Advice needed on HS1 commute from Ramsgate to London

[ljcybergal]

Hi - I'm a newbie on here, shortly moving down to Ramsgate and considering new jobs in London that could fit in with the move. For an easy life, I know I'll have to pay for a "Plus High Speed" season ticket. But I think I could only consider the commute into and back from London if I knew that the money I was paying would mean a comfortable journey with a 99% certainty of an HS1 seat.

If I accept a job in, say, Canary Wharf, I would need to get off at Stratford Int'l, walk through to Stratford, then get the Jubilee Line to CW. So far, so good, I reckon a max. 2-hr journey, with a guaranteed seat from Ramsgate. But going back at the end of the day, if I went back to Stratford Int'l, I'm guessing that a) the train doesn't stop for very long, and more importantly b) it will probably be full and possibly there will be no seats? If so, then really I'd need to get to St. Pancras for the journey home, which would add more time to the return commute, and I'm not sure that would be worth it.

Can anyone with experience of this route please advise? Would I be better off holding out for a job based around the St. Pancras area, or at least closer to St. Pancras? Or is Canary Wharf still a good location?

Thanks in advance

 

[gdale1]

Have travelled this route many times but only for leisure not commuting. I've never had a problem getting a seat from Ramsgate to St Pancras the train usually gets busy at Ashford. The return journey is usually pretty full leaving St Pancras if travelling in rush hour so I'm not sure if a seat would be available at Stratford international. Hope this helps.

 

[RJ]

I used to commute from Canterbury to St Pancras (and on to Blackfriars) in 2013. I had a season ticket to cover the journey, though only for a fraction of the price Southeastern have set the fare at. The easy life element wasn't as much as a priority for me, although I never once had any issues with it on board or when showing barrier staff.

I used to get the 07:18 or 07:50 from Canterbury into London. I got the same seat every morning, in the leading carriage with extra legroom. It got busier from Ashford, sometimes with a few standees. I would take the 17:42 or 18:12 service from St Pancras back to Canterbury. There were always plenty of seats upon departure from St Pancras, though probably not any vacant double seats left by departure time. The journeys were generally pleasant and the trains were reliable.

The train wouldn't stop for very long at Stratford, but it's entirely possible to walk through the train to find a seat. I rarely, if ever saw any standees on the service after Stratford. I wouldn't have thought there'd be any need to avoid boarding here.

As for what to do in London, it depends on how happy you are with using the Underground. Personally I try to avoid it where possible, especially at peak times.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It depends what ticket you go for as to what you can do.

A Ramsgate to Zones 1-6 Travelcard (inc HS) is £170pw.
A Ramsgate to Stratford International (inc HS) is £152pw.
A Ramsgate to London Terminals (inc HS) is £153pw.

If you're travelling to Canary Wharf, it's relatively easy: DLR from International then change to Jubilee Line at Stratford, West Ham or Canning Town (West Ham will be shortest walk).

Even if you're only intending to go to Stratford then I'd probably still get the London Terminals ticket. The Travelcard is valid on the tube as well as on the train.

 

[Clip]

It depends what ticket you go for as to what you can do.

A Ramsgate to Zones 1-6 Travelcard (inc HS) is £170pw.
A Ramsgate to Stratford International (inc HS) is £152pw.
A Ramsgate to London Terminals (inc HS) is £153pw.

If you're travelling to Canary Wharf, it's relatively easy: DLR from International then change to Jubilee Line at Stratford, West Ham or Canning Town (West Ham will be shortest walk).

Even if you're only intending to go to Stratford then I'd probably still get the London Terminals ticket. The Travelcard is valid on the tube as well as on the train.

Or you just walk up to the high level platforms at Stratford for the DLR into Canary Wharf

 

[button_boxer]

A Ramsgate to Zones 1-6 Travelcard (inc HS) is £170pw.

If you're changing at Stratford Intl (zone 3) onto the DLR for Canary Wharf (zone 2) then you don't need zone 1, so you could go for a Ramsgate to Zones 2-6 Travelcard (inc HS) at £164.30 instead.