?

I said this.

This Google Map shows Hayes and Harlington station.

Note.

  1. It has platforms on all four tracks of the Great Western Main Line.
  2. There is a London-facing bay platform to terminate Elizabeth Line trains, if needed.
  3. The land to the North of the station has been developed.
  4. There is land to the South of the station that could be developed.

Could the space above the tracks, with some of the land to the South of the station be developed into a transport hub for Heathrow?

I took these pictures to answer my question.

I don’t think there would be enough space to put a combined bus and coach station at Hayes and Harlington station.

March 5, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Riding Rail Air Between Reading Station And Heathrow Terminal 5

Today, I rode on a Rail Air coach between Reading station And Heathrow Terminal 5.

I took these pictures as I walked through Reading station and from the coach.

These are my thoughts on various topics.

Catching The Coach At Reading

Consider.

  • The route to Rail Air from the trains at Reading station is well signed.
  • The entrance to the Rail Air terminal at Reading station is behind the M & S Simply Food store.
  • I estimate that the time between arriving at Reading station and the coach leaving was only a few minutes.
  • Rail Air coaches run every twenty minutes.
  • My coach had about ten passengers.
  • My single fare was £17.30 with my Senior Railcard.

It was all a rather painless process.

On The Coach

Consider.

  • The coach was more-or-less what you would expect on a quality route.
  • The view was good.
  • I had a table, with four seats.
  • The table had contactless charging and drink holders.
  • There was no charging for my phone and camera, which use USB or 13 amp plugs.
  • The seat was reasonably comfortable.
  • There was a toilet.
  • There was typical storage for heavy luggage underneath the seats.

I would have thought if Wrightbus fit USB ports on their buses, that they are needed.

The Route

This Google Map shows Reading and Heathrow

Note.

  1. Reading is at the Western end of the map.
  2. Heathrow is at the Eastern end of the map.
  3. The red arrow indicates Winniersh Triangle station on the Eastern side of Reading.
  4. The coaches stop at Reading Cemetery and Winnersh Triangle station.
  5. Most of the route between Winnersh Triangle and Heathrow Airport is on the M4 Motorway or dual-carriageway roads.
  6. The distance appears to be just under 27 miles and is scheduled to take forty minutes.
  7. Click the map to show to a larger scale.

It looks to me that it is an ideal route for a coach.

On The Journey

Consider.

  • Once clear of Reading and past the stop at Winnersh  Triangle, the coach held a good speed all the way to Heathrow, as the motoway was not busy.
  • In the UK coaches under twelve metres long, can run at 70 mph and I estimated that this coach was probably at 60 mph.
  • The stops were called out like stations on a train.
  • Strangely, the roadholding was not as good as that of the Wrightbus hydrogen bus, that I took to Gatwick, a couple of weeks ago.
  • The big problem though was the noise of the diesel engine, which was very loud compared to the noise of the fuel cell and electric transmission of the Wrightbus hydrogen bus.

I suspect that transforming the hydrogen bus into a coach, could result in a very high quality coach, with the performance and range of a diesel coach, without the noise, pollution, vibration and carbon emissions.

March 4, 2025 Posted by | Design, Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Heathrow Rail Link Project Could Be ‘Reopened’

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Network Rail has said plans for a rail link between the Great Western mainline and Heathrow Airport could still move forward if funding is found in the future.

These three paragraphs give the current status of the scheme.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service recently reported that the project had been put on hold.

It began in 2012 and involved proposals for a 4 mile (6.5km) rail link to allow train services from Reading and Slough in Berkshire to reach Heathrow using a tunnel.

The £900m scheme would allow people living to the west of Heathrow to travel direct to the airport, instead of having to go into London.

These are some other facts and my thoughts.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) For The Western Rail Link To Heathrow

According to the BBC article, this has now been established and this is said.

Labour MP for Slough, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, held a debate in parliament on the western rail link in April and established the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, to make sure it “remains on the government’s agenda”.

He said the project had been “beset by delays and funding challenges” but still had “wide cross-party and local support”.

Parliamentary backing is surely a good thing.

The Current Scheme

The BBC article shows this map with a rail link connecting the Great Western Main Line  to Terminal 5 railway station.

Note.

  1. The rail link starts from East of Langley station.
  2. Terminal 5 station can take full-length Elizabeth Line trains.
  3. Main line trains from Bristol, Cardiff and Wales and the West should be able to access Heathrow.

But I suspect, that there would be extensive changes to Heathrow’s railways to access the other terminals. This would explain the near billion pound cost of the link.

I also suspect that it would take about eight to ten years to build and from what I havc heard, the rail link is urgently needed.

RailAir

RailAir is the current way of travelling between Reading station and Heathrow Airport.

This is the first paragraph of RailAir’s Wikipedia entry.

RailAir describes a number of airport bus and coach services designed to connect the National Rail network to airports in the United Kingdom. Services are currently concentrated on Heathrow Airport, with one other from Luton Airport. RailAir services are operated as public transport services by or on behalf of train operators, where the whole journey is paid for as a through-ticket which combines the railway and bus journey, although journeys can be made using the bus only. As such, many are operated where the train and bus operator are owned by the same company.

Could RailAir be updated to be a more frequent and integrated service?

CoacH2

This page on the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK web site is entitled CoacH2 – Next Generation Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Coach Powertrain Demonstrator.

This is the sub-heading.

Accelerating the development of zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell electric coaches, with a full on-vehicle technology demonstrator.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Coaches are an integral part of the public transport network, with over 30,000 diesel coaches operating across the UK and Ireland. Due to the specific demands of coach operation (motorway driving, long-range, high passenger and luggage loading capacity) decarbonisation options for this sector are extremely limited with hydrogen fuel-cell technology considered the most viable choice. This project will tackle this difficult to decarbonise sector by developing, testing and validating an innovative hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain suitable for coach applications.

Delivered by a Northern Irish consortium spanning OEM, coach operator and academia, CoacH2 will accelerate the development of zero-emission, fuel-cell electric coaches, with a full on-vehicle technology demonstrator to be manufactured and showcased at Cenex Expo 2024.

As I indicated in British Buses For British Bottoms, Wrightbus build a good well-built, smooth-riding and comfortable bus, so now they can add hydrogen-powered coaches to the product range.

This press release on the Wrightbus web site is entitled Wrightbus Coach Demonstrator Unveiled At Cenex Expo, gives more information on CoacH2.

  • The demonstrator has a power of 300 Kw.
  • It has a range of 1,000 km. on one refueling.
  • An internet search reveals a launch date of 2026 for the hydrogen-powered coach.

I wonder, if RailAir changed their coaches to these new Wrightbus hydrogen-powered coaches, they would transform travel to airports all over the UK.

If the hydrogen-powered coaches are of the same quality of their hydrogen-powered siblings, they will be a quality product with good road-holding, sufficient performance and superb passenger comfort.

RailAir could be the ideal, initial application.

Conclusion

A proper rail link to Heathrow from Reading is needed, but it will take at least ten years to build and cost a billion pounds.

However the RailAir links to Heathrow from Reading and Woking can be improved by using high-performance Wrightbus hydrogen-powered coaches.

 

March 3, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment