We will be traveling from Lewes UK to Canterbury UK in early June. I've asked for train information on two sites, Rome2Rio and traintickets.com. Both show me the same route from Lewes to Canterbury at the same time. The route goes from Lewes to Hampdon Park Station to Ashford International Station to Canterbury West. Both show 2 changes, and the length of the changes worries me, but more about that later. The traintickets.com site refers to all the intermediate stations as calling points, and talks about a 6 minute wait or a 7 minute wait. That sounds like we are just sitting in our seats, peacefully waiting for the train to move on. Rome2Rio describes those two intervals as a transfer. So are we sitting still or running wild-eyed through strange stations, dragging our carryons behind us, frantically looking for a sign pointing us to the next train to board? Is there a third site that would make this clearer? And if it's a transfer, is 6 or 7 minutes enough time to negotiate an unknown train station or will this be CDG on a smaller scale?
Posted by
Freedonia
15246 posts
Posted by
585 posts
Go to the NAtional Rail web site and click on plan your journey. All the information you need is there. Including the arrival and departing platforms, length of journey etc.
Posted by
Lake District, England
6012 posts
Look at Southern Railways website- who run the 1st train- https://www.southernrailway.com/travel-information
They are right that you change at Hampden Park (Sussex) and Ashford International.
Hampden Park is no Charles de Gaulle- it is a simple two platform station. So you get off the train and just cross over the footbridge to the opposite platform.
This is a plan of the simple station-
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/hmd.aspx
Six minutes is ample- it will take literally one or two minutes.
There are platform monitors on the opposite platform and PA announcements to confirm you are boarding the Ashford train (not one to back from where you came!).
Ashford is only a 4 platform station-plan here-https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations-and-destinations/stations-made-easy/ashford-international-station-plan
The planners say that you arrive on platform 1, and depart from platform 6- cross by the subway. Check those platforms with the train conductor or platform staff, as platforms change. But it's quite an easy change, 6 minutes is more than ample. Everything is well signed. Try to find out from train staff the closest door to the subway to make it even easier.
You certainly won't be "running wild-eyed through strange stations, dragging our carryons behind us, frantically looking for a sign pointing us to the next train to board". It's straight forward, honest, and you won't be the only ones making the change at Ashford
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16399 posts
I suggest you forget Rome2Rio and that other website and use the official UK train website:
https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/personal/home/search
It will give you the best information, show prices, and transfer you to the correct train company to purchase the tickets online should you wish to do so.
The information you have correct with respect to transfers. You will have 6 minutes to change trains at Hampton and 7 minutes at Ashford Int’l. The National Rail site also shows the platforms which helps. At Hampton you arrive on Platform 2 on the train from Lewes, and depart for Ashford from Platform 1 for the route I checked. Then you arrive at Ashford on Platform 1 and must transfer to Platform 6 for your next train. You should confirm these at each station when you arrive.
“ Calling points” are intermediate stops along the way to your transfer point. It is good to keep track so you know when to get ready for your stop. To transfer trains you do indeed get off one train and find your way to the correct platform for the next one. There is no “ waiting” involved.
I will stop here in case I am duplicating what others have posted.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4054 posts
UK is home ground for the I've-been-everywhere train rider in Seat 61. I always double-check everything with him, from routes to ticket-buying strategies.
Posted by
Lake District, England
6012 posts
By the way there is a far better known Hampden Park at Glasgow- which is the Scottish National Football (Soccer) stadium.
This is the full paper timetable for the Lewes to Ashford route- https://timetables.southernrailway.com/SN/#/timetables/1781/Table%20U
I have just looked it up because, in all the times I have been down on that line, I have never changed at Hampden Park.
Although it is the fastest route, if that idea still worries you, then the route I would take personally is the 57 minutes train past each hour from Lewes to Hastings which arrives exactly 60 minutes later, change then depart at 26 minutes past each hour. It's final destination is a place called Ore- one stop past Hastings, but don't change there- it's a nowhere place.
The xx57 from Lewes passes through Hampden Park without stopping, and changes direction of travel at Eastbourne, stopping at Hampden Park as it goes through onwards to Hastings.
But 29 minutes is a more robust connection, and Hastings is a town station with facilities.
The xx26 from Hastings to Ashford is the same train as you would have connected into on the later train from Lewes at Hampden Park.
Yes this Hastings is that of The Battle of Hastings- 1066 and all that.