Help! I have just read a series of questions and answers about getting from Gatwick to Waterloo Station to catch the train to Paris.

My problem is my flight arrives at Gatwick at 12:55 pm., and the train pulls out of Waterloo Station at 3:11 pm. If that flight should be much delayed, of if I get held up with customs or baggage in some line or other, I could miss the train - and the tickets (for 3 people) are all pre-paid and non transferable etc. Clearly, I will have to clear British customs at Gatwick and, too, probably French customs at Waterloo....

Even if it costs a bit more, can I get a fast, direct cab from Gatwick right to Waterloo Station. If so, how much, roughly, might it cost and how long might it take at that time of day.

Am I in deep doo-doo here?

Actually the Gatwick Express to Victoria and a cab from there would probably be faster then a cab all the way from LGW. Gatwick is about 30 miles south of London and the Express only take 30 mins - no cab could negotiate that distance as fast. I'd take the Gatwick express and then a cab from out front of Victoria to Waterloo. And if you can pack light and just use a carry-on, you can save the time waiting for your luggage at LGW.

To emphasis Janis' point. A cab would take at least 75 minutes during the day, and very possibly a great deal longer. The road system from Gatwick into town is just about Britain's most congested, and one broken-down motorbike can hold things up. The trains are a LOT faster and more reliable


In doing your calculation, don't worry about the imponderable amount of time French immigration (NOT customs) - and, far more importantly, security - might take. That's built in to your Eurostar check-in time. It's irrelevant what time the train leaves: you need to have checked in by whatever time your deal requires (typically 30 minutes).

The Gatwick-Express - Victoria - cab route requires you to allow time to get to the cab rank (5 mins) wait in the queue (could be instant, could be up to 10 mins) and get across town (usually 10 mins, but traffic's never predictable)

You might investigate taking the Thameslink train to London Bridge from Gatwick, then the same-platform connection to Waterloo East (www.nationalrail.co.uk for times etc:allow 10 mins to walk through the Waterloo complex to the check-in desk at Waterloo International).

But, to be totally honest, I think your energy would be better spent trying to negotiate with someone to get on a later train. You need to get from the plane to the Waterloo check in desk between 1255 and 1441.

I don't think you've got an earthly.

Will you have carry-ons or will you have to wait for luggage?

I'm fairly sure that when I timed things last time, with our plane supposed to land about 2 (but actually about 20 minutes later), and then getting off the plane, going through the lines, waiting a while for our luggage, and then getting on the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, it was 4 PM when we arrived. I remember thinking that was pretty good time, and I really couldn't have done it any quicker. So figure 100 minutes from touchdown just to get to Victoria Station (if you have checked luggage) if things go fairly well.

I'm afraid flanneruk is correct about your chances.

It may be quicker to take a train from Gatwick to Clapham Junction and change there for Waterloo. Look at connections Gatwick to London Waterloo on www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.bahn.de.

You probably would save a few minutes with Geoff's suggestion (though that means taking a slightly slower train than the Gatwick Express). But you still probably won't make it.

If you can't rebook, there MIGHT be an alternative. If your Eurostar stops at Ashford, Kent (most, but not all, do), you can get on the train there (and don't need to rebook:just turn up with your ex-Waterloo ticket) The train leaves Ashford about an hour (but check) after leaving Waterloo. From memory, Ashford's about 60 miles, and usually takes us a bit over an hour by car from the Gatwick area.

If you booked a car to meet you at Gatwick, if your Eurostar does stoip at Ashford, and if your flight's reasonably on time, you'll be OK. It probably won't be cheap (a 60 mile cab journey is very unlikely to leave you with change from £100, and may be a lot more, but it's not the sort of thing I'd do), and I'm sure this board is stuffed with suggestions for reliable cabs in the area.

You'll need to prebook (getting a cab off the rank will cost as much as the transatlantic flight), specify Ashford, Kent (there are other Ashfords in the London area) and make sure the driver takes the circuitous motorway route: the shorter cross-country route is very unpredictable.

But, just a matter of interest, one question. This board is forever getting questions from people concerned about 2 hour, international-to-international, entirely airside, connections at Europe's major airports.

What on earth induced you to book a train that gives you a little over 90 minutes to deplane through one of the world's busiest international airports, come through passport control and travel 30 miles across Europe's biggest and most congested city? Especially when those trains run practically every half hour?

Hello everyone!

Yes, looking back it was a case of not seeing the obvious. We had considered the train as an alternative to flying because of transfer and missed flight times. We did not stop to think, nor did our agent, about customs, baggage, late plane and so on. We were so excited at the super deal for the first class round trip we forgot about the transfer time. Looking at all the responses, the Ashford option may be the best way to go. Because it was one of these "super train deals", our tickets are not only paid in advance but, apparently, non-transferable and non-refundable. The Eurostar, like the airlines, "want it all their own way", so to speak.

As I now understand, the combination of an even marginally late plane, waiting for luggage, getting on the Gatwick Express, making the cab line at Victoria Station, getting across London on a busy afternoon, going through French customs, or whatever, will all add up to a lot more than 2 hours 20 minutes. Originally, too, we thought we would be coming into Heathrow, not Gatwick. We also had it in mind that Victoria Station did not seem that far from Waterloo on the map, and, of course, here in Canada, if I was only 30 miles from an airport to a major train station I could drive it in 30 minutes....ah, well....this is why one goes to Travel Agents which, in this case, may have failed to assist me with the obvious - obvious after-the-fact, that is.

Again, I wish to thank everyone for their assistance and advice. The one thing I still have going for me is that these events are, as yet, several months in the future, not next week.

I hate to be negative but I have to say that I fear you won't have enough time to catch your 3:11 Eurostar.
I experienced a Gatwick to Waterloo sprint this past October . ( I posted about my experience on a thread titled "Help! Gatwick to Waterloo for Eurostar to Paris" )
My friend and I had a bit more time between plane and train than you do and even then I was concerned that we would miss our scheduled Eurostar.
I emailed Ray Skinner , a mini cab driver who is much admired on this forum , but his reply led me to believe the Gatwick Express to Victoria +taxi to Waterloo was going to be the better option for us.
We were lucky , every possible thing that could have gone wrong went right instead. Even then it took us 2 hours to get from the airport to Waterloo.
We needed to pick up our train tickets once we arrived at Waterloo and were advised by Eurostar to do that at least 45 minutes before our scheduled departure.
If you already have your train tickets then I think Eurostar wants you to be at Waterloo at least 30 minutes before your train departs.

IMHO - just another reason most travel agents are not worth the cheap certificate hanging on their wall. Anyone with ANY experience of London, the airports, train stations, transatlantic flights, etc would know to take "customs, baggage, late plane and so on" into consideration. She owes you big time.

BTW - Make very sure your Eurostar is one that does stop at Ashford.

Sorry: the Thomas Cook European Timetable says that the 3.11 from Waterloo does not stop in Ashford

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Well that's settled - the TA owes you BIG time!

Hello, again, to all!

I have managed to have my travel agent sort out the too short time between arrival at Gatwick at 12:55 pm and getting to Waterloo Station for the Eurostar train to Paris at 3:11.

Because she rightly felt responsible, she was able to work her way up to a fairly senior officer of Eurorail/Star, whatever. We are now booked, still first class, on the train leaving Waterloo Station for Paris at 5:09 pm, which gives us 4 full hours from scheduled arrival at Gatwick. So, although it got a bit tense there for a while, it did work out. It did cost an extra 21 pounds each to do this, but at least the "deal" is still pretty good.

I want to thank every person who responded to this concern, and I'm sure
others, who may have read this thread, have learned, as I have....

I am posting a question about Paris cabs and cab fares as a new topic...

John

Great - your TA owed you, and she came through. The new schedule is MUCH better.

I'm glad it all resolved happily. I do hope that your travel agent is absorbing the 21 pound change fee since it was her error.

Hello, Pilgrim!

The case being made is that the 5:09 train, in first class, actually costs this much more and would have if we had booked it originally. That is, the extra cost is not a penalty or administrative fee for getting the tickets changed. Who knows.....