30 Lines Challenge

This post is almost an entire reprieve from the London Bus Scene, as it instead focuses on a particular challenge which I undertook during April, mainly because I thought it would be a fun way of testing my knowledge of London's railways, which I am trying to improve. This idea stems from the ingenious 16 lines challenge, which was founded courtesy of Calling All Stations, where two videos were produced on the topic during the Christmas period. However, I decided to challenge myself and expand this "all lines" completion to the London Tube & Rail Map, which can be found here, hence the addition of fourteen more services to the agenda, some of which were really awkward to achieve. Nevertheless, I was successful in finishing the challenge within twelve hours, which was my initial target, making this particular task slightly more demanding than the 16 lines trial, although nowhere near as exhausting as the tube challenge, which I probably won't go anywhere near for a very long time. Although these adventures are usually documented in the form of a youtube video, my channel (I'm sure most of you don't even know it exists) is rarely updated and I certainly do not possess the skills to create a summary video of my day out, which many youtubers master effectively. Nevertheless, I'm hoping to achieve the same effect through literature and persuade some of you to actually take up the challenge yourselves!

A somewhat unconventional start to the day, WHV96 is seen terminating on route N11.

My chosen starting point was Oxford Circus, purely because it gives the most flexibility regarding planning a route at short notice - the end destination was decided courtesy of a spinner which tested my ability to think on my feet and whilst in hindsight there are certainly improvements I would've made to my plan, it can be satisfying once the whole thing is completed. The thirty lines involved with the task include the sixteen included with the Calling All Stations challenge ; that is all underground lines, London Overground, TFL Rail, Tramlink and the Emirates Air Line, which I still think was a waste of time. However, the twist is that a service provided by every national rail operator which is included on the London Tube & Rail TFL Map also needs to be ridden and I did include Heathrow Express because it is on the map and you can avoid their extortionate fares by riding for free between terminals. However, technically my attempt is already outdated given that Heathrow Connect hadn't morphed into TFL Rail at this point, which actually makes the challenge slightly easier since the new timetable. Another aspect which will attract those who value their sleep is that this challenge does not necessarily require waking up at the crack of dawn - with my completion time you could comfortably start at 9am and not finish too late and I certainly think the challenge can be done faster than my attempt. However, I decided to start early anyway and ended up taking the night bus to Ealing Broadway, which was a different experience and despite my exhaustion by the end of the challenge I gave myself some time to hunt down electric demonstrator vehicles afterwards. Anyway, enough of background information, it's time to begin the journey.

I started at 07:03:38, inside Oxford Circus and I was satisfied with the ending point of Victoria, although this is mainly because I could get to the bus in Croydon afterwards quickly from there. A brisk walk down the escalators followed and the first completed service happened to be the Victoria Line, which I used for an entire stop until Green Park, where I bailed for another tube service.

The unwanted destination!

I chose to head down to Heathrow first because the long and tedious journey on the Piccadilly Line optimised thinking time for planning the day ahead. However, this particular service has become infamous for its unreliability in recent times and the almost daily occurrence of severe delays was apparent on my trip during rush hour ; although a train did come quickly it wasn't on my preferred branch so I had to get out at Hatton Cross in order to board one for Terminal 5. However, this service was thirteen minutes away, so I ended up running outside and trying to catch an X26 bus to Heathrow Central, although just before I boarded I heard the dreaded regulation announcement. As I already knew the timetable from Hatton Cross, it became obvious that the bus would be waiting for ages, so I ran off the bus again just before I tapped in and back into the tube station, which did result in a baffled look from the driver for abandoning my journey at such short notice. Nevertheless, the Terminal 5 train did turn up eventually, although it probably would've been quicker to go around the T4 loop and go to Heathrow Central this way given the amount of time spent faffing around.

The departure board at Heathrow Central.

Unfortunately, the tube and rail stations at Heathrow Central are miles apart and has to be one of the longest interchanges out there and after a relentless and tiring sprint through several travelators and down several escalators, I ended up missing the Heathrow Express anyway. On the platform, I also realised that I had completely forgotten that the Terminal 4 transfer was run by Heathrow Express, despite the allocation being that of the Connect and I could've saved a significant amount of time by doing this. Nevertheless, the Class 332 train eventually rocked up and a short, but luxurious ride followed until Terminal 5, where sadly I had to alight and get back on the Piccadilly Line, which still had issues as the train which was meant to be leaving imminently spent ages on the platform. You may wonder why I didn't simply take the Connect back to Heathrow Central, although a twenty seven minute wait didn't sound particularly efficient so I decided to come back to it later.

This was the only bus service used throughout the challenge.

Due to budget constraints, I wasn't willing to pay the ridiculous premium fare which is enforced for all travellers on Express and Connect services through the Heathrow Tunnels which go as far as Hayes, but if you do decide to splash out this will definitely save time. Having said that, the 140 bus turned up quickly and I was optimistic that I would be able to catch the next Connect service to London from Hayes & Harlington. Unfortunately, my driver thought it would be wise to crawl everywhere and was casually driving at 15mph along the Bath Road, which was infuriating and resulted in a missed connection for a half hourly service. However, the GWML is my local service and my knowledge of the timetable turned out to be advantageous - by instinctively jumping on the next GWR service to Southall, I managed to sprint across the footbridge there and catch the Heathrow Connect heading back to Hayes & Harlington, which was lines 4 and 5 completed.

A GWR Class 387 is seen at Southall bound for London Paddington.

Typically, my next train back to Paddington consisted of four coaches instead of the usual eight, resulting in the service turning up packed and I only just squeezed on. The popular destination of Ealing Broadway, however, meant that seats became free for my favourite section of the Great Western Main Line, which allowed a short period of relaxation before another hour of intensive exercise chasing anomalies around the Central London area. My arrival into Paddington also marked the ending of one of the most difficult parts of the challenge, as unless you pay the premium fares the Heathrow services are really irritating to complete - during this time I was averaging one train per hour, which didn't look promising for the rest of the day! Line 6 ended up being the Circle Line, although the train was very busy due to the seven minute gap in front, but the usual wait at Edgware Road flew by and after a few minutes I was at King's Cross St Pancras, a station I can almost guarantee you will end up passing through on any completion.

The Northern Line was my seventh service, which turned up instantly and is one of the more enjoyable deep level tube services, in my opinion. However, a juxtaposition soon followed as the clean, looked after tube walkways was followed by the almost abandoned, unloved National Rail section. Old Street Station and the train tunnels are in a diabolical condition and has to be one of the grimmest stations on the national rail network, with a claustrophobic environment and a gloomy colour scheme. The air quality on this line is so bad that the staff have to wear masks now, so hopefully Great Northern improve this branch dramatically in the near future before it has to be closed down for health and safety.

The platform indicator at Old Street.

Thankfully a train turned up immediately, although the neglected environment was reinforced by the emergence of a Class 313 unit, which certainly wasn't in the best condition and evidently hadn't been anywhere near washing facilities for ages. However, I was only riding for one stop and at Moorgate my brief spell of National Rail was over and the Hammersmith & City Line turned out to be number 9, which took me as far as Baker Street. Here, I switched to the Bakerloo Line, which coincidentally meant going from the newest to oldest train types within the underground network. This service marked 1/3 of all lines completed, which was a relief considering the slow start and at this point I was ready to tackle the other really awkward part of this challenge.

A Class 165 is seen at Marylebone on a local service to Gerrards Cross.

 Chiltern Railways aren't exactly the most prolific railway operator in London, only serving a handful of stations within the city and half of them don't see a regular service at all. The first stop after Marylebone is a substantial distance away at Wembley Stadium and only two trains per hour stop there, so it was a relief to only have an eight minute wait at the railway terminus that day. What became apparent at this point was how overcrowded London Marylebone Station is - I was travelling at a very quiet period but there was still a necessity to catch the "far train" and almost every platform had multiple services boarding, so goodness knows how it copes during the peak. Nevertheless, my two car train was almost empty and the ride to Wembley Stadium was surprisingly enjoyable, especially the section running alongside the London Underground Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. After alighting the train, I had fourty minutes to kill until my next service, so a leisurely walk through Wembley Town Centre followed, with a well-deserved lunch break at Tesco too, although I must comment on their poor meal deal selection compared to other stores.

LNWR 350123 is seen at Wembley Central on the first train of the day to Euston.

London North Western Railway is easily the most difficult operator to tick off, because the vast majority of their services don't stop until Watford. A decent number call at Harrow & Wealdstone, which is slightly better, but is still really inconvenient in regards to coordinating other lines. The best station to catch a train from is Wembley Central as it works well with catching Chiltern Railways  from down the road, although the LNWR service from this station is extremely limited, with only six departures per day in each direction. To make matters worse, the first London-bound service isn't until 1129, which meant that my usual method of tackling the most difficult section of something first went out of the window. However, I did manage to make it to Wembley Central in time for the first service and I must comment on how odd the train station is here. The right-hand platforms are the only ones which see intensive usage, where TFL services call, whilst the middle two are closed off as Virgin Trains fly past. If you stand by the gates, you really feel the wind tunnel effect, which is very prominent at this station and almost sent me flying from a different plaform altogether, so goodness knows how scary it would've been if standing right next to the high speed trains. This danger is the reason why the London Midland platforms (which are alongside) are also inaccessible until the train is five minutes away and passengers actually have to be ushered to the platform by a member of staff. Staying here was a very odd experience, but it makes Wembley Central a surprisingly quirky and unique station that I do recommend visiting.

Unsurprisingly, this four car train was packed and was a 350/1 unit, possessing a grim interior, so I ended up standing until London Euston, although only a very small number of people boarded or alighted at Wembley Central. A trip to the facilities was required at this terminal, but afterwards it was back onto the Victoria Line for one stop out of convenience, although this didn't count as a completion as this line had already been ridden. Line 13 turned out to be the Southeastern High Speed service, which is marked as completely separate to the mainstream commuter trains offered by the company on the TFL map, so I had to ride it.

Two "javelin" trains stand at London St Pancras International.

Coincidentally, my 12:12 departure happened to leave from platform 12, so it was a shame that this was line thirteen rather than the number before. The journey to Stratford International is amazingly quick, taking just seven minutes and my train was pretty busy for an off-peak departure, although most people were travelling further out to destinations in Kent. I decided not to run to the DLR station next door, which I was made accountable for as the train pulled off seconds before I arrived which resulted in nine minutes of waiting around. This did mean I could grab the front seats for my short DLR ride down the road to the main Stratford station, which does offer some decent views of the Olympic Park. Line 15, which marked exactly 50% of all services completed, turned out to be a Greater Anglia service to Liverpool Street and I was relieved that a relatively new Class 360 turned up instead of some of their older stock. Unfortunately, the train was packed and I wasn't able to move down to the front carriage, which resulted in some running around at Liverpool Street in order to catch the TFL Rail service which was leaving in two minutes.

A TFL Rail Class 345 is seen at Liverpool Street.

I was relieved to find one of the brand new Crossrail trains sitting at the platform instead of a tedious Class 315 unit which are slowly being phased out in favour of the new Aventras. Unfortunately my ride was brief, only taking me back to Stratford, although the journey did offer some decent views of the Olympic Park and inner East London. The Jubilee Line was my next service, being the seventeenth of the day and another one stop trip as far as West Ham, where my guesswork at where the exit would be flopped completely and I was at the wrong end of the platform! The interchange to the c2c services is also a bit of a faff and rather stupidly when I arrived on the platform I was completely oblivious to the train sitting halfway down ready to leave - when I realised the doors shut and the service pulled off, although the next one was only three minutes behind, which is pretty good for a national rail line.

The c2c service which I missed at West Ham!

I've always liked the Class 357 units c2c use for the bulk of their services and this particular service was quiet, permitting a brief but relaxing journey until Limehouse, where I switched to the DLR platforms to use that service for the second time. Even though I made the mistake of following the signs (which send you the long way round), the Beckton train came very quickly and I managed to grab a seat for my first substantial train ride for ages, which was essentially a whole ten minutes to Royal Victoria. I could see my next, slightly unconventional. mode of transport dangling above the Thames from some distance away and whilst it is hardly a useful public line and is woefully expensive compared to the parallel underground service, the capsules do at least leave the Royal Docks very frequently and even though there was a queue with a substantial number of tourists, I managed to avoid sharing a capsule with others. Contemplating the rest of the day over the heights of the Thames was quite satisfying, especially as the views of the London skyline are top-notch even in miserable weather, although the cable car is slowed down significantly during the off-peak, which isn't ideal when travelling in a rush. After alighting at the Greenwich Penninsula, a short walk to the tube station followed for yet another repeat line.

Luckily, the next Jubilee Line was starting at North Greenwich which effectively guaranteed a seat throughout my two stop journey to Canada Water, where I again paid the price for leisurely walking to the Overground platforms and just missed a train! Thankfully, the East London Line is the most frequent section of the network and the next one turned up pretty quickly, although this Class 378 clearly had some issues with the audio-visual announcements as a crackling noise overwhelmed Emma Hignett's attempts at communicating to the passengers every time. Travelling through the Thames Tunnel always feels like a novelty and even though Canada Water and Whitechapel are close together geographically, the intermediate stops are very frequent so the journey took quite a while. Even though I was unfamiliar with the latter station, the District Line platforms were easy to find and a train turned up immediately, marking my twenty first completion.

I'm including the DLR here because the next part of the day was pretty intense so the concept of taking photographs slipped my mind entirely, sorry!

At this point I made a rather embarrassing error when navigating the on-street interchange between Aldgate East and Aldgate stations - I thought they were much closer together and accidentally ended up just going into Aldgate East Station again, albeit via a different entrance and it wasn't until I saw the signs for the Hammersmith & City Line that I realised! However, after a little more walking I discovered the correct station and instantly boarded a Metropolitan Line for one stop to Liverpool Street, marking the end of sub-surface line completions. At this point it was time for another one stop trip on a sweltering Central Line and whilst the heat subsided during the interchange, it was even more noticeable on the Waterloo & City Line given that the one stop journey takes six or seven minutes. Nevertheless, it was nice to be reunited with this underground service as I haven't taken it for years and typically I always tend to need it on Sundays when it is closed, so the 26 bus is my most used method of travelling between Waterloo and Bank. Despite forgetting to tap out and having to run to the reader and back again after arriving at the concourse, I was relieved to have completed all of the underground lines at this point, with only six other services remaining. South Western Railway services to Vauxhall are very frequent so I just settled for one departing in four minutes as it was leaving from a nearby platform - unfortunately it was a Class 455 although I figured I could just about cope for the 5 minute journey.

Typically another 455 turned up for the return journey!

The SWR network is a little awkward so at the time the best solution was simply to return to Waterloo and I was lucky enough to find a train going back on the adjacent platform, which saved running up and down more stairs. After this, another walk through the main concourse was necessary, although instead of going down to the tube I travelled up the escalators and through the elevated walkway to Waterloo East, which is served by Southeastern services. Conveniently, a train to London Bridge was arriving in three minutes and I was hoping to finally ride a Class 376 at this point (I know everyone says they're horrible but it seems they're actively avoiding me and I want to at least say I've done one), although as usual a 465 turned up instead, which would've been rather nice if they had been maintained properly. Some nice views of the London skyline were provided on this short journey, but part of me was dreading the next interchange at London Bridge, which is easily the most confusing station I've ever visited and I always manage to get lost during my travels there.

Here is a Thameslink train, although this is an old photo as due to the worryingly low power status of my phone I decided not to take many more for the rest of the day.

Thankfully, I managed to change trains at London Bridge successfully because I could actually see it when alighting from my Southeastern service and although I was worried about missing it, the train was actually a "preview" Canal Tunnels service so it spent ages at the platform due to the padding in the timetable. By this point I was a bit fed up of all the running and even though I could've sat in first class with more comfortable seating, I was in completely the wrong place and just wanted a nice relaxation. This non-stop journey to East Croydon proved that the Class 700s are actually pretty quick trains and it was nice to be able to speed through all the London Overground stations for a change as I usually end up taking the slow train on this part of the South London Line. At East Croydon I had gained some energy and decided to run to Wellesley Road in order to catch the tram for one stop back to the railway station - during my one minute wait I also managed to snap the new 468 buses which was a bonus (the post for that is now a priority, I'm sorry it's so late). Coincidentally this tram had an all-over purple livery, which I think looks much better than the exterior paint job on most of the other units.

Unit 2554 is seen at Wellesley Road

 At this point I was becoming quite excited at the prospect of having only two lines left, although I couldn't be too optimistic as Southern was one of them. Although there were delays at East Croydon, they worked out to my advantage and I managed to catch a slightly earlier service to Gatwick Airport, which was unsurprisingly really busy seeing as it was splitting into three later on. This ride took me the furthest away from London, through the Surrey countryside and the Class 377 unit certainly wasn't hanging around, arriving at Gatwick Airport almost perfectly on time despite the late departure at East Croydon. I could see my final train at the other end of the station, although I somehow managed to completely miss the stairs up to the footbridge and the train left without me. However, this did mean I could spend some time relaxing on the sofa at the lounge in Gatwick Airport and check if my demonstrator bus was still out and about via the wifi.

The interior of the Gatwick Express Class 387s

I have always questioned the use of 12 coach trains on the Gatwick Express services because they run around carting fresh air whilst all the mainstream Southern services are rammed - surely the resources could be used more effectively elsewhere. My point was proven by the absence of any other passengers in the compartment, which at least ensured my thirty minute journey to Victoria was comfortable. What makes the Gatwick Express special (as well as useless) is that it runs non-stop between the airport and the London terminus, although it goes through East Croydon at such a woeful pace you do question the point of not stopping as I'm sure the commuters there could appreciate having a guaranteed seat for once. Nevertheless, I was starting to become enlivened as the train passed through more and more suburban stations, crossed the bridge over the Thames and started to slow down for the approach to Victoria, where the thirty lines challenge would finally come to a conclusion. As the train arrived into the platform and the doors opened, I stepped down and recorded the time for the final occasion, for I had successfully ridden all thirty lines on the London Tube and Rail map, in 9 hours, 27 minutes and 19 seconds.

In order to conserve my battery, I decided to use pen and paper to record all the times. I apologise if some of them are illegible, writing on packed trains can be a pain sometimes!

Even though I didn't have time to celebrate properly given that my Yutong electric bus was going to be leaving Croydon in twenty minutes, on the final journey home I had an opportunity to reflect on the day and what I'd achieved. I know it may seem utterly pointless, but there is a real sense of satisfaction when you complete something you set yourself, especially if initially you're surrounded by initial scepticism. I surprised myself with my final result, especially as my route was nowhere near perfect, although the almost complete lack of delays helped this considerably. Before this outing, I had never attempted a timed challenge like this before and I can honestly say that I found it so fun - although running around frantically after public transport sounds like a nightmare I found that focusing completely on my passion was a great way to switch off from what was a very stressful period of time with upcoming exams and an Easter holiday full of studying. In case you're crazy enough to consider trying this yourself, I would honestly recommend it and if you do, please get in touch and let me know what your time is - I'm almost convinced you can beat me though! The challenge is slightly easier now given that there are only twenty nine lines as Heathrow Connect has disappeared, but I honestly wouldn't encourage using pay as you go for the day - I made that mistake and ended up blowing a considerable amount of money on certain modes of transport and that didn't even include using the Heathrow tunnels and taking the bus instead, which was free. I would also recommend doing this on a weekday as otherwise Wembley Central isn't normally open to London Midland services unless there's an event, so conveniently half term is next week and the youth can participate too.

Thanks for reading, stay safe and I hope to see how you get along with this in the future!