Tube geek (41)Out of station interchanges
The tube map includes several blobby interchanges where you can change trains. At some of these you wander around inside the station itself, whereas at others you have to leave and head somewhere else. It's these out of station interchanges I'm interested in today. How far out of station are they? I've been busy with a stopwatch to find out. Please note: All of these times are from gateline to gateline, because that's easily defined. I tried walking these connections on a Sunday, so there wasn't much traffic around and crossing roads didn't hold me up. I walk fairly fast and I always walk up escalators. Consider these minimum interchange times - you'd probably take longer.
White City → Wood Lane (2m30) An easy stroll links these two stations, walking past the main entrance to BBC Television Centre. You'll be pleased to hear that Auntie's lair hasn't imploded yet. Hammersmith → Hammersmith (1m30) This non-trivial interchange requires walking through a shopping centre and crossing two main roads. I was amazed it was possible in as little as 90 seconds. Paddington → Paddington (3m45) Reaching the H&C line platforms from the rest of the underground station requires walking along platform 9. It's appallingly signposted. West Hampstead → West Hampstead (1m) An absolute doddle crossing the road to the Overground - the shortest of all the out of station interchanges I attempted. Bank → Monument (4m30) You're not supposed to do this at street level, but it might be worth considering because the escalator trek (from Central line platform to District line platform) took me 5 minutes underground. Tower Hill → Tower Gateway (2m5) If you can dodge the tourists, it's only a couple of minutes from the District line ticket hall and up the DLR escalator. Bow Road → Bow Church (3m10) I'm forever having to give directions to lost souls attempting to follow this one, but it's fairly quick if you know what you're doing. Canary Wharf → Canary Wharf (3m20) This includes the walk up the mega escalator out of the Jubilee line station and past the foot of the Canary Wharf tower... Canary Wharf → Heron Quays (2m30) ...but this route to the DLR is quicker (even if the service at the DLR end isn't quite as good). North Greenwich → Dangleway North Greenwich (5m) The slowest out-of-station interchange on the tube map. Because the cablecar isn't an integrated part of the transport network, it's a tourist attraction.
But hang on, there are also several out of station interchanges that are jolly convenient but don't appear on the tube map. I've timed a few of these too. Perhaps they should be more widely advertised. Euston → Euston Square (5m) From tube gateline to tube gateline is five minutes, whereas from the mainline ticket hall to Euston Square is one minute quicker. Aldgate East → Aldgate (3m20) It means crossing the gyratory, but this is a straight easy run at street level. Tower Hill → Fenchurch Street (1m35) This is much quicker than you probably think it is, using the entrance at the eastern end of the c2c terminus. Edgware Road → Edgware Road (2m35) They may be two completely different stations with the same name, separated by the Westway, but they're really quite close. Bayswater → Queensway (2m15) Famously these two stations are both on the same street, not far apart. Having to use lifts down to the platforms would slow down the interchange, though. Paddington → Lancaster Gate (7m) It requires some nous to follow, but this walk is one of the fastest routes from Paddington to the Central line. Park Royal → Hanger Lane (7m40) A bleak yomp alongside Western Avenue connects the Piccadilly and Central lines in the depths of zone 3. Northwick Park → Kenton (5m10) A useful suburban link between Metropolitan and Bakerloo which, in terms of time taken, is on much the same scale as Bank-Monument.
Tube geek (41) Out of station interchanges
