Taxi or Tube, which will be quicker?

Hedgehog99

TFL have a useful website for wheelchair access and avoiding stairs:
just go to the TFL website and search "step free".
with maps and downloadable PDFs. Useful for people with heavy wheeled suitcases too!

BillTrac

Still not leaving much time if there are any holdups or delays on the train or tube lines. I think it was either yesterday or today but there were approx 40 minutes delays between the west and London.

Your train leaves Gillingham at 0715. There are two trains before that one, is an earlier one not viable? 0612 arriving at Waterloo at 0814 and 0642 arriving at Waterloo at 0846 . Might give you a bit of breathing space.

surreysaver

BillTrac wrote: »

Still not leaving much time if there are any holdups or delays on the train or tube lines. I think it was either yesterday or today but there were approx 40 minutes delays between the west and London.

i'd agree - perfectly doable in 40 minutes - if everything goes like clockwork. 5 minute delay while your train sits outside Waterloo waiting for a platform, five minutes to get your luggage through the manual ticket barriers, 10 minutes to find your way and get your group and your luggage onto the Underground through the tail-end of rush hour. That has already eaten into half of the time you've allowed to get to St Pancras. Get an earlier train from Gillingham. If it all goes like clockwork, go for a coffee.

peachyprice

The latest check-in time is 30 mins before departure, they're not going to turn you away if you're not there an hour before just because you are a group, it might just mean you cannot all sit together if you are really late. 70 total mins is more than enough time, even if you need to find an alternative route.

Do you all have your tickets already? Check in really is just going through the ticket barrier then straight up to the platform on to the train, it's not like airport check in.

Lucy_Lastic

I understand the concerns about delays, but think I will stick to the 0715 departure. We already have our Eurostar tickets so we have seats allocated. If we arrive on time at Waterloo at 0917 then we have over an hour to get to check in at St Pancras, as you say peachy, normal check in is 30 mins before the train goes.
If we get the 0612 or 0642 from Gillingham we will arrive right in the middle of rush hour.

Altarf

Waterloo to St Pancras.

My record using the tube (via Leicester Square) was 17 minutes, train platform to platform.

yorkie2

Lucy_Lastic wrote: »

I understand the concerns about delays, but think I will stick to the 0715 departure.....

Agreed.

Assuming your ticket has been correctly issued, for example the first ticket may be issued to "London Intl (CIV)" or it may be a through ticket, then you are covered in the event of delays. You'd be entitled to take the next Eurostar service, as well as claim Delay Repay compensation.

If the first ticket was issued to "London Terminals" (which I'm guessing isn't the case, as you specified the ticket involves use of LU) or to "Zone U1 London" then technically you are not officially covered, however in practice Eurostar policy is to show discretion as long as the minimum change times were adhered to, so you'd be fine.

Lucy_Lastic

Thank you Yorkie2 that's interesting. From memory I think the ticket is issued to London Intl. I do not have it to hand at the moment to check. It is a special price ticket issued only to Eurostar ticket holders and cost a lot less than a "normal price" return ticket.

On that note, did anyone realise that these special price train tickets are available? I have seen nothing that advertises this concession. I only found out by accident when I was making enquiries at my local station ticket office. The guy there gave me the special price of £25.80 return. He said that price would not alter. 2 weeks later when I went to buy the tickets, a different guy who was on duty that day could only come up with a ticket for twice the price.
I went back the following day when the first guy was on duty and bought the tickets for £25.80 each.
It just goes to show that cheaper train tickets are often pot luck!

yorkie2

Lucy_Lastic wrote: »

Thank you Yorkie2 that's interesting. From memory I think the ticket is issued to London Intl. I do not have it to hand at the moment to check. It is a special price ticket issued only to Eurostar ticket holders and cost a lot less than a "normal price" return ticket.[/quoute]
That's the one! Absolutely no point going earlier as you are covered in the event of delay.

Lucy_Lastic wrote: »

On that note, did anyone realise that these special price train tickets are available? I have seen nothing that advertises this concession. I only found out by accident when I was making enquiries at my local station ticket office. The guy there gave me the special price of £25.80 return. He said that price would not alter. 2 weeks later when I went to buy the tickets, a different guy who was on duty that day could only come up with a ticket for twice the price.
I went back the following day when the first guy was on duty and bought the tickets for £25.80 each.
It just goes to show that cheaper train tickets are often pot luck!

A competent booking clerk would either know, or be able to find out, so quite not all of them sadly! Glad to hear you got good service. You'd be unlikely to get that at a London Overground ticket office.

Lucy_Lastic

yorkie2

All went well last week. We arrived at St Pancras in plenty of time for the Eurostar, all trains were on time. The tube was not too crowded (unlike Saturday when we came back!). We changed at Oxford Circus and that was great, just crossing over from one platform to the other. My friends were well impressed with that one - thank you again.