"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
asdf wrote:
On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:51:34 GMT, Penny Farthing wrote:
Next month I have to travel from Hackbridge to Farringdon for 2 days for
a conference. I have to be there before 9am. I have looked at the
trains and it appears I can get a Capital Connect train but they do not
seem to run direct at that time of day. It seems that I will have to
change at Tulse Hill in a 5 minute time window.
In the morning peak, First Capital Connect (FCC) services on the
Wimbledon/Sutton loop only run clockwise round the loop. Anticlockwise
services are provided by Southern to/from London Bridge.
The rest of the time, FCC run round in both directions.
For your morning journey, you could therefore still have a journey
with no changes by taking a clockwise FCC train and riding it round
the greater part of the loop, via Sutton and Wimbledon. This would
take longer (which is why the planner didn't suggest it), but on the
plus side I expect it would virtually guarantee you a seat. (Boarding
at Tulse Hill, you would likely have to stand in a crowded train until
at least Blackfriars.)
The following rail map may help the original poster understand how the
Wimbledon & Sutton loop is laid out:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system...onnections.pdf
Hackbridge station is in square N5. The blue lines are First Capital
Connect trains which run direct to Farringdon (but only clockwise via
Sutton then Wimbledon in the mornings as said), and the green lines are
the Southern trains which require a change to get to Farringdon (and
white-on-green means peak hours only).
Thank you all for your help. I really like the idea of going anti-clockwise
round the loop to avoid a change. However I cannot get any of the journey
planners to take me that way even if I include a 'via' (St Helier for
instance) so I can't work out what time train I need to get. (I need to be
in Farringdon before 8:30)
I am so dreading this journey but you guys are helping me loads so thanks a
million for your time.
To help me understand more can you confirm that the green/white line around
the loop is an anti-clockwise line
Penn xxx