London Tube

[coccinelle]

I'm coming into St Pancras by eurostar and need to get to Liverpool Street. Where do I get a ticket from? Can I get a return to use two days later?

[rockyracoon]

Ticket machines a the tube station will sell you a ticket, most take notes and give change. Not sure if you can buy a return for 2 days later, I'd say not but someone may well correct me. I'll have a look on tfl website.

[MarkRae]

I don't believe you can...

[dzug2]

The tube doesn't sell return tickets - only singles. You can buy them in the tube station at machines. There's also a manned ticket office

The ticket office and some machines also take cards.

You can also make the journey for half the price by bus - there's the 205 and maybe others. Buy ticket from a machine at the stop before boarding - coins only, no change given.

[rockyracoon]

It's £4.30 single from Kings Cross to Liverpool St, don't know how many of you are coming but it may be cheaper to jump in a cab. Does your Eurostar ticket not give any advise re onward travel in London?

[rowanwitch]

Are you likely to travel much by public transport during your stay? if so buy an oyster card as you can use it on buses and tube and it doesn't expire

[coccinelle]

Thank you for your replies. I can't believe it can cost £4.30 to go three stops!! I have 40 minutes between King's cross and Liverpool Street and I need to pick up my train ticket at Liverpool Street so don't think the bus is an option. My eurostar ticket is booked from Paris to London, no mention of onward journey maybe I should have stated that when I booked online?
Just going through London so no need for a card.

[buildersmate]

£4.30p is the standard cost of a Zone 1 and 2 cash payment single ticket on LU. You can buy one stop for that, or from the extremity of zone 2 on either side of the centre - a distance of perhaps 10 miles.

[dzug2]

The bus takes about half an hour so that would be pushing it

Is your ticket at Liverpool Street a flexible one? 40 minutes from St Pancras is well under the recommended connection time (about an hour), though plently of time if nothing goes wrong.

The £4.30 is a flat fare for zones 1-3 - you could travel quite a lot further for the same price

[MarkRae]

Do you have an open-ended ticket from Liverpool Street? I take the Eurostar quite regularly and, in my experience, it's invariably anything from a few minutes to half an hour late getting into St Pancras. Forty minutes sounds like plenty of time to travel three stops, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it wasn't. Even if the train gets in on time, it can take anything up to a quarter of an hour to actually get out of the terminal building. Then you have a fair old trek to get to the Circle / Metropolitan line platform through the maze of tunnels that is now Kings Cross / St Pancras. Then, of course, that whole length of track is undergoing extensive renovation work at the moment - you're not <shudders> travelling on a weekend, are you?

Not forgetting the ongoing Paris Nord extension...

[coccinelle]

Well, thanks for that both of you. I am travelling on a weekend Mark so I think I'll be looking at getting the next train which leaves an hour later... Though I stated the time of train I wanted with National Express, it's an off-peak return ticket so I shouldn't have a problem using that ticket (which i pick up at Liverpool Street) to get the next train, should I?? No seat was reserved.
I'm now wondering if my return train which will get me into Liverpool Street 90 minutes before the eurostar leaves, is OK...??? Is 10.15am on a Monday considered off-peak?

[rockyracoon]

10.15am is off peak, any time after 9.30 am is. Enjoy your trip.

[emmie]

two buses take you to liverpool street if interested, 205, 214, both go from directly outside Kings cross station, which is just a few minutes walk from St Pancras station. One thing to remember with buses is that the ticket machines are by the bus stop and only take correct change, apologies not sure how much it is now but guess 2 quid single journey. Drops you right at liverpool street station.

[rowanwitch]

£2.30 per journey now I think at least thats what it cost on monday (flat fare)

[emmie]

rowan, i looked it up, and you are right 2.30 single journey, quite frankly if loaded up, i would take a cab.

[coccinelle]

Which do you think will be quicker, the tube or the bus? Taking into consideration the corridors Mark mentions to get to the Met. or Circle platform? And it will be Saturday afternoon.

[rockyracoon]

Tube but check tfl website for planned works

[coccinelle]

I won't be loaded up just a 'hand-luggage' case and I'm on my own. How much could a cab be?

[emmie]

i reckon your best bet is a taxi, because there are long walks on the tube lines, one of the reasons i dislike using the tube, and the bus can be snarled up in traffic, having had that displeasure endless times.

[emmie]

if its weekend check with tfl, as there are any number of lines that are out, or curtailed because of engineering works.

[emmie]

been a while but bank on a tenner, perhaps someone has used one a bit more recently?