Worst London station in rush hour

[jfisher21]

Paddington platforms 13 and 14 for me, a long walk into a dungeon!

Sometimes I don't bother with them, wait for next train from the main concourse.

 

[D6975]

That concourse does feel like a bit of an afterthought in the context of the rest of St Pancras.

St Pancras looks pretty much like a shopping mall with the platforms a rather inconvenient addon.

ps The first time I went there after the rebuild it took me a while to work out where the Thameslink platforms were.

Paddington platforms 13 and 14 for me, a long walk into a dungeon!

Sometimes I don't bother with them, wait for next train from the main concourse.

The most annoying thing is it's easy to go through the wrong gateline and then your travelcard won't operate the barriers on the correct gateline because of the software to prevent multiple passengers using the same ticket.

 

[Dr Hoo]

ps The first time I went there after the rebuild it took me a while to work out where the Thameslink platforms were.

A heck of a lot more conveniently located than the old 'King's Cross Thameslink' station on Pentonville Road is the resounding answer to that rhetorical point (quite apart from there being far better space, access snd so forth).

 

[crablab]

I'm amused Kings Cross hasn't come up - imo it's quite a good station, even in the rush hour.

Waterloo: the new international bit did make it a lot more bearable, but the connection below level to the Underground is often not open at the moment, and there is a very narrow set of stairs which I'm sure will become a bottleneck in future.

Canada Water: don't remember it being too bad, but there is not a lot of space so I can well imagine it could get very choka.

Finsbury Park: a mess. Not a lot of space and it's a bit like a scrum with everyone going in different directions.

Bank (Northern Line): not too bad, but you'll have to queue. Quite civilised usually!

 

[bramling]

I'm amused Kings Cross hasn't come up - imo it's quite a good station, even in the rush hour.

Waterloo: the new international bit did make it a lot more bearable, but the connection below level to the Underground is often not open at the moment, and there is a very narrow set of stairs which I'm sure will become a bottleneck in future.

Canada Water: don't remember it being too bad, but there is not a lot of space so I can well imagine it could get very choka.

Finsbury Park: a mess. Not a lot of space and it's a bit like a scrum with everyone going in different directions.

Bank (Northern Line): not too bad, but you'll have to queue. Quite civilised usually!

The Northern Line at Bank is hurrendous. First there’s the problem that the stairwells are on the ends of the platforms, with the main means of access being those at the north end. Then secondly the platforms are a walking route between other parts of the station, so you have people on the platforms who aren’t actually using the Northern Line. Thirdly the nature of the Northern Line means there’s multiple different northbound destinations during the evening peak (as well at Edgware and High Barnet there’s also Mill Hill East trains, plus some which terminate at Finchley Central or Golders Green), so there’s people waiting who won’t be taking the first (or even second or third) train.

These three factors cause serious crowding on the narrow platforms, and this in turn makes train despatch extremely hazardous - especially as the critical doors are those at the extreme ends of the train.

Fortunately it’s not too long to wait before the new southbound platform arrives, which should address a substantial amount of all this.

 

[crablab]

Maybe I remember it with rosy eyes, given it's not a scene we're likely to see for a long time...!

 

[BeijingDave]

Waterloo might have a lot of people, but it's massive.

Another vote for the Euston free-for-all.

 

[Kilopylae]

East Croydon is pretty bleak. Not a short walk from the trams to the northbound platform, always crowded and full of people shoving - and all that's without getting into the fact that there are interchangers and quite a few contraflow passengers in addition to people coming in from Croydon, and that Victoria and Thameslink passengers have to share a northbound platform.

 

[paok]

Highbury & Islington. Especially during the perfect storm at peak evening hours when Arsenal are playing at home and trains on the Underground, Overground and North London Line all pull in at the same time. Only one exit up from the deep level lines. That station is dire need of better access.