Commuting in London has been an interesting experience as I am so used to driving everywhere. Before going to college, I rarely took public transportation – sometimes the Metro to get into DC, but other than that, we always drove. Then I got to Pitt and learned about the bus system there, beginning to rely on it to get places. Now I’m in London and I think I can say that I have somewhat mastered the London Underground!
Since I rarely took the metro, especially during rush hour, I had never really experienced rush hour on a train – everyone packs on as tight as possible, hoping their bag doesn’t get stuck in between the doors! In Pittsburgh, the buses definitely got crowded, but the bus driver could drive past stops if their bus was too full, so they didn’t have to take anyone else on. Here, everyone tries get on the tube even if it seems like there’s no room – it’s crazy!
My internship is about a five-minute walk from the Waterloo station, one of the largest and craziest train stations in the country! I believe there are over 25 platforms just for trains! In my opinion, I think I’ve mastered the “commute walk” – walking with purpose through the station and looking straight ahead. Now that I’ve been here for almost a month, I know my route perfectly when navigating the intertwining hallways and multiple escalators to get out from the underground. I take the Bakerloo line from Kilburn Park Station and ride for about 25 minutes to Waterloo station. Sometimes I am able to get a spot immediately and sit the entire ride, and sometimes I get stuck on a very busy train that’s way too crowded and wait for people to get off at Oxford Circus so I can sit for the last 10 minutes of my commute before bracing the hectic Waterloo Station.
Going to class in Kensington, I have to transfer lines at Paddington Station, which probably takes 3-5 minutes to walk to the next platform! My roommates and I saw on CityMapper, an app to with directions in London, that it would take five minutes to get to the next line’s platform and we all thought “there’s no way it would take that long, it must budget more time.” But surely enough, we got off the Bakerloo line and started walking to the Circle Line and between the large population of people walking, the long hallways, and all of the stairs and escalators, it really did take five minutes!
Something I like about commuting to my internship is that if I get a seat when I first get on, I can sit down and read my book for the remainder of the ride. It’s a really good way for me to have some down time since the rest of my day is super crazy! Then, when I walk to my internship from the station, I come out and get this beautiful view of the London Eye and the Ministry of Defense and Old War Office buildings across the River Thames. This is definitely a view I will never get tired of!