Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Calling Londoners train stations help
  • juan
    Free Member

    Hello

    going to ‘the greatest city on earth TM’ in october.
    We have booked tickets for the harry potter studio.
    To travel there we will need to take the trainfrom Kengsington Olympia station to Watford junction.
    The service is operated by th southern rail. IIRC to get good fares I need to book my ticket in advance.
    Now my question is how reliable the line is? is it a line that is regularly late? Should I plan to get there a lot in advance?
    Is it a crowded line?
    Any help very appreciated.

    Cheers

    Juan

    howsyourdad1
    Free Member

    well it’s both southern services and overground IIRC Take the overground, it’s pretty damn good if you ask me.  should take 30 mins or so plus a bit of walking either end.

    If you travel at rush hour it will be busy, but London is always busy. Haven’t lived there for 8 years now so it may be MENTAL

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

     IIRC to get good fares I need to book my ticket in advance.

    It’s in an zone (one of the higher ones), the fare is either off peak or peak. You can use contactless.

    Overground should be be cheaper than Southern for off-peak (regulated fare).

    Check on TfL website for prices. You can also check on the day for any disruptions. Or, download Citymapper to your phone which has a real-time feed.

    Plan for it to take an hour or so.

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    martinhutch
    Full Member

    going to ‘the greatest city on earth TM’ in october.

    October, you say?

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    Southern run an hourly service from Olympia to Watford direct, or you can get the Overground to Willesden Junction and then change there for an Overground Watford train.
    Soputhern is less frequent, but quicker and direct.
    Overground much more frequent, but slower, plus it requires a platform change at Willesden (allow 5 minutes).
    I’d suggest just purchasing a day return when you arrive at Olympian and then if southern is screwed up you can just get the overground instead. It may cost a bit more, but theres much more flexibility if it goes wrong.

    maccyb
    Free Member

    London Overground for sure, change at Willesden Junction, should only be £2.90 off peak! I wouldn’t really expect any issues at all – it would be busy at commuter rush hour but if you can avoid that it should be fine.

    juan
    Free Member

    well the trip has been book about 6 months ago lol so yeah didn’t planned for any riot.

    sillysilly
    Free Member

    Line is usually fine with alternate routes available in a bind. Worth using Citymapper App in London to help reroute in real-time if you need it.

    toby1
    Full Member

    Is there a bus service put on from Watford junction to the Studios? I’m pretty sure there is, otherwise, the 2 are not exactly close to one another!

    I grew up in Watford, we didn’t have any tourist industry back then, it’s like a whole new world now, I still hate it.

    juan
    Free Member

    toby1 google maps says the bus number 8 will link the studio to the station
    And a Uber is only 8-10£ which by then will probably be between 2-3€ LOL

    oikeith
    Full Member

    OP you want to download the citymapper app and use that to navigate, using it I have had no issues when I’ve visited the capital, covers all modes of transport and is really easy to use.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Looks like there’s a shuttle from the station, probably easier than taking a public bus ( I assume it goes to the WB door).

    https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/getting-here

    neilthewheel
    Full Member

    Mornington Crescent!

    toby1
    Full Member

    Thanks Jim. @Juan, I think there is a free connecting bus, so you won’t even need to spend any of our worthless currency by then 😉

    howsyourdad1
    Free Member
    ajaj
    Free Member

    “train from Kengsington Olympia station to Watford junction”

    I used to commute on that line (Tring to Olympia) for just over a year. I would get two or three delay repay vouchers a month.

    When it dies you rereoute via Willsden Junction. Also often terminates at Watford instead of Milton Keynes or wherever it’s supposed to go, but that won’t bother you.

    It’s frequently overcrowded. About once per week so overcrowded that I couldn’t get on to get home and had to wait for the next one. During rush hour it’s slightly less than one per hour. Lots of people will get on and off at Shepherds Bush (for Westfield and the BBC).

    The section through west London is really slow.

    Might be different outside of rush hour.

    andrewreay
    Full Member

    Ajaj +1

    Good news is that the bus is free from Watford.

    But the Southern train only runs once an hour and is frequently late or cancelled. It’s just too vulnerable to the vagaries of the various mainlines it crosses, and the switches from overhead to third rail power. Not to mention industrial action.

    And it can be mentally busy in the mornings and from mid afternoon. What time are you needing to get to Watford?

    It’s quicker and less hassle than the overground as you don’t have to change at Willesden, which is not great.

    If you’re traveling late morning to early afternoon, should be fine going direct, with the back up of the Overground if Southern don’t play ball.

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