The Anonymous Widower

Victoria Line Delay

Yesterday, I left Selfridges about five with the intention of getting to Blackhorse Road by five-thirty and home in time to see England play South Africa in the Twenty20 World Cup.

But I hadn’t bargained on the signalling problems that happened at Seven Sisters, that effectively meant that no trains could run through.

Now one of the things that works on public transport in London is that there are a lot of different ways to get from A to C, even if doesn’t mean going by B.

Eventually we gave up at Euston, where we had sat for about five minutes.  The driver had told us to try to find alternative routes, but to get to the further parts of the Victoria Line is not easy.  Especially as the Circle Line to Liverpool Street was shut as it was being upgraded.  Why Liverpool Street? You can get a Chingford train to St. James Street in Walthamstow.

I was talking to an Aussie, who wanted to get to Pickett’s Lock, where he had planted his tent for about three pounds a day.  That must be the cheapest bed in London, although these days it must be pretty cold.  But then he was going walking near Inverness and was wearing shorts on quite a cold day. I was actually wearing a T-shirt under my shirt!

So we legged it and immediately caught a Northern Line train to Kings Cross St. Pancras. A long walk through that station brought us to the Piccadilly Line, where we immediately caught a train towards Finsbury Park, where the aim was to see if we could get a bus towards Seven Sisters and Blackhorse Road. Or in fact rejoin the Victoria Line, but that now not running at all.

It was there that I made my first mistake.  All the world and his wife seemed to have the same idea and masses were scrambling towards the exit and the buses.

So it was back down to the Piccadilly Line and back on the next train to Manor House.

We were in luck and a few minutes later we were on a 279 bus to Tottenham Hale for myself and all the way to Edmonton Green for my travelling companion.  He would be exactly where he wanted to be and I would be a short bus ride away from the Lotus Elan at Blackhorse Road. Note that buses are so much better today, now that they actually tell you where they are going!

It was all very complicated, but at least I had a someone pleasant to talk to.  I arrived about forty minutes later than I would have done directly by tube.

Incidentally, one thing that was very good was the attitude of London Transport staff.  My companion’s tickets didn’t work the barriers as his was just a simple return, but they just waved him through.

The whole journey could have been one hell of a lot worse!

May 9, 2010 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Buses, London, London Underground, Trains, Victoria Line