Have i been sent wrong tickets???

[KeeperTony43]

Yes, that is fine, you can catch the Hastings train at any of Charing Cross, Waterloo East or London Bridge.

Thank you. It had initially looked like we would be rushing a little between trains, but being able to travel via London Bridge has now cut down that concern. Thanks again.

 

[30907]

Indeed, the National Rail planner sends you to London Bridge by default!

The tube journey to London Bridge is 5 minutes longer, but Charing Cross to London Bridge on SouthEastern is 7 minutes.

Bear in mind, though, that as your tickets are through ones, they have automatically allowed the standard cross-London connecting time for Euston-Charing Cross, of which around 30 minutes is walking time between train and tube. In practice that leaves you a good 20 minutes leeway, so the suggested connection is perfectly safe.

Personally, I would stick with Charing Cross which is easy to navigate, not undergoing a major rebuild, and where you will be able to choose your seats at leisure - and the trek up from Tube to main line feels shorter.

If you do use London Bridge, Hastings trains leave from platforms 4 or 5.

 

[KeeperTony43]

Indeed, the National Rail planner sends you to London Bridge by default!

The tube journey to London Bridge is 5 minutes longer, but Charing Cross to London Bridge on SouthEastern is 7 minutes.

Bear in mind, though, that as your tickets are through ones, they have automatically allowed the standard cross-London connecting time for Euston-Charing Cross, of which around 30 minutes is walking time between train and tube. In practice that leaves you a good 20 minutes leeway, so the suggested connection is perfectly safe.

Personally, I would stick with Charing Cross which is easy to navigate, not undergoing a major rebuild, and where you will be able to choose your seats at leisure - and the trek up from Tube to main line feels shorter.

If you do use London Bridge, Hastings trains leave from platforms 4 or 5.

Thanks for the information. It's our preference to avoid any changes on the underground, and with our initial train arriving around 14.12 it looks like there are only 2 trains from Euston to Charing Cross direct that fit in with our timetable. One at 14.24, arriving at 14.42 allowing only 3 minutes to reach the 14.45 to Hastings, or the 14.40, arriving at 14.58, allowing 17 minutes to reach the 15.15 to Hastings. (We have noted that we could simply wait 30 minutes for the 15.15 if we arrive on the earlier train as mentioned above.)

Our London Bridge option is the 14.38, arriving at 15.01, allowing over 20 minutes to catch the 15.23.

I think for us it all depends on how long it takes to get from the Euston mainline through any barriers etc and down to the underground. The important thing is that we are on the train that arrives in Hastings by 17.01.

Thank you again for your advice.

Tony

 

[ffm]

I don't know where you found the (very wrong) information about trains from Euston to Charing Cross. There are Northern line trains on the Charing Cross branch every 2minutes, with, as above, a 7 minute journey time. You should be within 45 minutes of the 15:15, or at least 20 of the 14:58. If you got one about 14:24 you would be in Charing Cross by 14:31. The Bank branch if the Northern, serving London Bridge, has a less frequent service, of around every 4 minutes, with 12 minute journeys. Use journey planner.tfl.gov.uk and not wherever you got your spurious gen from! Neither route's times are anywhere near the mark.

 

[KeeperTony43]

I don't know where you found the (very wrong) information about trains from Euston to Charing Cross. There are Northern line trains on the Charing Cross branch every 2minutes, with, as above, a 7 minute journey time. You should be within 45 minutes of the 15:15, or at least 20 of the 14:58. If you got one about 14:24 you would be in Charing Cross by 14:31. The Bank branch if the Northern, serving London Bridge, has a less frequent service, of around every 4 minutes, with 12 minute journeys. Use journey planner.tfl.gov.uk and not wherever you got your spurious gen from! Neither route's times are anywhere near the mark.

I have been using the National Rail planner, and typing in London Euston to Charing Cross, or London Euston to London Bridge, from around 14.15, and then only looking at the journeys that do not include a change of trains whilst on the underground. You are correct with the frequency of trains but if i am looking at a direct route to Charing Cross without the change at London Bridge, are my options not a little more restricted? This is how it looks to me. I am a little puzzled by the 14.24 option arriving at Charing Cross at 14.31 as my information shows an arrival at 14.42!!

I will take a look at the site you mention as i am open to new options. Many thanks for your time.

 

[yorkie]

The Northern line runs approximately every 3-4 minutes.

If you want to see the actual running times and booked departure times (in reality the controllers will want to even out the service, whatever happens on the day) use the TfL journey planner.

There are loads of trains from Euston to Charing Cross or London Bridge, and in either case you have loads of time to cross London.

The National Rail website does not attempt to show the times of the Northern line services, and is merely showing the time allowed to make the connection (which consists of a huge amount of connection time at both stations, plus the LU running time!)

 

[KeeperTony43]

The Northern line runs approximately every 3-4 minutes.

If you want to see the actual running times and booked departure times (in reality the controllers will want to even out the service, whatever happens on the day) use the TfL journey planner.

There are loads of trains from Euston to Charing Cross or London Bridge, and in either case you have loads of time to cross London.

The National Rail website does not attempt to show the times of the Northern line services, and is merely showing the time allowed to make the connection (which consists of a huge amount of connection time at both stations, plus the LU running time!)

Thank you. I hadn't considered just how little the National Rail website actually shows.

May i just ask how long it takes to get from the main Euston Station, to the underground platforms for trains to Charing Cross (obviously i only expect a rough guide?) We arrive approximately 14.12 and if we can make the 14.23 or 14.27, as highlighted on the tfl website we might even be able to make the 14.45 to Hastings.

 

[noblergt]

Thank you. I hadn't considered just how little the National Rail website actually shows.

May i just ask how long it takes to get from the main Euston Station, to the underground platforms for trains to Charing Cross (obviously i only expect a rough guide?) We arrive approximately 14.12 and if we can make the 14.23 or 14.27, as highlighted on the tfl website we might even be able to make the 14.45 to Hastings.

If you specify the National Rail stations as your arrival and departure rather than the tube stations, ie "London Euston to London Charing Cross" in the tfl planner, it will include a small amount of walking time on either end which I think is meant to correspond to how long it takes to get to or from the tube platforms.

Edit: Actually I don't think this is this case, but it does add in some transfer times from a spot above ground near the station

What the planner CAN do is include the rail journey from outside London. So if you put in "Warrington Bank Quay Rail Station" in Warrington and "Hastings Rail Station" in Hastings in the advanced options then it will include a transfer from the National Rail platforms to the tube platforms. This can't be used for official connections but it gives you an idea.

 

[KeeperTony43]

If you specify the National Rail stations as your arrival and departure rather than the tube stations, ie "London Euston to London Charing Cross" in the tfl planner, it will include a small amount of walking time on either end which I think is meant to correspond to how long it takes to get to or from the tube platforms.

Edit: Actually I don't think this is this case, but it does add in some transfer times from a spot above ground near the station

This is what i have done. It states average journey time of 7 minutes, and further down, Max journey time of 7 minutes. Not clear if this is solely the journey on the train though. I am happy with the journey time on the underground now that it is clearer to me. Simply trying to ascertain the walking time between mainline Euston station and underground, and then from Charing Cross underground to the mainline station and platform to Hastings.

Regarding your edit, and the mention of Advanced Options, i don't seem to be able to find this option.

 

[greatkingrat]

7 minutes is the travel time only. Then in addition you will have the waiting time for the train, plus the walking connection at each end.

If you arrive on time at 1412, then you will probably be able to get to Charing Cross in time for the 1445.

 

[KeeperTony43]

7 minutes is the travel time only. Then in addition you will have the waiting time for the train, plus the walking connection at each end.

If you arrive on time at 1412, then you will probably be able to get to Charing Cross in time for the 1445.

That's great. Thank you.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Continued confusion!!!

The TFL site shows, for example, the 14.23 Euston to Charing Cross as a 7 minute journey.
The National Rail site shows the 14.24 (i assume the same as the 14.23 just stated differently??) shows the journey as taking 18 minutes, and this without having to change at London Bridge. Is this site stating the overall time of the journey to Kennington, which stops at Charing Cross en-route? Completely confused by the differing times.

I want us to be able to get onto a train we can see is destined for Charing Cross, confident that it is only going to take around 7 minutes as has been explained to me. The TFL site is ideal for this accuracy yet looking at the National Rail site for platform details has led to this continued confusion.

Edit:- Just realised that maybe the National Rail site is incorporating walking and waiting times into the calculations for the timings. I think i have been advised of this somewhere on this thread. Any confirmation would be appreciated nonetheless.

 

[tractakid]

The National Website doesn't use London Underground timetable information in the journey planner at all.* All it does is allow a suitable length of time for the transfer and suggest a route. You will be absolutely fine.


*Except between Gunnersbury and Richmond and Harrow and Wealdstone and Queens Park, where Underground trains run on Network Rail owned infrastructure.

 

[KeeperTony43]

The National Website doesn't use London Underground timetable information in the journey planner at all.* All it does is allow a suitable length of time for the transfer and suggest a route. You will be absolutely fine.


*Except between Gunnersbury and Richmond and Harrow and Wealdstone and Queens Park, where Underground trains run on Network Rail owned infrastructure.

Thanks. Second time round this information sheds even more clarity. Probably best that i stick to using the TFL site as advised. Should then avoid any further confusion.

 

[30907]

Been doing a little more checking

The National Rail journey planner allows you a notional time for crossing London:

10 minutes at each "main line" station (the same as if you were changing between two NR trains there, Warrington-Euston-Wembley Central for example)
plus 23 minutes for Euston-Charing Cross or 28 mins for London Bridge (the times you found on the NR site), which allows for the additional walking time to and from the tube, the travel time and waiting time.

So Euston arrival platform to Charing Cross main line station entrance allows you 33 minutes, then another 10 minutes to find your train. This is pretty generous (even from coach A at the back of your Virgin Pendolino!) and you might well make the 1445 as you suggest.

BTW - follow signs for Northern Line: Charing Cross Branch - Southbound, and any train will take you to Charing Cross.

PS Why NR thinks the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line only runs every 15 minutes, I haven't the foggiest.

PPS In the worst case scenario, if BOTH branches of the Northern line are disrupted, you have a third option: take any Victoria line train southbound to Oxford Circus, walk about 20m through a passageway (it's about in the middle of the platform IIRC) and straight on to the Bakerloo line southbound to Charing Cross. Takes about a minute longer than the direct route! But you shouldn't need to worry about that....

 

[KeeperTony43]

Been doing a little more checking

The National Rail journey planner allows you a notional time for crossing London:

10 minutes at each "main line" station (the same as if you were changing between two NR trains there, Warrington-Euston-Wembley Central for example)
plus 23 minutes for Euston-Charing Cross or 28 mins for London Bridge (the times you found on the NR site), which allows for the additional walking time to and from the tube, the travel time and waiting time.

So Euston arrival platform to Charing Cross main line station entrance allows you 33 minutes, then another 10 minutes to find your train. This is pretty generous (even from coach A at the back of your Virgin Pendolino!) and you might well make the 1445 as you suggest.

BTW - follow signs for Northern Line: Charing Cross Branch - Southbound, and any train will take you to Charing Cross.

PS Why NR thinks the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line only runs every 15 minutes, I haven't the foggiest.

PPS In the worst case scenario, if BOTH branches of the Northern line are disrupted, you have a third option: take any Victoria line train southbound to Oxford Circus, walk about 20m through a passageway (it's about in the middle of the platform IIRC) and straight on to the Bakerloo line southbound to Charing Cross. Takes about a minute longer than the direct route! But you shouldn't need to worry about that....

Thank you again for the generous amount of information, and for putting in a little research. I think (hope) we are as ready for the journey now as we can be.

 

[island]

Probably over-prepared if anything

 

[KeeperTony43]

New Update. Just letting all of the kind folk on here,who offered me helpful advice, know that we arrived with very little problems at all. Our journeys on the mainline trains were smooth and time flew by really quickly. The underground was a little tense with so many people around us in such a hurry and paying little heed to us and our cases, but a couple of people did help my wife with her case when i was unable to. A huge thanks to them.

We managed to also catch the 14.45 train so arrived in Hastings about 40 minutes earlier than expected.

Thank you again to everyone who done there bit to put my mind at ease regarding our journey.

 

[bb21]

Thank you for updating us. Good to know that everything went well.