The fastest Reading to Paddington train takes 23 minutes and off-peak contactless costs £14.70. Times, fares, season tickets and the Waterloo route.

Reading has three separate rail routes into London, they take between 23 minutes and an hour and a half, and the cheapest way to pay is not the ticket office. This page sets out the actual times, what each route is for, what you pay peak and off-peak, and what a season ticket costs, with the times and fares checked against National Rail timetable data.

The quick answer

The fastest train from Reading to London Paddington takes 23 minutes and is run by Great Western Railway. Most Paddington trains take 24 to 28 minutes and there are usually four or more an hour, so you rarely need to plan around a specific one.

If you are paying as you go, contactless is much cheaper than a paper ticket: £14.70 off-peak against £29.30 for an Off-Peak Day Single, and £31.90 at peak against £35.10.

The three routes, and what each is for

Reading station is served by Great Western Railway, the Elizabeth line, South Western Railway and CrossCountry across 15 platforms, and it is the second busiest interchange station outside London, with just over 4 million interchange passengers in 2024/25 (Reading railway station). Three of those routes reach London, and they are not interchangeable.

Great Western Railway to Paddington, 23 to 28 minutes. This is the fast option and the default. Fastest observed on a normal weekday: the 06:34 arriving 06:57, and the 17:31 arriving 17:54, both 23 minutes. In the morning peak the departures come thick and fast: between 07:57 and 08:13 there are four Paddington trains, timed at 28, 24, 25 and 55 minutes.

Elizabeth line to Paddington, about 54 minutes. Roughly twice as long, because it stops almost everywhere. Its advantage is that it does not stop at Paddington. Stay on and it runs through the middle of London to Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and on to Canary Wharf, with no change and no Underground fare on top. At Paddington it uses platform A rather than the main-line platforms.

South Western Railway to Waterloo, about 1 hour 26 to 28 minutes. The slow way round, via Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Staines and Richmond. Nobody uses it to save time. It is useful if Waterloo is where you actually need to be, if you are heading for somewhere on that line, or when the Paddington route is disrupted. It has its own cheaper “via Staines” fares.

Reading to London journey times by route Horizontal bar chart comparing typical journey times: Great Western Railway to Paddington 23 to 28 minutes, Elizabeth line to Paddington about 54 minutes, South Western Railway to Waterloo about 87 minutes. Reading to London: how long each route takes Typical weekday journey times from National Rail timetable data, August 2026 GWR to Paddington 23–28 min Elizabeth line to Paddington about 54 min South Western to Waterloo about 1h 27m The Elizabeth line is slower to Paddington but continues across central London without a change.
Slower is not always worse: the Elizabeth line runs through to Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.

What it costs

Fares below are for Reading to London Terminals on a normal weekday, from National Rail data checked in August 2026.

Reading to London single and return fares, August 2026
TicketPeakOff-peak
Contactless pay as you go£31.90£14.70
Day single£35.10£29.30
Day return£63.80£29.40
Day Travelcard (adds Tube and bus)£71.30£37.20
Off-Peak Return (open, one month)–£37.00
Day single to Waterloo via Staines£23.10£29.30

Three things worth knowing about that table.

Contactless is the single biggest saving. Off-peak, tapping in and out costs £14.70 against £29.30 for the equivalent paper single, less than half. Reading is inside the contactless pay as you go area because the Elizabeth line reaches it, and the tap works on GWR fast trains too, not just the Elizabeth line.

The peak day return is the trap. At £63.80 it costs more than two peak singles at £35.10 would suggest is possible, and more than four times the off-peak contactless fare. If your day can start after the morning peak, it is worth well over £40 to you.

Coming home in the evening is off-peak. The peak restriction applies to travelling into London in the morning, so the 17:31 out of Reading was selling at the Off-Peak Day Return rate of £29.40. Returning in the evening rush does not push you back into peak pricing on this flow.

Season tickets

For commuting five days a week, a season ticket from Reading to London Terminals costs, via Trainline:

  • Weekly: £146.50
  • Monthly: £562.20
  • Annual: £5,856.00

The annual works out at about £112 a week across 52 weeks, so it pays for itself against the weekly ticket if you commute more than about 40 weeks a year, and it beats buying off-peak contactless singles at roughly nine return trips a month.

One counter-intuitive point: a season from Reading West costs more, at £177.80 weekly and £6,952 annually, not less. Do not assume the smaller neighbouring station is the cheaper starting point.

Practical notes

Which platform. Reading has 15 platforms and the fast Paddington trains typically go from 10, 11, 12 or 13. Elizabeth line services usually use 13 or 14, and South Western services for Waterloo use 5 or 6. Check the boards rather than habit, because the fast trains move around.

Getting to the station. The station multi-storey is the most expensive parking in Reading, at up to £26 for 24 hours, which our guide to parking in Reading sets out alongside the cheaper council car parks. Park and ride is often the better answer: a return from Mereoak or Winnersh Triangle is £4 and includes the parking (Reading Buses park and ride fares).

When things go wrong. If the Paddington route is blocked, the Waterloo service via Staines is a genuine alternative rather than a theoretical one, and it is worth remembering it exists before you join the queue at the barriers.

Before you travel, check live times on National Rail or traintimes.org.uk, because engineering work regularly changes the Sunday service in particular.

Questions people ask

How long does the train from Reading to London take?

23 minutes at its fastest to Paddington, with most fast services taking 24 to 28 minutes. The Elizabeth line takes about 54 minutes to Paddington, and South Western Railway takes about 1 hour 27 minutes to Waterloo.

How much is a train from Reading to London?

Off-peak, £14.70 on contactless or £29.30 for a paper single. At peak it is £31.90 contactless or £35.10 as a single. An Anytime Day Return is £63.80.

Is there a direct train from Reading to Canary Wharf?

Yes. The Elizabeth line runs from Reading through central London to Canary Wharf without a change, which is its main advantage over the faster GWR service into Paddington.

How often do trains run from Reading to London?

Very frequently. In the morning peak there were four Paddington departures between 07:57 and 08:13, and off-peak there were five departures between 10:56 and 11:09 including one Elizabeth line service.

Can I use contactless from Reading?

Yes. Reading is inside the contactless pay as you go area, and tapping in and out is substantially cheaper than buying a single at the machine, particularly off-peak.

Sources

Times and fares change, and engineering work alters the timetable at weekends. Always confirm against National Rail before you travel. Last checked August 2026.