The rail route nobody warns you about
There is no direct fast train to Windsor from central London. The quick way is Paddington/Elizabeth line to Slough, then a change onto the branch shuttle to Windsor & Eton Central; the alternative from Waterloo winds through the suburbs to Windsor & Eton Riverside in nearly an hour. Both deliver you to the bottom of the hill with everyone else, and both run home on their schedule, not yours.
| Factor | Rail (via Slough) | RushXO fixed car |
|---|---|---|
| Door-to-gates time | ~75–95 min with change & walk | 50–70 min kerb to gates |
| Cost, solo | Low — rail wins | ~£70 for the car |
| Cost, family of 4 | 4 fares + connections | ~£70 total, converging fast |
| Guard-change days | Arrive into the crowds | Set down before closures tighten |
| Pushchair & picnic | Carried, twice | In the boot |
Train fares and times are illustrative planning figures for 2026 and vary by operator, date and booking window — always check live prices before you travel. RushXO fares are fixed at booking.
The timing trick: beat the ceremony, not the crowds
On Changing of the Guard days the High Street area closes progressively before the ceremony. A car that sets down early — we aim for the right side of the closures — turns a crowd-management exercise into a front-row morning. Rail cannot make that promise; its arrival time is its arrival time. On Ascot racedays the A332 corridor inverts instead, and we route the M4/M25 way around it at the same fixed fare.