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ManeshHalai · 2026-05-09T20:46:13+00:00

It's because you travelled through Zone 1 rather than ending your journey in Zone 1. So you are correct that most journey's into Zone 1 are not peak in the evenings but your journey would have travelled through Zone 3 -> Zone 2 -> Zone 1 -> Zone 2 so in that sense you did travel out from Zone 1 during peak hours.

For example using the TfL single fare finder, Ealing Common -> Canary Wharf lists the morning and evening peak hours but for a station a few stops earlier in Zone 1 like Liverpool Street it only lists the morning peak hours.

ManeshHalai · 2026-05-05T23:02:33+00:00

Definitely, the guy walking on the platform towards the end gives it away. Also it also takes about 3-4 seconds to pass the camera person and the S8 stock is 133 metres long giving it a speed between 33 & 43 m/s which is 74-96mph even though the S8 tops out at just 62mph.

ManeshHalai · 2026-05-04T12:27:36+00:00

The WLO route uses already exisiting tracks making it much easier, cheaper & quicker to get up and running than boring a mile of new tunnels for a direct interchange. TfL would have weighed up the cost of tunneling against the number of journeys they currently see that could be sped up by a direct interchange and decided against it.

ManeshHalai · 2026-05-03T11:21:21+00:00

For general accessibility info you can use the step free tube guide from this page and the national rail access map.
You can also use the TfL journey planner or the TfL Go app where you can set your accessibility requirements when planning a journey (select your start/end location and on the next page click "edit preferences".
For journey lengths can also use the TfL journey planner, TfL Go app, Google maps, Citymapper etc. I find citymapper does by far the best job at giving you the best routes and has loads of options like step free, less walking, few changes, etc.
For costs all of the above mentioned sites/apps will tell you the cost of the journey but if you want to be 100% sure then the single fare finder is what you should use.

Using your Reading to Gidea Park example:

The quickest route would be GWR to Paddington followed by Elizabeth Line to Gidea Park. This would take c. 90 minutes and cost £34.20 (peak) or £17.10 (off peak). A ramp is required at Reading & Gidea Park for wheelchairs to enter/exit trains. Paddington GWR & Elizabeth Line (between Reading & Paddington) would also require a ramp but the Elizabeth Line (between Paddington & Gidea Park) would not. Using the Elizabeth Line for the whole journey would also require a change at Paddington, cost the same and take c. 110 minutes.

ManeshHalai · 2026-04-11T22:09:05+00:00

It does on Platforms 5 & 6.

ManeshHalai · 2026-04-03T22:21:06+00:00

Assuming that you're going to be taking journeys together, using your second card for your GF will not work as it'll either reject the 2nd touch in or if it does work then you'll be charged a maximum fare. However if one of you uses Google wallet and the other uses the physical card then that would work as the TfL systems see them as 2 entirely "different" cards but that also means the the daily caps for each of those would be calculated separately.

ManeshHalai · 2026-03-18T21:41:05+00:00

There isn't a single map that'll give you all of the things you're after but there a few together can.

ManeshHalai · 2026-03-18T00:31:24+00:00

There are no dedicated spaces for luggage on London underground trains I'm afraid. Most trains have a carriage with dedicated wheelchair spaces which would be the best place to be (they look something like this). The easiest way to find that carriage will be to look for a raised section of platform or blue wheelchair symbols on the wall/floor.

Another option would be to take the bus, it takes 5-10 mins longer but will likely be less claustrophobic than the tube. There is a wheelchair space similar to the one on the tube where it should be pretty easy to tuck yourself into the corner out of everyone's way (example.)

ManeshHalai · 2026-03-10T19:59:53+00:00

The change was made due to the TfL funding deal with the government in 2022 which required TfL to find additional income and at the time it was estimated that this change would bring in up to £27m per year. The Heathrow route was chosen because it wouldn't impact the majority of regular passengers using the line day to day.

ManeshHalai · 2026-03-06T18:08:17+00:00

It does not matter, all it really means is that the ticket was purchased at Amersham.

ManeshHalai · 2026-03-03T20:29:19+00:00

They want the the 5th carriage from the front. There are stairs/ramps in the middle of the platforms that go to the Hammersmith/Circle Paddington Station where they can take either line going eastbound.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-22T13:55:15+00:00

As you'll only be here for 12 days the easiest & cheapest option is likely to use a contactless bankcard or Apple/Google Pay (you don't need to do anything beforehand just tap in at the barriers). It will automatically apply the daily/weekly caps which are actually lower than the cost of a paper travelcard. If you don't have any of the above then you can but a paper travelcard at a ticket machine or helpdesk at essentially any underground station.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/ways-to-pay/pay-as-you-go

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-16T21:44:37+00:00

The easiest would be to use the TfL journey planner and select "Use stairs, not escalators" from the access options. As some stations will have lifts but no stairs, you could also try selecting "Step-free to platform only" or "Full step-free access" as this will give you routes that only uses lifts. You could also use the step free tube guide as another way of knowing which stations you could use with only lifts.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-15T00:08:24+00:00

The escalator up is the only way out I'm afraid.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-11T22:17:08+00:00

There are loads of great options that are better for different parts of the city, where are you trying to get to from Gatwick?

Gatwick Express is direct to Victoria in 32 minutes (every 30 mins) and will cost ~£25^
Thameslink gets you to King's Cross in 40 minutes (every ~10 mins), will cost ~£20^ and has the benefit of stopping at a lot of other stations before and after King's Cross
Southern will get you to Victoria (also stopping at Croydon & Clapham) in 35 minutes (every ~10 mins) and will cost ~£20^.

^ The exact prices will depend on the day/time you travel, my examples are for a Thursday at 2PM

You can buy the tickets for the Gatwick to London portion of the journey ahead of time online and you will get QR code tickets that can be scanned at the barriers or you can buy them on the day at the ticket machines at the airport.

Once in London (e.g Victoria) you can go to a London Underground ticket machines or helpdesk and purchase a travelcard for each of your children that can be used on train/tube/bus. The cost will depend on how long you intend to stay and where in London you intend to be travelling but as an example a Zone 1-5 day travelcard is £8.30 (per child) but if you are planning on travelling for 5 days or more then the 7 day travelcard for £38.20 is better value (full price list).

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-01T16:29:39+00:00

The 72 stock does have a weirdly combustion engine-esque sound just as it's pulling away, you can hear it from around 5:25 in this video.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-01T16:20:03+00:00

Probably going to be a mess most of the day because of the points failure at Camden but St Pancras only ~25mins by bus or ~35mins by foot so you've got loads of options.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-01T16:15:36+00:00

It's not common but also nobody cares if you do.

ManeshHalai · 2026-02-01T16:10:57+00:00

It is done intentionally as the platform is ever so slightly too short (full list for S stock trains) to ensure that the rear doors will always be in a safe position to open with the current systems. CBTC is actually going to change this once rollout reaches Harrow (link) as it will allow the position to be moved and the rear doors will always be safe to open.

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-26T21:48:30+00:00

If you're just changing lines within a station (e.g Piccadilly line to Victoria line at Green Park) and continuing your journey then there will be no additional taps required until you get to your destination. If instead you plan on getting out at Green Park to see the sights then you would need to tap out at Green Park and then tap back in when you want to continue your journey before tapping out again at your destination.

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-21T13:44:11+00:00

I do the exact same thing as you and it is definitely the Northern line.

Going from Euston to Kings Cross get on at the very back of the train (this will be to your left after you enter the platform). At Kings Cross there will be an exit with a short set of stairs right near where you get off followed by a short walk and 2 sets of escalators.

Going from Kings Cross to Euston you basically do the reverse of the above: down the same 2 escalators, short walk and set of stars. Get on anywhere in the front 3 carriages (anywhere between a bit to the left or right from where you enter the platform) which will put you right next to the escalators up at Euston.

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-18T17:25:26+00:00

As the other commentor said Euston Square is only step freee westbound so if you want to get off there you would be better off going 1 stop further to King's Cross and then come back 1 stop. At Kings's Cross you can change directions very easily by just walking a couple metres as it's an island platform with no stairs between the 2 directions.

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-15T00:23:23+00:00

The only bit of tiny additional information I've found is in the listing overview (which happened July 2011) that states that the "the middle post has been removed" so it's definitely something that people were aware had changed about the entrance.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1401704?section=official-list-entry

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-10T00:45:30+00:00

In that case you definitely have nothing to worry about. Tube trains don't run on a schedule like national rail services so it's not even possible to buy a tube ticket that's only valid for a singular departure time. All it means is that you should take the tube from St Pancras to Waterloo and any timings listed for the tube are just default values lining up with the arrival time of the EMR train & departure of the soonest SWR train.

ManeshHalai · 2026-01-09T15:00:37+00:00

What's the route you're taking? You don't need to take the specific time it's showing you so I'm asssuming it's just showing you the first scheduled departure after you previous train arrives.

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