Commuting from Peterborough to Liverpool Street

[profmmc]

I recently moved out of London to the north east corner of Cambs - a few miles West of Wisbech.

I started commuting this week. Interesting experience after 27 years of living and working in London, and getting to work by car, scooter or bike.

My commute to the end of the month has been optimised to get me to work on time, and minimise cost:

1) 15 mile drive to Wattlington Station.
2) Train at 6.24 that takes me in to Liverpool Street in 2h 1m
3) 8 minute walk from platform to the office.

Door to desk in the morning is 2h 45m

Desk to door in evening is quicker as I don't have to wait at the station and the out train is a bit quicker so around 2h 30m

Car parking at Watlington is free (a big cost reducer) so the cost is petrol + season ticket - around £580 pm buying monthly season tickets.

The route lacks flexibility as there are only 2 trains in the morning into Liverpool street (the other at 5.30am) and only three outbounds 5.07, 6.07 and 7.07.

Getting on the train at stop 2 means I have no problem getting a seat coming in and on both the 5.07 and 6.07 on the way out I have had no problems getting a seat.

But it is a long commute.

In month 2 I am thinking of experimenting by optimising for travel time. This would involve:

1) 20 mile drive into Peterborough station
2) Fast train 53 mins to Kings Cross
3) Bike from Kings Cross to Office (2.2 miles) - Tube is out of the question during rush hour for me.

This would definitely be quicker, I estimate if I am lucky 45m-1h quicker. Also many trains each hour so lots of flexibility, but getting on a Peterborough I won't be guaranteed a seat.

However the cost is considerably more I estimate £945 using monthly season tickets.

I have (finally) 2 questions:

1) If I am targeting a train between 7.00 and 7.30 what is the traffic like going into Peterborough(cross country to Thorney then A47 and ring road)? When I drive to Watlington an hour earlier the roads are deserted and I can do the 15 miles is 23 minutes (it only takes that long because of long stretches of 30 and 40 mph speed limits). Being caught in Peterborough rush hour traffic would wipe out my time gain.

2) If it possible to park a car for free a mile or 2 away from the station, and then bike the rest of the way in. That would save £160 per month.

One reason why I ask rather than experiment is I can't do this route without a one off (large) investment in a folding bike, as I would not be able to take my non folding bike with me. There is no point in switching to this route if it only going to save me say 15 mins each way. If I am right and save up to an hour each way then even with parking that is only £9 per hour saved. A no brainer.

The only caveat is that my thinking is that once I am paying over £900 to travel each month I might as well rent a room / studio in London for the week and go back to a 45 minute commute!

 

[A-driver]

Not sure about traffic and parking around peterbourgh and you have probably thought of this but won't be possible on a fast train but have you considered getting a train peterbourgh-Finsbury park and then a train on to moorgate? If you work 8 mins from Liverpool street then you probably a rent much further from moorgate?

Obviously wouldn't be possible with an east coast train but would with the FCC semi fasts?

 

[OwlMan]

You could always leave your bike at Kings Cross overnight.

 

[soil]

A season PBO - London valid for one month + 2 days is £594.50, or £23.78/weekday.

Which isn't that bad, really.

 

[profmmc]

>have you considered getting a train peterbourgh-Finsbury park and then a train on to moorgate?

I had not but looking at the journey planner then will be considerable longer than Kings Cross + bike - 2 miles is bearly time to get the wheels spinning and is 10 minutes.

>You could always leave your bike at Kings Cross overnight.

I had considered that - it would mean getting an additional cheap bike. Slightly put off by the idea as I have had maybe 6 or 7 push bikes stolen in the nearly 3 decades I have lived in London.

>A season PBO - London valid for one month + 2 days is £594.50, or £23.78/weekday.

Unfortunately that price is (I believe) the FCC only option which does not give you access to the fast trains.

 

[soil]

>A season PBO - London valid for one month + 2 days is £594.50, or £23.78/weekday.

Unfortunately that price is (I believe) the FCC only option which does not give you access to the fast trains.

Sorry, you're right.

It's actually £706.10, or £28.24/day.

 

[FenMan]

The half-hourly X1 bus takes 40 minutes from Wisbech Horsefair to PBO station. As you're west of Wisbech the journey time will be shorter. The bus uses some dedicated lanes in Peterborough. The fare will be approx. the same as parking at Peterborough. The first bus of the day departs Wisbech at 06:13.

The through journey from Wisbech to KGX is 1h45 to 2h00m depending on the connection, so time savings vs the Watlington - KGX route may be marginal.

 

[stut]

You could always leave your bike at Kings Cross overnight.

Yes, indeed, that's what I do - wouldn't put a decent, brand new one there, but there's plenty storage these days, and there's some nice routes over to the City.

FWIW, the Metropolitan (particularly with the new trains) between KGX and LST is pretty palatable these days - I tend to use it with luggage if I'm off on a business trip, and, unless it's in meltdown, it works well, and doesn't feel too crowded. Plus, it's free between KGX and Moorgate.

But I would definitely recommend cycling it. This last week in particular has been a joy!

Oh, and you won't do 2 miles in 10 minutes in rush hour in central London, unless you have a particular disregard for the law and your own safety! Liverpool St is more like 15 minutes.

 

[Aictos]

The half-hourly X1 bus takes 40 minutes from Wisbech Horsefair to PBO station. As you're west of Wisbech the journey time will be shorter. The bus uses some dedicated lanes in Peterborough. The fare will be approx. the same as parking at Peterborough. The first bus of the day departs Wisbech at 06:13.

The through journey from Wisbech to KGX is 1h45 to 2h00m depending on the connection, so time savings vs the Watlington - KGX route may be marginal.

I live in Peterborough and have done so for 29 years in the summer, there are NO dedicated bus lanes at all!

 

[transportphoto]

Have you considered a Boris Bike whilst in London? http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx

TP

 

[30907]

My family in Peterborough have now moved away so this info may not be current but
- a plus is that you are avoiding the single-carriageway section of the A47 which carries a lot of HGV traffic (tho' fen roads carry tractors... and I presume this rules out the X1 option)
- I would think you are beating the worst of the traffic until you get off the A47. There's a lot of commuters and a lot of parking at the station
- there are now parking restrictions on the direct route into town from the Newark area of town (Eastfield/Broadway). Google Street View will give you an idea for other possible places inside the ring road, and the older parts of town are reasonable for cycling. Or of course you can explore in person.

If you haven't done the trick of a one-month-and-3-days ticket, would it be worth trying Peterborough for an odd day, or at most a weekly, rather than shell out for the monthly?

 

[benk1342]

Have you considered a Boris Bike whilst in London? http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx

Depending on the season, the weather, and the OP's arrival time, s/he may struggle to find a bike outside King's Cross on a weekday morning. In the summer the ones on Belgrove Street are often gone by 9, including the large reserve in a nearby garage that staff use to continuously replenish the dock during the peaks. There are several nearby alternative docks but that adds a 10-minute walk and a bit of stress worrying whether those bikes will be gone by the time you get there as well!

 

[Mojo]

If travelling from Kings + to Liverpool Street then you wouldn't have to get a Tube; the quickest route is on the Metropolitan or Circle & Hammersmith lines. Whilst it would cost a lot more to go to Liverpool Street as you would need a Travelcard, you can travel on either the Metropolitan, Circle & Hammersmith or Northern lines between Moorgate/Old Street and Kings + St Pancras for no extra cost using your Peterborough to London Terminals season ticket.

 

[island]

Last I checked, the Metropolitan, Circle, and Hammersmith & City were lines of the London Underground, AKA the Tube...

 

[profmmc]

OK.

Boris bikes don't appeal much.

The news that my season ticket will allow me to travel between Kings Cross and Moorgate is big news as my office is between Moorgate and Liverpool St. Whilst I do hate travelling on the tube the fact that I could do so with out this additional cost of a travel card makes it an option. Doing it and having to pay extra was a non-starter. PS I did a google and there seems to be a lot of confusion about ticket validity on the tube between Kings Cross and Moorgate.

I accept that 15 minutes by bike is probably a better estimate, I was basing it on my timings for cycling in from the suburbs for which you can achieve a higher average speed.

I have just realised that my current season ticket will allow me to travel from Watlington into Kings Cross. With the free travel between Kings Cross and Moorgate I double my trains in the morning. Watlington to Kings Cross is 20 minutes quicker so unlikely to be slower than direct into Liverpool St.

So I can with my current ticket experiment with timing between Kings Cross and the office - which is good. I can even carry my bike to check how long it actually takes - but will have to get an earlier or later train than normal due to some peak train bike restrictions.

Final comment about Peterborough. I can drive my scooter and park for free. The scooter will be out of the question when the roads are icy, it is a bit slow, and I might not be able to carry a fold up bike. It would not get stuck in the traffic though so maybe the slower top speed is not a problem.

Who would have thought getting to work requires a degree in operations research?

 

[Be3G]

The half-hourly X1 bus takes 40 minutes from Wisbech Horsefair to PBO station. As you're west of Wisbech the journey time will be shorter. The bus uses some dedicated lanes in Peterborough. The fare will be approx. the same as parking at Peterborough. The first bus of the day departs Wisbech at 06:13.

There is integrated rail-coach/bus ticketing from Wisbech to railway destinations; I assume (without being able to find out any more info) that the bus you describe is the one the ticket is intended for.

The news that my season ticket will allow me to travel between Kings Cross and Moorgate is big news as my office is between Moorgate and Liverpool St. Whilst I do hate travelling on the tube the fact that I could do so with out this additional cost of a travel card makes it an option. Doing it and having to pay extra was a non-starter. PS I did a google and there seems to be a lot of confusion about ticket validity on the tube between Kings Cross and Moorgate.

It's absolutely allowed, but be warned that this special inter-availability is only valid for King's Cross, Old Street and Moorgate – so you can't get on/off at stations such as Barbican. Not a problem for you seeing as you work between Moorgate and Liverpool Street, though. The reason for this is because the inter-available ticketing here is extant only to provide an alternative route when the FCC line to Old Street and Moorgate is closed.

 

[John @ home]

Who would have thought getting to work requires a degree in operations research?

Soon it will be postgraduate degrees only! Personally, I blame Rail Fares Simplification in 2008. It became much more complicated then.

 

[FenMan]

I live in Peterborough and have done so for 29 years in the summer, there are NO dedicated bus lanes at all!

When I used the X1 the week before last it travelled on a bus-only stretch of road in the centre whilst cutting across town to the bus station.

 

[yorkie]

I did a google and there seems to be a lot of confusion about ticket validity on the tube between Kings Cross and Moorgate.

It's equally valid on the tube (Northern Line) or the sub-surface Met route, used by Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City Line trains.

I'd highly recommend taking the Met rather than the tube, as the tube trains are much smaller (more of an issue if you're tall), and can be horrendously overcrowded and feel claustrophobic at peak times, and you end up having to use numerous escalators.

Some LU CSAs* do not appear to know that these tickets are valid, and sometimes claim they are not valid. If that happens, politely ask them if they can look up Appendix 6 in the Ticketing & Revenue Books (which states that any single, return, or season ticket which is valid between Finsbury Park & Kings + is valid between Finsbury Park, Kings + St Pancras, Old St or Moorgate).

If you experience problems, be sure to complain to LU. It's also worth noting the name of the CSA so that appropriate training can be provided. The Customer Contact centre will send feedback to the Group Manager to ensure that lessons are learnt.

(* I guess it's asking too much to expect someone in a job that pays a lot more than my job, to know a basic ticketing condition :roll:)

 

[maniacmartin]

I'd highly recommend taking the Met rather than the tube

For the avoidance of doubt, some members of this forum use the term "tube" to refer only to deep-level lines, unlike most people who use "tube" to refer to any London Underground service.

 

[amcluesent]

Door to desk in the morning is 2h 45m

Yikes! I'd def. be stopping in London Mon-Thu (or Wed and ask to WFH Fri) to retain sanity - plenty of web sites offering Mon-Fri accom.

The A47 is an awful road, single carriageway with farm vehicles and HGV and the jam at Guyhirn junction - there's always news of bad crashes. You'd be lucky to average 45mph coming into Peterborough.

Traffic in Peterborough 7am to 7:30am isn't too bad, I'd do A47 then A15 so it's dual carriageway right to the station but the Council are talking about even more traffic lights. The EC services at 7:30, 7:40, 7:50 are always rammed of course, so you'd need to reserve seat and there's a bit of a scrum at the platform. I'd guess you'd get some 'looks' coming on with a Brompton folding .

No free parking around the station I can think of, but it's much cheaper on the Midland Road side (£3/day) than in one of EC's car parks (£8ish from memory but that was before 1st Jan hike!)