Conservative Party conference: How Tory MPs can shuttle between London and Manchester

Costs range from £1,300 per person for a fully laden helicopter to, in theory, nil, for hitching southbound

MPs will have to go between Manchester and Westminster (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Parliament has voted against suspension of proceedings for the Conservative Party Conference 2019, which runs from Sunday 29 September to Wednesday 2 October.

As a result, MPs and Conservative officials will need to shuttle between Westminster and the Manchester Central Convention Complex.

The Independent has produced this handy guide to the various transport options.

Helicopter

Mark Zaiger of Charter A in Battersea is quoting £7,800 one-way for an Augusta 109 helicopter. The craft holds “six passengers if they know each other well,” a price-per-person of £1,300. The journey from the Battersea heliport on the River Thames to the Manchester City Heliport at Barton-upon-Irwell takes 1h 10m. From Westminster to Battersea is a short 10-minute drive, and Charter A estimates the journey time to the conference venue as 15 minutes – giving a journey time of 1h 35.

Smaller, slower and cheaper helicopters are available.

Air travel

British Airways has six flights a day between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Manchester, taking 1h 10m. The Tube plus Heathrow Express journey to the airport and check-in time adds 1h15, and frequent trains run from Manchester airport to Oxford Road station – close to the conference centre – in about 20 minutes. That adds up to a total journey time of 2h 45m. The cheapest air fare going north on Monday and south on Tuesday is £271, excluding luggage and airport transfers.

Train

Virgin Trains runs a service every 20 minutes from London to Manchester, typically taking 2h 7m. From Westminster to the London terminus at Euston takes 15 minutes by Tube (Jubilee line to Green Park, then the Victoria Line). From Manchester Piccadilly to the venue is a 15-minute walk. Total time: 2h 37m, not counting the time to buy a ticket – which ranges from £89.60 for a time-restricted Off Peak return to £484 for a First Class Anytime ticket.

The fare can be reduced by at least half by using London Northwestern Railway trains from London to Crewe with onward connections on Virgin Trains or Northern.

Car

According to AA Route Planner, the 210 miles between Parliament Square and the convention centre should take 3h 53m in normal traffic. The prescribed route involves the A4, M4, M25, M40, M42, M6 Toll, M56 and A556. The estimated fuel cost for the one-way journey is £33.45, assuming the vehicle does 40 miles per gallon.

Bus

Megabus has plenty of availability at around £24 each way. The average journey takes 5 hours. Victoria Coach Station and Shudehill Interchange are within walking distance of both Westminster and the conference centre, giving a total journey time of 5h 30m.

Hitchhiking

The most environmentally friendly form of motorised transport is also likely to be slowest. The Hitchhiker’s Manual: Britain recommends taking the Northern Line of the London Underground to Brent Cross, from where the roundabout at the southern end of the M1 is accessible. It is rated three stars (out of five). Heading south from Manchester, the roundabout at the junction of the A57 (M) and Princess Road is an acceptable two-star location for thumbing, and within walking distance of the conference centre.