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Sheffield to Gatwick Airport when Thameslink closed

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unlevel42

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I am going from Sheffield to Gatwick Airport on Sunday 7th September .
Thameslink is closed between St Pancras and Blackfriars/London Bridge.
I have a ticket to St Pancras.
.
What is the best way for an OAP with case to complete my journey to Gatwick?
Would he be allowed on Gatwick Express to compete this journey?
A bus for part of the journey is OK.
I have ENCTS, Senior Raicard and lots on my Oyster.
 
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Watershed

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Do you already have a ticket for the section from St Pancras to Gatwick? I presume not but you mention being 'allowed' to take the Gatwick Express which suggests perhaps you do?

Are you returning from Gatwick within a month and if so, at what time of day (roughly)? This will impact what the cheapest option works out as being.
 

Haywain

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So you will need to get from St Pancras to either London Bridge or Victoria to continue the journey to Gatwick. This comes down to which is easier for you then. Do you have any mobility problems?
 

Watershed

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The Underground platforms are a fair walk from the EMR platforms at St Pancras, but in fairness so are pretty much all onwards transport links other than the Thameslink platforms.

Step-free access (via lifts) is available at Kings Cross St Pancras, Victoria and London Bridge so either the Victoria or Northern lines are both plausible options.

My personal preference would be to go for the Northern line to London Bridge as both te Northern line and Thameslink trains tend to be quieter in my experience, and the latter are more spacious and have better luggage racks.

That said, you might prefer Victoria as it's a slightly longer walk between the Underground and National Rail platforms at London Bridge than at Victoria. Also, the NR platforms at London Bridge are elevated above street level and there's only one lift per platform so there can be a queue to use it at times - at Victoria, the NR platforms are at street level.

If you preferred to take the bus, the 390 runs to Victoria every few minutes from the south side of the Euston Road. The 17 bus runs to London Bridge every 10-12 mins from Pentonville Road on the east side of Kings Cross. You avoid the lifts down to the Underground platforms and back up, but it's obviously slightly slower overall. This would be free with your ENCTS pass of course.

Otherwise there is the most convenient but expensive option of hailing a black cab from the rank outside the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras. Based on TfL's estimates on their website, it would cost around £18-25 depending on traffic. A taxi ordered via Uber etc. would tend to be cheaper but I'm not sure whether they can pick you up there.
 

TrainTraveler

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I would also go for Northern Line to London Bridge then get a direct train to Gatwick from there.

While Gatwick Airport travel prices are complex (there is an oddity caused by Oyster card zones) the touch in at Kings Cross touch out at Gatwick won’t be a bad cost.

Kings Cross, London Bridge (where you will touch out the underground and touch in the national rail) and Gatwick will all at least have escalators.


It looks like the Northern Line London Bridge lifts aren’t ideal. The escalator will be better if that’s manageable with the luggage.

You could also approach the railway for assistance as they have created the problem by a planned closure of Thameslink
 

yorkie

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From a ticketing point of view, assuming you have a Super Off Peak Return (SSR) via Chesterfield, I would obtain a!n over distance excess or exchange it to one for Gatwick, as it's only £14.65 more.

The ticket office at Sheffield should be able to issue this excess.

You don't say when/how you are returning, so providing fare advice is problematic, but obtaining such a ticket would give you complete flexibility on your return as far as London St Pancras, with time restrictions only applying from there.

You can get any of GTR's brands, including their misleadingly named Gatwick "Express".
 

dastocks

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You can get any of GTR's brands, including their misleadingly named Gatwick "Express".
... but a non-Gatwick Express paper ticket (usually marked NOT GATWICK EXPRESS or THAMESLINK ONLY) will be rejected by the gates at Victoria, and you would have to argue your way onto the train, which might involve having to buy another ticket.

My personal preference would be the Victoria Line from St Pancras to Victoria, then Gatwick Express or Southern. This is because there are 7 fast trains/hour from Victoria to Gatwick against 3 from London Bridge. It's probably worth checking the TfL website in case there are engineering works that may affect the cross-London leg of your journey.

As others have pointed out contactless is probably the simplest way to pay for your travel between St Pancras and Gatwick.
 

yorkie

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... but a non-Gatwick Express paper ticket (usually marked NOT GATWICK EXPRESS or THAMESLINK ONLY) will be rejected by the gates at Victoria, and you would have to argue your way onto the train, which might involve having to buy another ticket.

My personal preference would be the Victoria Line from St Pancras to Victoria, then Gatwick Express or Southern. This is because there are 7 fast trains/hour from Victoria to Gatwick against 3 from London Bridge. It's probably worth checking the TfL website in case there are engineering works that may affect the cross-London leg of your journey.

As others have pointed out contactless is probably the simplest way to pay for your travel between St Pancras and Gatwick.
It would be far better to get the through ticket from Sheffield as this includes any of the potential routes, with no arguments over brands, as well as cross London transfers each way.

Contactless could easily cost double that, depending on the exact route taken and the time of the return journey. The through ticket is completely unrestricted between Gatwick and St Pancras.
 

dastocks

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It would be far better to get the through ticket from Sheffield as this includes any of the potential routes, with no arguments over brands, as well as cross London transfers each way.

Contactless could easily cost double that, depending on the exact route taken and the time of the return journey. The through ticket is completely unrestricted between Gatwick and St Pancras.
Agreed, and that's the option I always go for. Not sure what the OP's options are with the ticket they already have.
 

Kite159

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The ticket office at Sheffield should be able to issue this excess.
Whereas in reality the legendary ticket office at Sheffield will most likely claim such a thing isn't possible as they can't remember how to do it.

Or will claim the OP will need to buy a new ticket and submit the original for a refund etc.

If I was the OP I would try using the ticket office at Meadowhall to get the over distance excess.
 

Haywain

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Or will claim the OP will need to buy a new ticket and submit the original for a refund etc.
Depending on where it was purchased it may be easier to submit the original ticket for a refund and buy a new one. An over-distance excess before travelling seems rather pointless in many cases.
 

Kite159

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Depending on where it was purchased it may be easier to submit the original ticket for a refund and buy a new one. An over-distance excess before travelling seems rather pointless in many cases.
Although it also depends what ticket stock the guard carries if the OP tries to buy it on board. If the guard only has paper roll ticket then they probably won't be able to do the excess as I would imagine Sheffield - Gatwick will have LU validity and hence will need the credit card sized mag strip stock.
 

Robbouk

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Hi everyone,

Just to point out that there is still planned Strike Action on Sunday 7th September for London Underground:


  • From Sunday 7 to Thursday 11 September 2025, Tube services will be severely disrupted, with little to no service expected

So from St Pancras to Victoria it would need to be a bus or a taxi. Of course, there is a chance the strike will be called off.
 

redreni

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The 390 bus direct from the far side of the Euston Road (stop R, opposite Kings Cross) goes to Victoria. Much slower than the tube but potentially easier with luggage, as long as the bus isn't crowded, which it might be if the tube strike goes ahead, particularly with the Thameslink core also down. Traffic should be light on a Sunday, but again, the tube strike will increase the number of taxis on the road if it goes ahead.

I concur with other posters that a through ticket to Gatwick would be better. I might even think about trying to rebook this by way of Birmingham New Street, Watford Junction and Clapham Junction, to cut out central London entirely: Itinerary. You might need a combination of tickets to go that way.
 

sheff1

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As others have pointed out contactless is probably the simplest way to pay for your travel between St Pancras and Gatwick.
It might be the simplest but certainly nothing like the cheapest for a Senior Railcard holder. If the Railcard is linked to Oyster, using that would be just as simple as contactless.
 
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