Every year thousands of tourists descend onto the Underground at Covent Garden for the one stop journey to Leicester Square, without realising that these two neighbouring stations are the closest together on the entire network, only 250 metres apart.
It's possible to walk from one to the other at surface level in three minutes flat, whereas the tube journey takes at least five minutes even in perfect conditions (2 minutes down to the platform via the lift, 35 seconds on the train and 2½ minutes back up via the second longest escalator on the network).
Here are a few other 'touristy' stations that are surprisingly close at street level, and the actual tube journey times between them:
• Bayswater to Queensway (220 metres apart) - 14 minutes via Circle and Central lines
• Regents Park to Great Portland Street (220 metres apart) - 17 minutes via Bakerloo and Circle lines
• Euston to Euston Square (300 metres apart) - 22 minutes via Victoria and Circle lines
• St Pauls to Mansion House (400 metres apart) - 25 minutes via Bank/Monument
Many other overcrowded stations (all within 500m walk):
Bond Street - Oxford Circus
Hyde Park Corner - Knightsbridge (for Harrods museum)
Covent Garden - Tottenham Court Road
Piccadilly Circus - Leicester Square
Charring Cross - Embankment
Eustone - Kings Cross St Pancras
St Pauls - Barbican
Lancaster Gate - Paddington
Goodge Street - Holborn
and many more:
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Posted: 2005-09-02 18:10:10