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Post by sawb on Apr 7, 2014 16:33:19 GMT
I have a friend who is visiting London from Nottinghamshire in a few weeks time. Due to health problems, she's not allowed to use the underground. Whilst she's in London, she will need to travel from Liverpool Street station to the Queen's Theatre (Leicester Square one) during the evening rush hour. Obvious non-tube route is 242 bus from Liverpool Street to Tottenham Court Road station then walk. The question I have is, does anyone know how long the 242 takes at rush hour to do that stretch please, roughly?
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Post by superteacher on Apr 7, 2014 16:46:45 GMT
You should probably allow 25 mins or so.
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Post by grahamhewett on Apr 7, 2014 16:53:32 GMT
sawb - the current 242 timetable shows a 30 minute peak hour journey time from LST to St Giles Circus, Denmark Street, so, allowing for a bus every 7-8 minutes, at least 40 minutes - say at least 45 to give a little margin. Personally, I'd allow even longer given the erratic nature of bus timekeeping and the scope for unexpected traffic jams.
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Post by snoggle on Apr 7, 2014 18:02:06 GMT
The 242's latest timetable is here. Timings suggest a run time of 35-40 minutes. Note that the end stop at TCR station (stop S) is also shared by routes 24, 29 and 176 all of which run down Charing Cross Road and will drop your friend at Leicester Square Station. They all run frequently so your friend should not have to wait long. The journey time is about 5 minutes assuming no jams at Cambridge Circus. |
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Post by grahamhewett on Apr 7, 2014 19:07:12 GMT
snoggle - I had only downloaded up the timetables to the end of March! Interesting that things have got that much worse since the December 2012 version.
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Post by snoggle on Apr 7, 2014 19:46:36 GMT
snoggle - I had only downloaded up the timetables to the end of March! Interesting that things have got that much worse since the December 2012 version. There are revised timetables for many routes serving TCR because of lane restrictions caused by Crossrail work. The 242 has had a peak frequency reduction to avoid adding buses to the PVR. There have certainly been instances in recent months when traffic problems in the TCR / Holborn area have caused the disintegration of bus services in Central London with delays of over an hour being incurred (source - TfL Bus Alerts on Twitter). |
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Post by grahamhewett on Apr 8, 2014 9:55:21 GMT
snoggle - having sat in many a bus struggling to get past S Giles and down Denmark Street, I know what you mean. I do notice, however, that the general level of bus service has become a bit toppy over the last couple of years, with a number of frequencies being stepped down a notch (not just at TCR). This month's TLB notes extended running times (and no PVR increase to offset) on the 8, 19, 28, 31, 68, 336 etc etc but frequency increases on only two routes.
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Post by norbitonflyer on Apr 8, 2014 12:51:27 GMT
The old adage "I wouldn't start from here" may be appropriate: I don't know whether Liverpool Street is a given, or how your friend gets there in the first place.
Not entirely sure where exactly you want to be - I thought the Queens Theatre was in Shaftesbury Avenue - but in any case what everyone has said about the 242 applies equally to the No 8 which shadows the 242 all the way from Liverpool Street to Centre Point.
The 23 also goes close to the Leicester Square/Shafesbury Avenue area, passing Picadilly Circus. As this route goes along the Strand, it avoids the Crossrail mayhem - although the Strand can be pretty heavy too.
If the health problems relate to escalators, the Circle Line (which is more like a "proper" railway) might be possible. Leicester Square is walkable from Embankment.
And with a bit of lateral thinking, if National Rail services are possible, the Journey Planner suggests Shoreditch High Street to Charing Cross (via New Cross - or indeed New Cross Gate or Queens Road Peckham if you time it right) can be done in about 50 minutes - although a second change is usually necessary at London Bridge.
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