• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

King's Cross to Waterloo best route?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Nick66

Member
Joined
19 Jan 2018
Messages
204
Yes - head straight down that escalator. Instead of going through the ticket barriers there, head directly straight all the way along the corridor in front of you as you step off the escalator until you reach the next ticket hall and go through the barriers there. Then there is an escalator straight down to the Vic line platforms.

That escalator is often exit (there is only one), in which case I second the advice to use the entrance just outside the mainline station. As already mentioned, don't follow the signs or you might as well walk to Waterloo
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

bluegoblin7

Established Member
Joined
10 May 2011
Messages
1,356
Location
JB/JP/JW
That escalator is often exit (there is only one), in which case I second the advice to use the entrance just outside the mainline station. As already mentioned, don't follow the signs or you might as well walk to Waterloo

Down until around lunchtime, up thereafter; it generally operates for the peak flow and is NR operated.
 

Nick66

Member
Joined
19 Jan 2018
Messages
204
Down until around lunchtime, up thereafter; it generally operates for the peak flow and is NR operated.

Makes sense. I’m usually only there PM and used to think it was exit only until I saw it going down once and now I think about it that will have been around lunchtime.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,267
Back when LU used to have those coloured lights on the passageway ceilings showing the recommended routes between mainline termini, they were never updated to show use of the Bakerloo/Victoria route via Oxford Circus. Never worked out whether that was intentional...
 

cactustwirly

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
7,447
Location
UK
I would use Green Park for this, the Bakerloo has more stops and goes slower.

Victoria <-> Jubilee at Green Park is a quick, short walk, nothing like the Piccadilly trek.

Agreed I would also use Green Park over Oxford Circus.
 

Jordeh

Member
Joined
18 Aug 2010
Messages
372
Location
London
One which hasn’t been mentioned yet is via Bank using the Waterloo & City line and Northern line.

Not the quickest or easiest route admittedly but I did enjoy it for the novelty of using the W&C line a few years ago.
 

Failed Unit

Established Member
Joined
26 Jan 2009
Messages
8,857
Location
Central Belt
When (if) Thameslink hits great northern I may try going to London Bridge and then Waterloo East. See if it is quicker.
 

RichardN

Member
Joined
29 Nov 2013
Messages
430
I think that route (changing at Green Park) is popular with the "pick the route passing the fewest stations which means it'll be the quickest" brigade.

Fewest stations is via Bank and the W&C, but is another bad choice.

If via Oxford Circus looked to be problematic due to disruption, I'd normally go via Warren Street or Leicester Square depending on the disruption.
 

Trainfan344

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2012
Messages
2,306
What's the quickest route from the main line platforms to the Victoria line?
 

Kite159

Veteran Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
19,157
Location
West of Andover
What's the quickest route from the main line platforms to the Victoria line?

At Kings Cross?

Exit the station into the square area, pass the little kiosk and there is an enterance there. Once down the stairs do a large curve with a few more steps with a gateline. Victoria is the escalators on the right hand side.
 

Trainfan344

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2012
Messages
2,306
Thanks this thread came in handy yesterday, although I got a bit confused leaving the Victoria line, walked down the long corridor and up the escalators then rather than going up the stairs there, went up the escalators.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
At Kings Cross?

Exit the station into the square area, pass the little kiosk and there is an enterance there. Once down the stairs do a large curve with a few more steps with a gateline. Victoria is the escalators on the right hand side.
I always use the staircase immediately to the right of the main station exit rather than walking across the square; this also saves you getting wet when it’s raining! On the way in, this also saves you having to cross with people coming out of the “way out” of the Tube gateline.
 

philjo

Established Member
Joined
9 Jun 2009
Messages
2,884
I would use Green Park for this, the Bakerloo has more stops and goes slower.

Victoria <-> Jubilee at Green Park is a quick, short walk, nothing like the Piccadilly trek.

If using the escalator at Green Park this is quite quick as I did Canary Wharf to Kings Cross via Green Park in about 25 minutes on Friday.

I was transferring from Waterloo to Kings Cross a couple of weeks ago with a large suitcase so was using the lifts.
There isn't lift access as far as am aware at Waterloo to the Bakerloo line so I used the lift to the Jubilee line and changed at Green Park.
It is a very long walk using the lifts to access the Victoria Line - you have to use1 lift & then through the very long corridor to almost reach the Piccadilly line then back along the long connection to the Victoria & up another lift to access the platforms. At Kings cross the Victoria Line lift then brings you out in the long corridor to the northern ticket hall. I'll use the 59 bus next time! Though as I'll be able to get a direct Thameslink train home from London Bridge from next month I'll probably go via Waterloo East & change at London Bridge.
 

backontrack

Established Member
Joined
2 Feb 2014
Messages
6,383
Location
The UK
I will echo the sentiments everyone who has recommended changing at Oxford Circus - it's a quick, snappy, cross-platform interchange.

You also have a reasonable chance of getting a seat for half of your journey - because there are sometimes free spaces on the Bakerloo Line.
 

Kite159

Veteran Member
Joined
27 Jan 2014
Messages
19,157
Location
West of Andover
It also depends which platform you want at Waterloo, as if its a high numbered platform the Bakerloo is better than the Jubilee (which is better for the low numbered platforms).
 

Peter Mugridge

Veteran Member
Joined
8 Apr 2010
Messages
14,753
Location
Epsom
I have found I can get to the low numbered ones quicker from the Bakerloo than from the Jubilee...
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
Funnily enough there's the potential for me to possibly have to do the Kings X to Waterloo journey peak time. It fills me with visions of hell on earth compared to the Met/Circle eastbound. Am I wrong?
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
12,980
It's very straightforward. If it's the morning peak then the Victoria Line at Kings Cross will be very busy but not impossible, in the evening peak you'll have no issues. It's a simple cross platform interchange at Oxford Circus. If you inbound train calls at Finsbury Park consider joining the Victoria Line there as it'll be far easier to board. If you do need to board at Kings Cross then don't follow the 'tourist route' - head to the ticket hall under the big square at the front of the station. Don't follow the signs to the new Northern ticket Hall unless you fancy a hike!
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
It's very straightforward. If it's the morning peak then the Victoria Line at Kings Cross will be very busy but not impossible, in the evening peak you'll have no issues. It's a simple cross platform interchange at Oxford Circus. If you inbound train calls at Finsbury Park consider joining the Victoria Line there as it'll be far easier to board.

I expect it'd be a little less pleasant during a summer heatwave though!
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
In the reverse direçtion, the NR serviçe I'm looking at suggests changing at Clapham Junction then changing at Vauxhall to get the Ñorthern line. Is this actually any better than the Bakerloo/Victorià mentioned?
 

Ianno87

Veteran Member
Joined
3 May 2015
Messages
15,215
In the reverse direçtion, the NR serviçe I'm looking at suggests changing at Clapham Junction then changing at Vauxhall to get the Ñorthern line. Is this actually any better than the Bakerloo/Victorià mentioned?

Not in my opinion no, assuming the Bakerloo Line is functioning.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
In the reverse direçtion, the NR serviçe I'm looking at suggests changing at Clapham Junction then changing at Vauxhall to get the Ñorthern line. Is this actually any better than the Bakerloo/Victorià mentioned?
Presumably you mean the Victoria line from Vauxhall?

It /could/ be quicker, particularly if your service has some padding/recovery time or otherwise time booked to wait for a vacant platform outside Waterloo in between its departure time from Clapham Jct and its arrival at Waterloo.

If the train is booked to call at Vauxhall then yes I would alight there without a doubt and catch a direct Victoria line train; but I find it hard to envisage that it is quicker to change at Clapham Jct onto a train calling at Vauxhall.
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
Yes I meant Victoria rather than Northern.
Thanks for the replies. Just what I was thinking too.
 

Trainfan344

Established Member
Joined
13 Oct 2012
Messages
2,306
Just be careful alighting at Kings Cross, do not go towards the front of the train northbound, as this requires a trek through miles and miles (At least it felt like Miles) of tunnels to exit from the station.
 

Muzer

Established Member
Joined
3 Feb 2012
Messages
2,773
Fewest stations is via Bank and the W&C, but is another bad choice.

If via Oxford Circus looked to be problematic due to disruption, I'd normally go via Warren Street or Leicester Square depending on the disruption.
Is it a bad choice? I haven't timed it, but I imagine *if you know where you're going* it could be quite a fast route!

@swt_passenger I'm not old enough to remember the coloured lights! Is there a photo of them?

@Mojo Is there really step-free access to the Bakerloo at Waterloo?! Where's the lift up to the platforms?
 

westv

Established Member
Joined
29 Mar 2013
Messages
4,203
Just be careful alighting at Kings Cross, do not go towards the front of the train northbound, as this requires a trek through miles and miles (At least it felt like Miles) of tunnels to exit from the station.
Thanks. I've only ever entered Kings X via the Met/H&S or Northern.
 

Dstock7080

Established Member
Joined
17 Feb 2010
Messages
2,741
Location
West London
f7wp1B
@swt_passenger I'm not old enough to remember the coloured lights! Is there a photo of them?
https://flic.kr/p/f7wp1B
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
@Mojo Is there really step-free access to the Bakerloo at Waterloo?! Where's the lift up to the platforms?
Access is to the Southbound Bakerloo only, via the Jubilee line ticket hall lifts. Go down in the lift to the interchange concourse (one above Jubilee platform level), along the walkway between the moving walkways and then you are at the bottom of the escalators from the main ticket hall. There is a ramp/corridor to the Southbound Bakerloo platform. It is just a side effect of providing access to the Jubilee line.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top