Great Western Coffee Shop

I intend to make a perhaps unusual journey from Yatton to Carpenders Park (near Watford) in the next two weeks and so have just consulted NR Enquiries.  A total journey time of something over 3 hours came back with changes at Paddington for the Bakerloo Line and Queens Park for London Overground (LO).  So far so good.  Fares with Advanced First Class also fine.

Then I checked the timings more carefully. No time is allowed for the Barkerloo change to LO and on the way back only two minutes between arrival at Paddington and the departure of the booked train to Yatton.  I have not booked yet.  If I had not checked, it would appear that my booked Advance ticket on the way back would be a lost cause before I set out.

Have I misunderstood the connections at Paddington somehow, or is the NR site hopelessly optimistic about connections on this journey?

Can you tell us the exact journey date and times and what NRE is telling you at each point of the journey? Then it may be possible to understand any errors.

Ultimately, if you are given an itinerary when purchasing a ticket (remembering that NRE do not sell tickets and will redirect you someone who does) then that itinerary should factor in both minimum connection times and minimum cross-London transfer times.

I put down a departure time from Yatton on Monday 24th March at 08:08 returning same day from CPK at 16:29.

It's probably just NRE displaying things weirdly. It has a bit of a tendency to do that with Cross-London connections. I suspect it has allowed minimum connection times, but just hasn't shown it very well.

It doesn't give separated out 'time on the tube' for LU legs normally, I reckon it will just be using a calculated composite figure for arrival Queens Park to depart from Paddington (and vice versa).  The initial Carpenders Park to Queens Park section will be given a time, because LO run to a timetable which can be accounted for.   

The 'LU' leg (Paddington to Queens Park) seems to get around about 30 mins on NRES planner, but the travel time on the actual Bakerloo train should only be around 7 or 8 minutes.

LU 'run time diagrams' and frequency charts are available online (but not hot linkable). If you want further re-assurance though I've attached the sort of pdf they do below.

Paul

Thank you guys, that's all most helpful.  I wasn't sure how long the actual travel time on the Underground was, so what you say, Paul, helps me understand.  All input appreciated.  :)

And to add to the advice already given.

If you have a through ticket, be it 'walk up' or Advance Purchase, with an itinerary for the various legs on FGW, LU, LO, then that will be honoured, even if delays on the day, attributable to any of those providers, mean you cannot make advertised connections.

To add further, the Bakerloo Line shares the same tracks with the London Overground service between Queen's Park and Harrow and Wealdstone. So if you change at Queen's Park all you need to do is walk from one side of the platform to the other (Tube and Train arrive on an island platform, so walk from one side to the other). For any other station just stay on the same platform for the next train/tube.

I'll report back when I've made the journey.  Thanks.

Thanks for all of your helpful input, Coffee Shop members, and we look forward to finding out how your journey went, trainer!  :)

I made the said journey over two days and returned today.  Thanks to all who helped/explained/reassured me about the journey times.  Indeed, plenty of time is actually allowed to transfer at Paddington, it just doesn't appear so in the itinerary.  It was overall a good experience and departing on the day of the Great XC Derailment I was pleased that I was going out on the unaffected line.

Some further comments and observations perhaps to follow in other threads.