On 17 Feb 2007 05:17:23 -0800, "martin j"
wrote:

Wonder if anyone here can shed some light on this.
My colleague was checking both TFL's travel planner and National
Rail's website for transfer times for a Saturday AM between the above-
mentioned stations. TFL were pretty optimistic, quoting just over 20
mins, using Jubilee to Baker Street, then Bakerloo.
National Rail seemed to have very little faith in London Underground's
services and quoted 1 hour. No detail could be found for which route
their webiste might have determined.
We decided after some discussion, that a midpoint between the 2 times
was probably the most realistic. I'm just surprised there was such a
disparity.
Any comments/suggestions?

A basic "rule" of calculation is count the gaps between stations and
multiply by 2 minutes. Add 5 minutes for an interchange although Baker
St is a cross platform interchange for Jubilee to Bakerloo so can be
done in about a minute if you alight beside a connecting corridor
between the platforms. This gives about a time of 33 minutes or so. Note
that travelling early or late means the interval between trains can be
as much as 10 minutes for some lines in the central area to some
destinations and much longer out in the suburbs. There is also no
allowance in the above for any delays and unfortunately they do happen
but it has hard to insert a time allowance for those unless you are
aware a line has problems before you set off and then you can allow more
time or choose a different route. I'd probably give myself between
35-40 mins to make your trip unless it was at 7am Sat or so and then I'd
add 10 minutes on.

Note that the above does NOT allow for time to enter the tube station,
reach the platforms and do the reverse at the other end. Nor does it
allow for time from getting off one NR train and finding your next one.
I usually allow at least 5 minutes for entry and exit at tube stations
unless I know the internal layout and can position myself for the
fastest route possible. For your trip I would allow at least 8 minutes
as London Bridge and Paddington are big, complex stations and if you are
unfamiliar with them or have luggage or have people "in tow" you need to
allow more time to follow the signs.

NR will always hedge the time as they cannot know how encumbered you are
or how physically fit. A reasonably fit person with perhaps one light
bag can do a cross London transfer in less than an hour but others may
not be able to do so. They therefore include a safety margin.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!