Quickest route from Kings Cross to Paddington

[endecotp]

Dear Experts,

What's the quickest way to get from Kings Cross to Paddington mainline platforms?

Options include Hammersmith & City (but that involves quite a long walk at the Paddington end, right?)
Or Circle Line, changing at Edgeware Road (quicker at Paddington, right?)
Or, some journey planners are suggesting Kings Cross to Farringdon and then Elizabeth Line; I've never used the Elizabeth Line at Paddington so I don't know what the connection is like.

I'm inclined to get on the first Westbound train at Kings Cross St Pancras and see what happens.

(As you can guess I'm attempting a fairly tight connection, to Reading.)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'd get the Hammersmith train - it's not a long walk at Paddington if you use the central footbridge instead of walking to the concourse.

If you change at Edgware Road, you'll probably actually take longer; it's not much shorter from the Praed Street station to the concourse than the distance from the Bishop's Road station to the central footbridge... and you'll be on the wrong side at Praed Street, so will have to use a narrow footbridge, probably crowded... slowing you down further...

King's Cross to Farringdon then Elizabeth Line will probably take longer overall than the Hammersmith train.

 

[endecotp]

it's not a long walk at Paddington if you use the central footbridge

Thanks. Any suggestion what I should look for as I get off the H&C train?

 

[jfollows]

Thanks. Any suggestion what I should look for as I get off the H&C train?

Steps up to the footbridge, you can’t miss them. Something like one third of the train length from the back of the train from memory.

 

[Harpo]

Victoria line to Bakerloo line, both fast and frequent.

No long waits while a string of Met lines go through, no festers at Baker Street or Edgware Road, and out into the useful end of Paddington station.

But then I’ve always hated the circus line!

 

[endecotp]

Thanks Peter, I did it in 18 minutes from getting off the LNER to getting on the GWR.

 

[jfollows]

Thanks Peter, I did it in 18 minutes from getting off the LNER to getting on the GWR.

Which route did you take in the end?

 

[endecotp]

Which route did you take in the end?

H&C, per Peter's advice.

 

[jfollows]

H&C, per Peter's advice.

Good to know, thank you. It’s my preferred route also.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Thanks Peter, I did it in 18 minutes from getting off the LNER to getting on the GWR.

Thanks for the update... 18 minutes sounds about right.

Did you manage to make your required connection?

 

[Welly]

I remember managing to get from KX to Paddington in less than 20 mins when I really had only 20 mins connection time on my way back to boarding school back in the 1980s. I cannot remember which line I took though, it was slightly different then.

 

[Somewhere]

I remember managing to get from KX to Paddington in less than 20 mins when I really had only 20 mins connection time on my way back to boarding school back in the 1980s. I cannot remember which line I took though, it was slightly different then.

Would have been the Metropolitan Line back then. The H&C branch wasn't officially separated on publications until 1990.

 

[Thames99]

TfL's journey planner suggests Victoria to Oxford Circus and then Bakerloo as suggested above, although I always use the H&C to avoid changing and it's good to have aircon.

 

[jfollows]

TfL's journey planner suggests Victoria to Oxford Circus and then Bakerloo as suggested above, although I always use the H&C to avoid changing and it's good to have aircon.

I think if your destination is The Lawn this might be right, but if you’re heading for a train which you can reach directly from the footbridge I’d go with the H&C. There are a lot of up/down tunnels/escalators to get to/from tube lines.

 

[endecotp]

> TfL's journey planner suggests Victoria to Oxford Circus and then Bakerloo as suggested above

This is an interesting one. I always use Victoria and Bakerloo, changing at Oxford Circus, to get between Kings Cross and Waterloo, because Oxford Circus has the very quick step-free connection between those lines. But that's only if you're travelling in the same direction on both lines, isn't it? I.e. if you change from the Southbound Victoria to the Northbound Bakerloo, it's a longer connection.

 

[Harpo]

I.e. if you change from the Southbound Victoria to the Northbound Bakerloo, it's a longer connection.

I used to do Vic to Bakerloo regularly and it became just an overbridge move with no extra walking at Oxford Circus once you’d sussed the right spot on the Vic train from Euston.

Doing Vic-Bakerloo from Euston also avoids the crowds ambling around the taxi rank and walk along Euston Road. As well as the bonus of missing the awful meandering yellow line!

 

[Falcon1200]

I.e. if you change from the Southbound Victoria to the Northbound Bakerloo, it's a longer connection.

I have started doing the Green Park move when travelling between Paddington and Euston;
Bakerloo Paddington-Oxford Circus, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (southbound) to Green Park, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (northbound) to Euston.

And vice versa in the opposite direction of course.

No steps or long passageways involved!

 

[cactustwirly]

If the first train is a Hammersmith and City take that, if there is a long wait for one then take the Met line and change at Baker Street for the Bakerloo.

You can also get the Victoria and change at Oxford Circus but I always thought this was longer than the Hammersmith and City

 

[357]

I'd get a Hammersmith/Circle and ensure I'm in the right part of the train at KGX/Pad and then use the bridge to find the platform rather than the concourse

 

[cjw714]

If the first train is a Hammersmith and City take that, if there is a long wait for one then take the Met line and change at Baker Street for the Bakerloo.

You can also get the Victoria and change at Oxford Circus but I always thought this was longer than the Hammersmith and City

From Baker Street it's arguably just as quick to jump on a 205 bus.

 

[Dstock7080]

From Baker Street it's arguably just as quick to jump on a 205 bus.

while it still runs to Paddington:

Proposed changes to bus routes 30 and 205

We are proposing changes to bus routes 30, 205 and 27. By clicking on each of the buttons below, you can read more about what is proposed and how this may impact you. You can also view maps, ask questions, give feedback, and find out about other ways to get in touch and

haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk

Consultation on 205 reroute:

 

[cactustwirly]

From Baker Street it's arguably just as quick to jump on a 205 bus.

Don't you have to exit the station and walk to the bus stop, the bus may not be good for luggage anyway

 

[Watershed]

I have started doing the Green Park move when travelling between Paddington and Euston;
Bakerloo Paddington-Oxford Circus, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (southbound) to Green Park, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (northbound) to Euston.

And vice versa in the opposite direction of course.

No steps or long passageways involved!

Probably the best option if you have lots of luggage or accessibility requirements. But the walk from the southbound Victoria/Bakerloo platforms at Oxford Circus to the northbound ones really isn't far. If you position yourself correctly (at the northernmost end of the Victoria/Bakerloo line train) it can't take more than 2 or 3 mins.

 

[jfollows]

while it still runs to Paddington:

Proposed changes to bus routes 30 and 205

We are proposing changes to bus routes 30, 205 and 27. By clicking on each of the buttons below, you can read more about what is proposed and how this may impact you. You can also view maps, ask questions, give feedback, and find out about other ways to get in touch and

haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk

Consultation on 205 reroute:

Says

• Withdraw route 205 between Paddington and Baker Street station and extend to Marble Arch via Baker Street

 

[norbitonflyer]

Would have been the Metropolitan Line back then. The H&C branch wasn't officially separated on publications until 1990.

Could have been Circle - depends whether you ended up at Bishops Road or Praed Street

Dear Experts,

What's the quickest way to get from Kings Cross to Paddington mainline platforms?

Options include Hammersmith & City (but that involves quite a long walk at the Paddington end, right?)
Or Circle Line, changing at Edgeware Road (quicker at Paddington, right?)

Not really - the exit from the H&C takes you onto the footbridge which spans, (and gives access to) all the platforms, and there are ticket machines on the bridge so you do not need to trek to the main convourse ("The Lawn").

Circle Line trains from Kings Cross use the same platforms at Paddington as the H&C.

If the first train is a Hammersmith and City take that,

or a Circle - from KX they all go to the same (Bishops Road) part of Paddington

 

[furlong]

I have started doing the Green Park move when travelling between Paddington and Euston;
Bakerloo Paddington-Oxford Circus, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (southbound) to Green Park, cross platform to;
Victoria Line (northbound) to Euston.

And vice versa in the opposite direction of course.

No steps or long passageways involved!

Indeed a good step-free route I also use when I don't want to carry luggage up or down steps.

If the first train is a Hammersmith and City take that, if there is a long wait for one then take the Met line and change at Baker Street for the Bakerloo.

You can also get the Victoria and change at Oxford Circus but I always thought this was longer than the Hammersmith and City

Agreed. The Oxford Circus route normally takes longer in my experience. In the other direction though, it's more reliable if you know you've got enough time for it, whereas, while H&C/Circle is faster on a good day, it seems all too often subject to significant delays.

 

[Harpo]

Indeed a good step-free route I also use when I don't want to carry luggage up or down steps.



Agreed. The Oxford Circus route normally takes longer in my experience. In the other direction though, it's more reliable if you know you've got enough time for it, whereas, while H&C/Circle is faster on a good day, it seems all too often subject to significant delays.

In a nutshell. Reliability vs the flaky circus line, even though it used to be much, much worse.

But still today, one circle train going AWOL can mean an 11 minute WTT gap.

 

[Failed Unit]

I used to do this journey a lot pre-Elizabeth line.

I always found going from Kings Cross - Paddington, I used to take circle / Hammersmith and City. If there was a long gap I would take the met and change at Baker Street.

Going the other way, I found the quickest way was Bakerloo to Baker street and then hope a Met train was waiting once I came out escalator (which I often was lucky)

Never really did Oxford Circus, don’t recall the walk between the platforms or use it enough to make sure I was at the right door.

Now, with the various timetable changes,I prefer to use Thameslink and change at Farringdon. Heathrow is my most common destination so avoid the HeX and the faster journey are both positives (but it does seem wrong to go the wrong direction to Farringon)

 

[cactustwirly]

In a nutshell. Reliability vs the flaky circus line, even though it used to be much, much worse.

But still today, one circle train going AWOL can mean an 11 minute WTT gap.

That's when you'd take the Met line

 

[rocrat]

If I have my trainers on, it's faster to run from KGX-PAD than go all the way down and up again on the tube. Whenever I have my bike with me I *always* cycle this connection! Most cross-London connections are reasonably easy on a bike...

Obviously no use if I'm lugging a suitcase!

My preference tends to be Thameslink + Elizabeth line as the trains I usually take tend to leave from plat 1!