Random 15 Championship 2024/25: Round 3

[tangy]

If you are new to all of this:

Welcome to the Random 15 Championship. I am your host (commonly known to regulars as the BERC when I am hosting Random 15 challenges). The Random 15 challenge is just that, visit 15 randomly selected stations that feature on the Tube Map (usually within zones 1-2 and using the Underground network only). There will be certain rounds within the championship that are a variation of this such as adding an extra zone or network e.g. DLR onto the challenge. So are you ready to take on the Random 15 championship?

The rules and scoring are unchanged from previous seasons but if anyone is not familiar with them, or needs a refresh, you can view them here: http://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubecha ... 5rules.htm

Round 3 is upon us and that means it's the National Rail round!

When: Saturday 4th January 2025 12:30 UK local time.
Variant: Round 3 is always the National Rail twist round. Therefore National Rail stations (including Overground and Crossrail [Elizabeth Line]) in zones 1 and 2 will be in the mix.
Meet up: Bond Street (the Hanover Square exit from the eastern end of the Crossrail platforms).
Post challenge pub: The Blue Posts, Newman Street, Marylebone W1T 3EU.
Time limit to complete: Twist round, 6 hours. Sometimes this is needed!

Closures affecting this challenge (correct at time of posting):
Piccadilly: No service Cockfosters - King's Cross.
The Waterloo & City line is currently showing a good service for Saturday...

Greater Anglia: No trains via Tottenham Hale (diverted via Seven Sisters). Stratford- Meridian Water / Bishop's Stortford trains cancelled.

As this is the National Rail round, a standard Tube Map may not be sufficient to plan your challenge, please make sure you have a copy of the London Connections Map with you (downloadable from TfL website) as printed copies are no longer available at stations and I only have a couple left (which are at least three years out of date).

Please respond if you are attending so I know how many envelopes to prepare.

[tangy]

A note regarding the status of Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) stations:

As Crossrail is part of the National Rail network like the Overground (XR is just another TOC), the low level platforms at Liverpool Street and Paddington can be used for the NR purposes of this challenge.

Canary Wharf XR is really the only one of the "core" Crossrail stations that is physically separate from its namesake Underground station. Therefore if say Bond Street appears in the list then as it is considered one station it can be visited by LU or XR as you see fit (as per already the case for stations like West Brompton or Stratford).

If a station is noted with an NR tag then as long as you visit the station on ANY NR TOC operated train then it is considered valid. Therefore if Liverpool Street NR is drawn out you may visit it on a Crossrail, Overground (Weaver Line) or Greater Anglia train as required.

[tangy]

As this is a challenge that involves multiple networks (LU, LO and NR) it is vitally important you visit the correct station on a network that is valid for that station.

To clarify, here is a list of what stations are to be included in the challenge (except those closed for engineering work which will be excluded from the draw anyway):
--All LU stations in zones 1-2.
--All Overground stations in zones 1-2.
--NR Stations counted as separate from the above: All London Terminals, Battersea Park, Brixton, City Thameslink, Deptford, Drayton Park, East Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Essex Road, Finsbury Park, Greenwich, Herne Hill, Lewisham, Limehouse, Loughborough Junction, North Dulwich, Nunhead, Putney, Queenstown Road, Rectory Road, South Bermondsey, St. John's, Vauxhall, Waterloo East, Wandsworth Town, West Hampstead Thameslink.

The golden rule is that if you need to exit one set of ticket barriers then enter another set of ticket barriers to transfer to the other network then it is classed as separate. At stations where one can interchange between different networks without passing through any ticket barriers then it is counted as one station and can be visited by any of the above networks included in this challenge. Examples include: Farringdon, Highbury & Islington, Kensington Olympia, New Cross, Stratford, West Brompton, Whitechapel to name a few.

If you have any questions regarding this then please ask!

[Oggm]

Attending: Oggm

[Oggm]

--NR Stations counted as separate from the above: All London Terminals, Battersea Park, Brixton, City Thameslink, Deptford, Drayton Park, East Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Essex Road, Finsbury Park, Greenwich, Herne Hill, Lewisham, Limehouse, Loughborough Junction, North Dulwich, Nunhead, Putney, Queenstown Road, Rectory Road, South Bermondsey, St. John's, Vauxhall, Waterloo East, Wandsworth Town, West Hampstead Thameslink.

Quick question regarding (London) Moorgate (NR), and whether it is regarded one station as part of the Underground as they are in the same station building and you only pass through one gate-less validator. But, it is a London terminus, as stipulated with before. Thanks.

[Lunaticonthegrass]

Attending: Oggm, Lunaticonthegrass

I'm currently spending Christmas and New Year with my wife's family in the US, arriving back in the UK the day before this event. Doing the National Rail twist when tired and jet-lagged is sure to be fun!

[tangy]

Quick question regarding (London) Moorgate (NR), and whether it is regarded one station as part of the Underground as they are in the same station building and you only pass through one gate-less validator. But, it is a London terminus, as stipulated with before. Thanks.

Moorgate is one station, one barrier line for both LU and NR (Northern City Line).

[greatkingrat]

If Liverpool Street (LU) and Liverpool Street (NR) are both on the list, does passing through on Elizabeth Line count as ticking off both?

[hopeful traveller]

Quick question regarding (London) Moorgate (NR), and whether it is regarded one station as part of the Underground as they are in the same station building and you only pass through one gate-less validator. But, it is a London terminus, as stipulated with before. Thanks.

Moorgate is one station, one barrier line for both LU and NR (Northern City Line).

Is it? It wasn't last time I was there, I ran along the entire Crossrail platform from the Central Line at Liverpool Street, up to the subsurface at Moorgate and then back down to the NCL via two gatelines.

[hopeful traveller]

Attending: Oggm, Lunaticonthegrass, hopeful traveller (maybe)

I have a constituency event in the morning so I need to try to leave that by 11:30-ish...

[Going Underground]

Attending: Oggm, Lunaticonthegrass, hopeful traveller (maybe), GU (unable to make pub)
pakrun: Wanstead Flats (others are available)
spoons: The Walnut Tree (others are available)

[Muadh]

Attending: Muadh, Luka

Not attending pub

[JamesWright]

I will be there!

[tangy]

Moorgate is one station, one barrier line for both LU and NR (Northern City Line).

Is it? It wasn't last time I was there, I ran along the entire Crossrail platform from the Central Line at Liverpool Street, up to the subsurface at Moorgate and then back down to the NCL via two gatelines.

The Crossrail platforms are named as Liverpool Street, not Moorgate so you cannot claim a visit of Moorgate solely on XR (same as Bank and Monument - although they are linked, they are two separate named stations).

[tangy]

If Liverpool Street (LU) and Liverpool Street (NR) are both on the list, does passing through on Elizabeth Line count as ticking off both?

No, the Elizabeth Line is a National Rail service (XR is a NR TOC in its own right) not LU, so the Crossrail platforms will only count for Liverpool Street NR.