Excessive cross-London time between Stratford and Waterloo

[miklcct]

The official transfer time between Stratford and Waterloo is 38 minutes, on top of 7 minutes at Stratford and 15 minutes at Waterloo, 60 minutes in total.

I took a train into Stratford with scheduled arrival 15:39, so the first legal connection to Southampton would be 17:05, with the 16:35 just fell foul of the connection by 4 minutes.

The train arrived Stratford at 15:36. However, despite I had no idea about the station layout, made a long walk slowly through the long way to the Jubilee line under confusing signage as I was so tired after racing, spent some time to find an Oyster reader (I'm not using a through ticket) and missed a Jubilee line train, I got to Waterloo station concourse at 16:09, just 33 minutes after leaving the train. I boarded the tube at 15:45 and alighted at 16:04, with the tube journey taking 19 minutes. A commuter familiar with the station layout should be able to make the connection within 30 minutes.

The fixed link shows 38 minutes for a tube journey taking only 19 minutes. This doesn't happen for most other tube connections where the transfer time, before adding the station interchange times, is a reasonable estimate of the tube journey time.

Stratford and Waterloo is the quickest connection between South West Main Line and Great Eastern Main Line due to direct Jubilee line connection. Why does the fixed link have excessive transfer time here?

 

[StephenHunter]

Are you a fast walker?

 

[zwk500]

I assume 14.36 is a typo?

The connection time will allow for people who need lifts/mobility assistance or similar. It's perfectly possible to cut the time down if you are mobile and have little luggage. As a familiar user I've regularly caught earlier trains when transferring from King's Cross or Euston to Victoria even with a considerable amount of baggage.

 

[a_c_skinner]

I used to do Euston to Victoria from time to time, it usually took half the time allowed.

 

[miklcct]

I assume 14.36 is a typo?

The connection time will allow for people who need lifts/mobility assistance or similar. It's perfectly possible to cut the time down if you are mobile and have little luggage. As a familiar user I've regularly caught earlier trains when transferring from King's Cross or Euston to Victoria even with a considerable amount of baggage.

The official time between Victoria and St Pancras is just 11 minutes before adding station times - this is not much more than the Underground timetable (8 minutes).

 

[Watershed]

This does seem an excessive cross-London transfer allowance. Most of the others are on the tight side, if anything (though compensated for by the generally excessive 15 minumum connection time at most London termini). I suppose there's no harm in contacting RDG (who I think are in charge of this data) and asking them to consider revising it. Perhaps @SargeNpton may be able to assist?

 

[30907]

This does seem an excessive cross-London transfer allowance. Most of the others are on the tight side, if anything (though compensated for by the generally excessive 15 minumum connection time at most London termini). I suppose there's no harm in contacting RDG (who I think are in charge of this data) and asking them to consider revising it. Perhaps @SargeNpton may be able to assist?

I wonder if the time assumes pre-Jubilee routings, ie via Liverpool St (and not relying on the Drain - sorry Waterloo and City). I agree it is over-long by perhaps 10min.

 

[boiledbeans2]

This reminds me of something which has been bugging me for a long time...

At Waterloo Jubilee line ticket barriers, i.e., the one next to McDonalds, as you cross the ticket barriers into LU territory, there is a gigantic poster to the left, above the LU ticket machines.

The poster lists the tourist destinations on each station of the Jubilee line, and the time to get there, e.g. "Emirates Cable Car. North Greenwich. 20 min**"

So the further away from Waterloo, the time increases, so naturally, the time to get to North Greenwich takes longer than London Bridge on the poster.
But at Stratford, the time to get there suddenly drops, to 10 min**. I've always wondered, is there a shortcut to get to Stratford? Even using the Drain and Central would take a similar time to Jubilee.

** The time is made-up. I can't remember the exact time on the poster.

 

[SargeNpton]

This does seem an excessive cross-London transfer allowance. Most of the others are on the tight side, if anything (though compensated for by the generally excessive 15 minumum connection time at most London termini). I suppose there's no harm in contacting RDG (who I think are in charge of this data) and asking them to consider revising it. Perhaps @SargeNpton may be able to assist?

Most fixed-links err on the side of caution, to allow sufficient time for those may may be less mobile, may have heavy luggage, or may have small children in tow.

 

[Watershed]

Most fixed-links err on the side of caution, to allow sufficient time for those may may be less mobile, may have heavy luggage, or may have small children in tow.

Indeed, but such allowances are generally included within the minimum interchange, which at 15 minutes is clearly 'padded'. The fixed link time is generally tighter, indeed in some cases unachievably so. With the Jubilee offering a direct link with a journey time of 20 minutes and a frequency of approximately every 3 minutes, 38 minutes is clearly excessive. Even if you missed two trains due to overcrowding it wouldn't take you that long.

 

[mangyiscute]

Yeah they allow so much time, done paddington to Victoria in 18 mins before since my train was late to paddington, or also kings cross to paddington also in 18 mins