[jellybean_]

Hello
Well I'm a student from Leicester and am going on a college trip to London in 2 weeks. I have never caught a train in my life However the trip requires that we use the underground, because we are going all over the shop - Waterloo and Knightsbridge are the only places I can remember lol.

Anyway,I feel so stupid for having to ask, but how the dickens do you catch a train? Is it worth getting an Oyster card or can you just use cash? So many questions I know the teachers will be round to help, but I don't want to look completely useless!

Again sorry for being so bloody stupid. I appreciate any genuine help

[Naami]

Firstly, it's DEFINITELY worth getting an oyster if you're in London for a couple of days. I don't think you can get a student oyster because you have to be attending a uni in London but you can get an adult oyster - it will save you a lot.

As to how to catch a train, there are maps all around the station and trains - you just have to plan your journey and know when to change trains. Make sure you know if you have to go east bound or west bound/north bound or south bound!!

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...T2?language=en

^this is very useful

Also, using the trains in London just takes a little practice. You'll get the hang of it in no time.

EDIT: If it's only one day, like other users have said - get a travelcard.

[Coloured Vanity]

Like Naami said, it's worth getting an oyster - you save a lot of money; but you'd have to be living in London to apply for a student oyster, so you'd probably be better of with an adult one.

And to catch a train all you have to do is make sure you've enough money on your oyster to make your journey, tap the card at the gates and make your way to whichever platform you want. There's maps all over the place anyway, so it's not that hard to get lost or anything. Cost varies on which zones you're traveling on.

[HeyyImRyan]

I wouldn't use an oyster if I was going for one day, unless you get one of the ones you buy in a station .


In the station...you put your ticket through the machine...or swipe your oyster...and walk through the barrier, that's all there is to it!
Then follow the signs to the right platform - use a leaflet tube map (found in all stations) to work out what line you need to be on before you enter the next station, otherwise you could end up holding people up if it's a busy one, then just follow the signs to your specific platform (eg Bakerloo Line Eastbound if you're trying to get from Marylebone to Oxford Street).

You'll be fine, just don't stand still and try and go to the far ends of platforms to guarantee there will be space for you in the carriage

[jellybean_]

Thank you for all the help everyone still sounds rather scary

[py0alb]

Its not, its the easiest thing in the world.

You try the NY subway, thats scary the first time. There are no ****ing maps anywhere.

[jellybean_]

ill make a note to never use public transport in NY then

[DarkWhite]

Definitely get an Oyster card. You'll save money after a couple of days, and you'll most likely travel to London at some point in the future!

[Mad Vlad]

(Original post by jellybean_)
Thank you for all the help everyone still sounds rather scary

It's dead easy. Think of it as a big game of dot to dot.

Spoiler:

Show

Find where you, then where you are going and just trace a route between the two following the lines. The stations marked with a white circle are where 2 lines intersect and you can change. The map looks confusing, but it's extremely easy if you sit and think about it for a moment. The most confusing it gets is how the Northern Line branches into the Charing Cross and Bank branches and even that's pretty easy to figure out.

If you're really stuck, there are apps for your phone that can work out the best route from A to B, or even the TFL website.

[morris743]

The nice thing I found about the underground is that it is so frequent (on the lines I've been on, anyway) that if you end up going wrong by one or even two or three stops, you can easily and quickly get back to where you were last

[Bellissima]

(Original post by jellybean_)
Hello
Well I'm a student from Leicester and am going on a college trip to London in 2 weeks. I have never caught a train in my life However the trip requires that we use the underground, because we are going all over the shop - Waterloo and Knightsbridge are the only places I can remember lol.

Anyway,I feel so stupid for having to ask, but how the dickens do you catch a train? Is it worth getting an Oyster card or can you just use cash? So many questions I know the teachers will be round to help, but I don't want to look completely useless!

Again sorry for being so bloody stupid. I appreciate any genuine help

the tube maps are the easiest thing ever, i have used different subways and london underground is def the most clearly laid out. oyster card... i would defo get one.

[jellybean_]

Aw thank you,youve all been so helpful its just a shame its such a short trip

[21stcenturyphantom]

Thanks OP for creating this thread. I've never been to London before and this answered many of the questions I had about the Underground

[jellybean_]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Thanks OP for creating this thread. I've never been to London before and this answered many of the questions I had about the Underground

haha you are welcome! i have been before but only via the comfort of a coach and tour bus

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-S5830

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by jellybean_)
haha you are welcome! i have been before but only via the comfort of a coach and tour bus

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-S5830

Well I hope you have fun on your trip, try not to get lost!

[Beatlemania]

(Original post by jellybean_)
Hello
Well I'm a student from Leicester and am going on a college trip to London in 2 weeks. I have never caught a train in my life However the trip requires that we use the underground, because we are going all over the shop - Waterloo and Knightsbridge are the only places I can remember lol.

Anyway,I feel so stupid for having to ask, but how the dickens do you catch a train? Is it worth getting an Oyster card or can you just use cash? So many questions I know the teachers will be round to help, but I don't want to look completely useless!

Again sorry for being so bloody stupid. I appreciate any genuine help

Whenever I go to London, mainly for football reasons (actually, I follow Leicester!), I just get the peak/off peak ticket (whatever they are called)... As long as I stay within the 'zone' I'm alright, and it's mainly A to B anyway.

Also, the tickets are valid for the bus as well. Most of the time, I prefer travelling by bus anyway.

I doubt you'll get lost or anything like that, it's just like one loop!

[Historophilia]

The tube is really easy to use, I wouldn't worry.

Oh and here's some tips from a life time London veteran

If you stand on the escalators always stand on the right hand side. The left is where people walk up or down them and it's infuriating when people ignore what everyone else does and blithely stand on the left!

Don't stand two or more abreast on the escalators either, stand in single file. It's a mistake school parties often make and then get affronted when they're told to move over so people can get past.

If the carriage is crowded try and move down to stand between the rows of seats rather than near the doors. It's less crowded and you're more likely to be able to grab a seat when someone gets up.

On and always move right down inside the carriage between the seats. That way more people can get on.

When a tube arrives, always stand back and let the people off first. It's politeness and makes it easier to get on because you're not fighting against the current of people getting off.

There's a whole social etiquette on the tube!

[Cll_ws]

It depends on how much you're going to be travelling as to whether you get an oyster (one of the ones that allows you unlimited travel over a certain period of time)
If you don't get one of those types then it's still pretty handy to get a temporary oyster card that you top up at the machines, you can buy them for a £5 deposit which you'll get back if you hand the card back in before you leave. Once you have it you can top it up at the machines in any station and just scan it as you go through the gates, it also works on london buses.

Within zones 1/2 it'll cost you £2 to go through the gates, once on you can travel as far as you like, on any route within these zones, as long as you don't leave the underground and go outside, as that'll mean the end of 1 journey. Basically you're charged every time you scan in through the gates.

Also, make sure you always scan out when leaving a station. Some stations don't have gates that require you to scan your card to get out of the station, if you go to one of these (I think Waterloo is one) then make sure you do scan your card on your way out so that it knows you've completed your journey, or you'll be charged much more than £2! You can't cheat the system by coming back to the same station later and travelling on the original journey you scanned in but didn't scan out!

I think also if you're travelling a lot in one day in separate journeys, the amount you pay will cap at £7 (or somewhere around that). So even if you go over £7 in one day, it will stop charging you at that point.

[cl_steele]

if youre just up for a day i wouldnt bother to be honest its easier just to buy an all day travelcard and probably cheaper aswell if youre doing a lot of traveling around the city as you can use it as much as you like
Personally id advise you to stay away from the tube though, handy as it may be it is the devils train especially during rush hour ... ****ing horrific, you get packed into the thing like a sardine especially on the D&C and picadily lines -_-

[IanDangerously]

I find it a very stressful public transport system because of the heat and the massive crowds at busy times, it gets very uncomfortable and cramped. But if you take your time and relax about it, it's a very good transport system - there's big maps on the subway walls that show you which line goes to where and then all you have to do is work out which line to get. Signposting is all good.

I guess people who live there and have to commute every day get used to the rush and stress of it?