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Sutton teenagers' tube stop challenge

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GodAtum

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Congrats to these boys!

Teenagers have gone tube stopping mad and attempted to visit every station on the underground in 24 hours.

Alex Williamson, 17, from Sutton and Sam Coop, 18, from Croydon got back home during the earlier hours of Thursday morning (February 16) filthy and tired.

The pair had been out for 22 hours and spent 19 hours and 25minutes travelling along the London Underground as part of the Tube Challenge.

The idea behind the challenge is that participants try to pass through all the stations in the quickest time possible.

After beginning at Upminster in Essex at 5.09am on Wednesday, the boys managed to jump in and out and get their pictures taken in front of 259 stations before they finished at Heathrow Terminal Four at 12.45am on Thursday morning.

The challenge was all part of raising money for Project India, a trip with their school, Overton Grange to Southern India in the summer.

Those taking part will be able to participate in building projects and will have the opportunity to teach in a local blind and deaf school or assist the local hospital.

Alex was desperately trying to think of ways to do a challenge and get people fundraising when he stumbled across the Tube Challenge and got his friend Sam to do it with him.

They worked out before hand what was the most efficient route to take and spent weeks preparing maps for their challenge.

However during the challenge, Alex fell over in Loughton and the pair lost the maps they had made.

He said the next day: "I’m surviving; it’s a bit of a trek I must admit.

He said they were filthy at the end of the challenge and had dirt up their fingernails but they never had to wait more than five to ten minutes for a tube.

They used their student Oyster Cards which charged them about £21.50 and Alex estimates he has raised about £400.

For more information about Project India visit overtongrange.sutton.sch.uk/Project%20India.

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/9551167.Teenagers__tube_stop_challenge/?ref=mr
 
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tsr

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Those are some interesting start and finish points. I know Amersham and Chesham are popular as well.

I must do this some time, but I don't know if I'd beat their 19 hours 25 minutes time - that sounds impressive to me.

It's very good that they have raised money for charity, too.
 

Clip

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congrats to them.. Id never do it in that time.
 

Ivo

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Sorry to put a dampener on the whole thing - but actually, 19h25 isn't that quick.

Part of the problem with finishing at Heathrow is the multitude of other connections it has. Heathrow is no more difficult than Edgware - a ten minute bus ride from Canons Park. I know that it is a fairly popular choice though.
 

tsr

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Sorry to put a dampener on the whole thing - but actually, 19h25 isn't that quick.

Part of the problem with finishing at Heathrow is the multitude of other connections it has. Heathrow is no more difficult than Edgware - a ten minute bus ride from Canons Park. I know that it is a fairly popular choice though.

To answer your first point: I wasn't saying it's a record, but I doubt I'd get it done in that time!

To answer your second point: doesn't that make it easier to get home afterwards? I can imagine that it would be rather more hassle to get from Amersham (for example) to Croydon in the early hours of the morning, or to wait there, spending money on accommodation, or facing a long and possibly cold and rather dull wait at the station. Having said that, I take your point that Heathrow would be better as an "en-route" destination, since you could get back into the system more easily.

Does anyone think you could do this if all the various extensions to the Underground were still open? E.g. the Brill Tramway.
 

Brucey

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Did the daily cap work properly?



Probably. I assume they were charged a few maximum fares for exceeding the maximum journey time. I also assume they doubled back without touching in/out at the end of lines. Not sure why they didn't buy a Travelcard?
 

ert47

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Sorry to put a dampener on the whole thing - but actually, 19h25 isn't that quick.

Part of the problem with finishing at Heathrow is the multitude of other connections it has. Heathrow is no more difficult than Edgware - a ten minute bus ride from Canons Park. I know that it is a fairly popular choice though.

There is a bus service that goes from Heathrow to Croydon and it conveniently goes through Sutton as well, so it helps both of them.
 
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well being the record holder i can bring up the following points its not a particulary fast time and i did take someone walking pace around network in 19.5 hours so it is possible to do at a slow pace.
 
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