Euston station underground, overground...
 

...womblin' free (sorry)

Say I need to catch a train from Euston station at 1324 on a weekday. I'm arriving in Euston by tube. How long should it take a regular human being without baggage to get from the underground station to the overground station and catch that train? Is it anything like Japanese underground/overground combination stations where it could take up to 15mins to get between them?

(Sorry, Japan is my only frame of reference with this)

It depends on which Japanese station you have in mind but the Euston underground and overground stations are not miles apart like some Japanese underground/overground combinations. AFAIK the underground station is more or less below the overground station.

It shouldn't take 15 mins to get between them but your problem is not how long it will take to get from the underground to the overground station. Unlike Japanese underground trains you cannot predict when you will reach your destination by tube.

Yes, that's another conversation :D. I'm just trying to get a feel for UK stations that have both overground and underground elements. Is it more or less a case (and I'm speaking generally here), that you get off the tube, go up a few escalators, go through the gate and bang you're in the overground station. Or are they more spaced out than that?

(My Japanese frame of reference was probably misleading. I was thinking of Shinagawa station where there's a fairly long walk between getting off the Yamanote line and grabbing a Shinkansen. I was just thinking that the tube and London Midland are 2 different operators, so more likely to have a large gap between them)

Changing from the Yamanote line to the Shinkansen is easy as you will see from this map! I thought you were going to say chaning to a subway train at Shinagawa because there's no subway station there but we are going OT.

I think Euston is one of the easier stations to change between underground and overground trains. If you want something more complicated try Paddington.

For sure, it's easy (less so with baggage) but it's a fair ould walk nonetheless. But you're right, slightly OT. At the moment, Euston looks to be the only overground station I'll need, I'll be sticking to the tube for most of my journies.

It can vary depending on which platform your train leaves from. The exit from the underground is slap bang in the concourse, but the concourse is invariably crowded so if you leave from one of the more distant platforms (there are 18, so the lower or higher numbers), I wouldn't like to leave just a few minutes to get to the train - there can be a fair hike from the concourse down the ramp to the platforms.

Which means that if you're travelling east or west to/from Euston rather than north or south, you'll likely be using Euston Square tube station, which is a block or so (5-10 mins walk) from Euston mainline station itself.

Also if it is Euston Square then you will have to carry luggage up stairs from platform level to street level.

Depends on which tube line you're on. Long walk to/from Hammersmith & City. Piece of cake to/from District and Circle - maybe 50 feet from the top of the stairs to the start of the platforms. Haven't done the others.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming about Euston ...

Is that a hard and fast rule, Oxon? Left to right, you'll end up in Euston Square, top to bottom, you'll end up in Euston? I'm not sure what else I'll be doing that day yet, so just wondering it's set this way all the time

Eh? Go over the footbridge and it's half the time of getting down to the District/Circle line train.

(Of course, the H&C line platforms are *also* the Circle line platforms now, because the Circle is a spiral.)

Not really. There a number of tube lines that don't serve Euston, and depending where you are coming from and connecting you could up at either. A glance at the tube map will explain. No great stress either way as Euston Square is no more than 5mins walk from the furthest platform at Euston mainline.

There's also the Victoria Line which is kind of diagonal from bottom left to top right. ;)

If you are somewhere around the British Museum without luggage, it's probably quicker to walk than going by underground. If I'm between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road I'd catch a bus to Euston.

Euston Square is actually a different Underground station from Euston Underground Station. Euston Square is served by the Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, and Circle Lines. To get from Euston Square Underground station to Euston Station (mainline or Underground) is a short walk at street level: follow the signs from Euston Square Station.

Euston Underground Station, on the other hand, is served by the Victoria and Northern Lines. It is underneath Euston mainline station and the two are connected by escalators and stairs: no need to go out into the street.

Given that you don't know any of the stations involved (Euston Square, Euston Underground, or Euston mainline), I'd allow a good 20 minutes to make the transfer. It won't be necessary, but better to be a bit early than to have to rush or miss the train.

Cheers, all. I'll be making a full and packed itinerary before I leave, so I should know by then where I'm coming from on the day.

ETA: I assume that the TfL journey planner distinguishes between Euston and Euston Square? If the plan says I come into Euston, then I don't need to add on another 5-10mins to my plan?