Cross London Journeys During Tube Strikes

[Llandudno]

Just after a little bit of advice or suggestions please…?

My daughter is travelling from Matlock back to Reading University on Sunday evenings, but it appears as though the Underground is in strike late on Sunday evening.

She has an advanced ticket on specific late evening trains via London
Matlock - Derby
Derby - St Pancras
Tube to Paddington
Paddington to Reading


Instead of using the tube could she use ticket on the Elizabeth Line
St Pancras - Farringdon
Farringdon - Paddington

Would her ticket operate the barriers for the Elizabeth Line

Alternatively would ticket acceptance be in place?
Derby - Birmingham - Reading

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Haywain]

Instead of using the tube could she use ticket on the Elizabeth Line
St Pancras - Farringdon
Farringdon - Paddington

Would her ticket operate the barriers for the Elizabeth Line

Yes, that would be fine.

Alternatively would ticket acceptance be in place?
Derby - Birmingham - Reading

For just an underground strike, that is very unlikely.

 

[Class800]

Presumably St Pancras to Farringdon is suggested to be on Thameslink - the gates often don't work with Maltese cross tickets but never had a problem being let through

 

[Haywain]

the gates often don't work with Maltese cross tickets

Which gates?

 

[Watershed]

Worth noting that TfL are warning that there could be unplanned closures of Farringdon station due to the industrial action, meaning that Elizabeth line (and presumably also Thameslink) services might not stop there.

 

[paul1609]

Just after a little bit of advice or suggestions please…?

My daughter is travelling from Matlock back to Reading University on Sunday evenings, but it appears as though the Underground is in strike late on Sunday evening.

She has an advanced ticket on specific late evening trains via London
Matlock - Derby
Derby - St Pancras
Tube to Paddington
Paddington to Reading


Instead of using the tube could she use ticket on the Elizabeth Line
St Pancras - Farringdon
Farringdon - Paddington

Would her ticket operate the barriers for the Elizabeth Line

Alternatively would ticket acceptance be in place?
Derby - Birmingham - Reading

Thanks for your thoughts!

Id recomend the 205 bus. it goes from stop F opposite side of the road from Kings Cross or opposite the middle of St Pancras station and takes 20 mins. Youd have to pay a contactless fare of £1.75 goes about every 10 mins more reliable than faffing around with central London rail/tubes atm

 

[gray1404]

I quite agree. When she's nearing London she can check online if Farringdon is open. But I have used the 205 many times to Paddington without issue.

 

[redreni]

If it were me I would have the 205 bus as backup. I'd use Thamslink+EL if it's running.

If your daughter checks the TfL website before she gets into St Pancras it will say if trains are skipping Farringdon. If it doesn't say that then I should think it will be fine.

 

[Class800]

Which gates?

I'm referring to the gateline at St Pancras international that goes to and from the Thameslink platforms

 

[Hadders]

It's perfectly valid to use Thameslink services to make a cross-London transfer. On Sunday passengers are advised to complete Undergroiund journeys by 17:30. Yesterday's Metro said that people travelling home from the Arsenal match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon (kick off 16:30 so will finish around 18:30) 'are encouraged to make their way straight to the trains after the matchas these services will start to close from 19:30'.

This suggests to me that services will start to wind down from 17:30 with nothing after about 19:30.

TfL say this about the forthcoming strikes:

Strikes

TfL travel advice and information during strikes.

tfl.gov.uk

Tube strikes - January 2024​

RMT strikes on the Tube are currently planned in early January.
If they go ahead, there will be severe disruption on the London Underground network from the evening of Sunday 7 January through to the morning of Friday 12 January.

• Sunday 7 January: Tube services will close earlier than normal. Complete Tube journeys by 17:30
• Monday 8 to Thursday 11 January: Severe disruption is expected, with little to no service expected to run
• Friday 12 January: Tube services will start later than normal, with a good service expected by midday

No other TfL services will be on strike.
Some bus, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and national rail services will be busier. They may also be subject to change or affected by station closures where stations also serve London Underground lines.
One-way or queueing systems may also be in place at stations, and step-free access may be affected.
If you need to travel during this time, plan ahead, check before you travel and allow more time for your journey.
For information on national rail services, visit the National Rail website.

Elizabeth line​

During the following times, Elizabeth line services are not expected to call at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street (Low Level) and Whitechapel. These stations may also be subject to further short notice closures throughout the day:

• Monday 8 January: Before 06:30 and after 22:30
• Tuesday 9 January: Before 07:30
• Wednesday 10 January: Before 06:30 and after 22:30
• Thursday 11 January: Before 07:30

Walking and cycling​

• Consider walking or cycling part of your journey
• Much of Zone 1 is walkable
• You are never more than 600m from a Santander Cycle hire point in central London
• There are electric scooter rental trials in some London Boroughs

Walking and cycling maps​

• West End walking map
• City of London walking map
• Walking times between stations map
• Cycling map

Accessibility​

For more information about accessibility and help from staff at stations, see our accessibility pages.
Step-free access may be affected at stations that are open during the strikes. Check before you travel for the latest information.

GTR say this:

https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/service-updates?uq=638400911077230000#INC795D80BA7A5B421D8E4B2FCB79F687B4

Industrial Action is taking place on London Underground between Monday 8 and Thursday 11 January.

London Underground will be severely disrupted during this period. For further details on how they will be impacted, please visit the TfL website.

Some stations on our network are managed by London Underground, as a result the following alterations will apply:

• Monday 8 and Wednesday 10 January - Farringdon station will be served between 06:30 and 22:30 only, outside of these hours, the station will be closed.
• Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 January - Thameslink services at Farringdon will start later than normal, with no services before 07:30.

Thameslink and Great Northern tickets will be valid on alternative Thameslink routes into London on these dates.

For further information on how Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern will be affected, please see our Industrial Action webpage.

 

[sprunt]

If a passenger has a ticket including cross-London travel for two termini that don't have the option of using Thameslink/Elizabeth Line when the tube is on strike is it just tough luck and you have to make your own arrangements? It seems like since it's TfL that are failing to provide that portion of the journey they could maybe accept Maltese Cross tickets on sensible bus routes.

 

[Llandudno]

Some great advice, thanks everyone!

 

[Hadders]

If a passenger has a ticket including cross-London travel for two termini that don't have the option of using Thameslink/Elizabeth Line when the tube is on strike is it just tough luck and you have to make your own arrangements? It seems like since it's TfL that are failing to provide that portion of the journey they could maybe accept Maltese Cross tickets on sensible bus routes.

You've got to make your own arrangements.

Good luck catching a bus in central London next week when there's a tube strike, they will be packed with long queues to board. It'll be faster to walk in almost all cases!

 

[sprunt]

If the lack of tube services caused you to miss the booked service departing a London terminal when travelling on an Advance, would you then be entitled to catch a subsequent service?

 

[Wolfie]

Id recomend the 205 bus. it goes from stop F opposite side of the road from Kings Cross or opposite the middle of St Pancras station and takes 20 mins. Youd have to pay a contactless fare of £1.75 goes about every 10 mins more reliable than faffing around with central London rail/tubes atm

Except that if the tube is closed the buses will be much busier.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jan 2024 ==

You've got to make your own arrangements.

Good luck catching a bus in central London next week when there's a tube strike, they will be packed with long queues to board. It'll be faster to walk in almost all cases!

Absolutely so. Indeed l have gone in the wrong direction from Islington at times in order to get on quieter buses further out.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jan 2024 ==

If a passenger has a ticket including cross-London travel for two termini that don't have the option of using Thameslink/Elizabeth Line when the tube is on strike is it just tough luck and you have to make your own arrangements? It seems like since it's TfL that are failing to provide that portion of the journey they could maybe accept Maltese Cross tickets on sensible bus routes.

Highly unlikely to happen not least because the buses will likely already be absolutely heaving.

 

[island]

If the lack of tube services caused you to miss the booked service departing a London terminal when travelling on an Advance, would you then be entitled to catch a subsequent service?

Yes if you held a through ticket (e.g. Maltese cross or from London Underground Zone 1) and had allowed enough time as per the published connection times.

If using Oyster/Contactless PAYG in conjunction with an advance ticket from London Terminals, acceptance on a later service would be at staff discretion.

 

[Joe Paxton]

It's perfectly valid to use Thameslink services to make a cross-London transfer. On Sunday passengers are advised to complete Undergroiund journeys by 17:30. Yesterday's Metro said that people travelling home from the Arsenal match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon (kick off 16:30 so will finish around 18:30) 'are encouraged to make their way straight to the trains after the matchas these services will start to close from 19:30'.

This suggests to me that services will start to wind down from 17:30 with nothing after about 19:30.
[...]

Arsenal FC have issued this travel information for fans regarding the game tomorrow (Sunday 7 Jan):

No services are expected to be disrupted before kick-off, but Tube services will be reduced from 17.00, with no Piccadilly line service running after the game and other nearby Tube services finishing by 20:00.

My bolding - no Piccadilly line services running by around 1830. Victoria line will have to take the strain from Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park.


Also the Tube strike slightly scuppers the bus replacement service for the Great Northern route, given Kings Cross and much of the southern ECML is closed this weekend - as per this map, replacement buses are only running as far south as Alexandra Palace - but the masterplan was to connect with the Piccadilly line at Cockfosters... which is fine and dandy, at least up until the Piccadilly line stops running on Sunday evening!

 

[Richardr]

Re the Arsenal game, the Standard last night said that the Victoria Line was being prioritized, as it would get Liverpool fans to Euston. Given the lack of trains at Finsbury Park, the potential lack of a Piccadilly Line, and reduced trains at Highbury and Islington [both no Great Northern, and engineering work reducing the Overground service] expect long queues at both.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Re the Arsenal game, the Standard last night said that the Victoria Line was being prioritized, as it would get Liverpool fans to Euston. Given the lack of trains at Finsbury Park, the potential lack of a Piccadilly Line, and reduced trains at Highbury and Islington [both no Great Northern, and engineering work reducing the Overground service] expect long queues at both.

Agreed. I imagine there'll be many who leave the ground early... and of course now that stoppage time is being accounted for more accurately, and VAR leading to more stoppage time, the full-time whistle is often blown rather later than it ever was in times past.

Out of interest, regarding the Overground NLL service this weekend - I see that as the line is closed west of Gospel Oak they are again running a special 3tph service from Willesden Jn low-level via Queen's Park and the Primrose Hill connection to Camden Road and on to Stratford - plus there's 2tph running from Gospel Oak to Stratford. Years ago, in the early days of LO, I recall there were some 'blue sky' thinking about whether a regular service on this route would be useful - however I think the focus on increasing frequency and capacity on the core NLL route was probably the right choice. But that's all somewhat irrelevant to tomorrow evening's travel tumults!

 

[Class800]

There are relatively few pairings of London terminal stations that an averagely fit person could not walk between within the minimum connection time, as it is rather generous. St Pancras to Paddington is 2.7 miles, but - while we haven't been told the exact itinerary - it's likely the connection could be walked in time

 

[Joe Paxton]

There are relatively few pairings of London terminal stations that an averagely fit person could not walk between within the minimum connection time, as it is rather generous. St Pancras to Paddington is 2.7 miles, but - while we haven't been told the exact itinerary - it's likely the connection could be walked in time

And there's also the multiple (e-)bike and e-scooter rental schemes available.

I do however appreciate the OP's query involves someone returning to university, so there's likely to be some baggage involved. (Whilst I've cycled whilst laden with a large and heavy backpack, it's not an ideal arrangement and certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea!)

 

[AlterEgo]

There are relatively few pairings of London terminal stations that an averagely fit person could not walk between within the minimum connection time, as it is rather generous. St Pancras to Paddington is 2.7 miles, but - while we haven't been told the exact itinerary - it's likely the connection could be walked in time

Minimum connection time from Paddington to St Pancras and vice versa is 45 minutes. That is extremely risky to walk, given the multiple road crossings you need to navigate too. Google says it’ll take over an hour.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are relatively few pairings of London terminal stations that an averagely fit person could not walk between within the minimum connection time, as it is rather generous. St Pancras to Paddington is 2.7 miles, but - while we haven't been told the exact itinerary - it's likely the connection could be walked in time

There are also buses and taxis. These will be busier than usual but it'll still be possible to use them.

 

[Llandudno]

There are relatively few pairings of London terminal stations that an averagely fit person could not walk between within the minimum connection time, as it is rather generous. St Pancras to Paddington is 2.7 miles, but - while we haven't been told the exact itinerary - it's likely the connection could be walked in time

My daughter’s connectional time is 67 minutes, 2108-2215

Not much fun for a teenager with a suitcase walking 2.7 miles at that time of night.

 

[Joe Paxton]

My daughter’s connectional time is 67 minutes, 2108-2215

Not much fun for a teenager with a suitcase walking 2.7 miles at that time of night.

I'm sure she'd have no problem making the connection in time by bus (route 205), but even if there was some problem then I can't imagine there'd be any issue at Paddington with catching a later train to Reading - everyone will be very aware that a Tube strike has just started and so will extend appropriate allowances.

 

[Llandudno]

I'm sure she'd have no problem making the connection in time by bus (route 205), but even if there was some problem then I can't imagine there'd be any issue at Paddington with catching a later train to Reading - everyone will be very aware that a Tube strike has just started and so will extend appropriate allowances.

Thanks!

She is going to keep an eye on the Thameslink/Elizabeth Line situation, otherwise the 205 bus.

I presume that the 205 stops on Euston Road more or less opposite St Pancras station.

Does the destination on the bus state Paddington or somewhere else?

 

[gray1404]

Destination states Paddington. I know the bus stop at Euston is on Euston Road but not sure about St Pancras. The TfL journey planner will show when the next buses expected and how long the journey will take.

 

[Joe Paxton]

[...]
I presume that the 205 stops on Euston Road more or less opposite St Pancras station.

Does the destination on the bus state Paddington or somewhere else?

The 205 goes from bus stop A on Euston Road, which is indeed opposite St Pancras (i.e. on the south / 'other' side of the road).

Paddington is the final destination of the 205 heading westbound. If it says Bow Church then it's going the wrong way!

 

[Class800]

I didn't know it was late at night. It might be hard to get on the bus as others have said. Or it might just be a case of everyone pile on and driver not even doing tickets (has happened some places when crush loaded). It's going to be important to have a backup

 

[Thornaby 37]

Bear in mind that all transport routes within London are likely to be extremely busy, with some trains and buses too crowded to board