Fast c2c trains reach Fenchurch Street in 34 minutes on a £3,724 annual season. Billericay and Wickford pay up to £1,132 more. Times, fares, last train.
Basildon borough has five railway stations and they are not on the same railway. Basildon, Laindon and Pitsea sit on the c2c line into London Fenchurch Street. Billericay and Wickford sit on the Greater Anglia line into London Liverpool Street. The two lines run to different terminals, take different times and, most importantly, charge very different fares for what is almost the same journey.
This page sets out the real times from each station, what a season ticket costs in 2026, and the first and last trains, with a link to every source so you can check it. All times were read from the National Rail timetable for a normal weekday, Monday 10 August 2026.
The quick version
| Station | Operator and terminal | Fastest peak run | Anytime single | Annual season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laindon | c2c to Fenchurch Street | 33 min | £9.50 | £3,724 |
| Basildon | c2c to Fenchurch Street | 34 min | £9.50 | £3,724 |
| Billericay | Greater Anglia to Liverpool Street | 34 min | £15.50 | £4,572 |
| Pitsea | c2c to Fenchurch Street | 38 min | £10.10 | £3,936 |
| Wickford | Greater Anglia to Liverpool Street | 40 min | £16.70 | £4,856 |
Read the Billericay and Basildon rows next to each other, because that comparison is the whole story of commuting from this borough. The two stations have the same fastest journey time, 34 minutes, and Billericay costs £848 more a year. Wickford, which is six minutes slower than Basildon, costs £1,132 more a year. On a single ticket bought on the day, a Wickford commuter pays £7.20 more each way than a Basildon one for a journey that takes six minutes longer.
Basildon to Fenchurch Street
Basildon is on c2c’s Shoeburyness to Fenchurch Street route, with trains calling at Laindon and Pitsea either side of it. c2c gives the average journey time as 36 minutes and the average frequency as every 30 minutes (c2c), but the morning peak is denser and faster than that average suggests. Departures between 06:00 and 08:00 on a normal Monday ran at 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 42 minutes, so the spread inside the peak is eight minutes on the same platform (National Rail timetable, via traintimes.org.uk).
What it means for you: do not plan around the average. A 34 minute run and a 42 minute run leave from the same platform within twenty minutes of each other, and over a year of commuting the difference is real time. Check the timetable and pick a fast departure.
Fenchurch Street puts you at the eastern edge of the City, a short walk from Tower Hill and Aldgate on the Underground and about ten minutes from Bank. There is no direct service from Basildon to any other central London terminal, so if you work in the West End the change is unavoidable.
Billericay and Wickford to Liverpool Street
Billericay and Wickford are on the Greater Anglia line that runs from Southend Victoria through Wickford and Billericay to Shenfield and then down the Great Eastern main line into Liverpool Street. Billericay’s fastest morning peak departure did the run in 34 minutes, with most trains at 35, and Wickford’s ran at 40 to 41 minutes with very little variation (Billericay, Wickford).
Liverpool Street is the better terminal of the two for most people: it has the Central, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines underneath it and the Elizabeth line, which puts Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street within a few minutes without leaving the station.
What it means for you: the Greater Anglia line buys you a more useful London terminal and, from Billericay, the same journey time as Basildon. You pay for it. Whether £848 a year is worth the Elizabeth line and a shorter walk at the far end is the actual decision, and it is worth making deliberately rather than by accident when you choose where to live.
Walk-up fares in 2026
These are the fares to London Terminals, read from the National Rail fares data in August 2026:
| Ticket | Basildon (c2c) | Billericay (Greater Anglia) |
|---|---|---|
| Anytime day single | £9.50 | £15.50 |
| Anytime day return | £19.00 | £31.00 |
| Off-peak day single | £8.20 | £10.70 |
| Off-peak day return | £16.40 | £21.40 |
| Off-peak day travelcard | £27.10 | £30.10 |
| Anytime day travelcard | £32.00 | £44.60 |
Two things worth noticing. First, the gap between the two lines narrows a lot off-peak: £2.50 on an off-peak single against £6.00 on an anytime one. If you travel into London for a day out rather than for work, the penalty for living in Billericay is much smaller than the season ticket suggests.
Second, contactless pay as you go is priced at the off-peak single on both lines: £8.20 from Basildon and £10.70 from Billericay. For an off-peak day trip there is no advantage in buying a ticket in advance, and tapping in and out costs the same as a paper single (Basildon fares, Billericay fares).
Season tickets, and the 2026 fares freeze
The annual standard-class season ticket to London Terminals costs £3,724 from Basildon and Laindon, £3,936 from Pitsea, £4,572 from Billericay and £4,856 from Wickford. Monthly equivalents are £357.60, £377.90, £439.00 and £466.20, and weekly £93.10, £98.40, £114.30 and £121.40 (Trainline season tickets).
The important update for 2026: regulated rail fares in England are frozen, the first freeze in around 30 years. The freeze covers standard-class season tickets, Anytime tickets and Off-Peak tickets, and it runs until March 2027 (National Rail). First class, Standard Premium and unregulated fares such as Advance tickets are not covered, and TfL sets Underground fares separately, so a Travelcard add-on can still move.
What it means for you: the prices above are not rising this year. If you travel into London two or three days a week rather than five, look at a Flexi Season, which gives a set number of day passes to use across a period and can beat buying singles. A “London Terminals” season is not tied to one route, so from Basildon it covers Fenchurch Street however you get there.
First and last trains
- Basildon, first train to London: 04:44, arriving Fenchurch Street 05:20.
- Basildon, last train home: 00:34 from Fenchurch Street, arriving 01:22. There are earlier services at 22:58 (a 33 minute run), 23:34 and 00:04.
- Billericay, first train to London: 04:26, arriving Liverpool Street 05:08.
- Billericay, last train home: 23:45 from Liverpool Street, arriving 00:15.
- Wickford, last train home: 23:45 from Liverpool Street, arriving 00:24.
The c2c line is unusually generous at the end of the night. A Basildon commuter can leave Fenchurch Street at half past midnight and still be home before half past one, which is nearly an hour later than the last Billericay train. If you are planning a night out in town, that difference decides whether you are booking a taxi.
Always check live times on the day. Weekend engineering work changes both lines, and c2c and Greater Anglia publish their own disruption pages.
Driving to the station
If you drive in rather than walk, the borough’s council-run station car park is Radford Crescent in Billericay, opposite the railway station: £3.70 for up to four hours or £8.50 all day Monday to Friday, and free at weekends. There is a barrier, and the car park is not accessible after 18:00. Wickford Main car park, between the High Street and the railway line, is also £8.50 all day and free at weekends. Full details, and the reason Basildon’s own town centre car parks are not on that list, are in our Basildon parking and roadworks page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Basildon to London take?
The fastest c2c trains reach London Fenchurch Street in about 34 minutes, and c2c gives the average as 36 minutes (c2c). Departures inside the morning peak ranged from 34 to 42 minutes, so the train you pick matters more than the timetable average.
Which London station do Basildon trains go to?
London Fenchurch Street, on c2c. It is the only central London terminal with a direct service from Basildon, Laindon or Pitsea. Billericay and Wickford trains go to London Liverpool Street instead, on Greater Anglia.
How much is a Basildon to London season ticket?
An annual standard-class season to London Terminals is £3,724. Because regulated fares are frozen across England until March 2027, that price is not rising in 2026 (National Rail fares freeze).
Why is Billericay more expensive than Basildon for the same journey time?
Because they are on different railways with separately regulated fares. Billericay is on Greater Anglia into Liverpool Street and Basildon is on c2c into Fenchurch Street, and although both have a 34 minute fastest run, the Billericay annual season costs £848 more. Wickford costs £1,132 more than Basildon.
What time is the last train from London to Basildon?
00:34 from Fenchurch Street, arriving in Basildon at 01:22, with earlier services at 22:58, 23:34 and 00:04. Confirm on the day, especially at weekends.
Can I use contactless to travel from Basildon to London?
Yes, and it is priced at the off-peak single rather than at a premium: £8.20 from Basildon off-peak, and £10.70 from Billericay. Tapping in and out costs the same as buying an off-peak day single, so there is nothing to gain from queuing for a ticket.
Related
- Basildon house prices: the £155,000 gap between the Basildon and Billericay medians, which is the other side of the fare gap on this page.
- Basildon roadworks, parking and travel: station car parks, current closures and the A127 schemes.
- Things to do in Basildon, including the Pitsea country park that is 40 minutes from Fenchurch Street.
Sources
- c2c: Basildon to London Fenchurch Street for the average journey time, frequency and off-peak single.
- National Rail timetable and fares data via traintimes.org.uk for weekday journey times, first and last trains and walk-up fares: Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea, Billericay and Wickford.
- Trainline season ticket pages for the weekly, monthly and annual prices: Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea, Billericay and Wickford.
- National Rail: The Big Rail Fare Freeze for what is frozen and until when.
- Basildon Borough Council: council managed car parks for the Radford Crescent and Wickford Main tariffs.
Times and prices change, especially at weekends and during engineering work. Journey times here were read for Monday 10 August 2026. Check live times and the operators’ own season ticket calculators before you travel.
Have your say
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