I need to get from Bedford to Northwick park hospital, harrow, quickest/easiest way on the trains and tube(s).

Question

I need to be at Northwick park hospital before 10.30am.
train/tube
train/bus
changes
duration

your help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

You need to get a train from Bedford (Midland Mainline train) leaving at 6.51. Change at St Pancras (7.36) on to the Metropolitan Line at King's Cross St. Pancras. You will need a train stopping at Northwick Park Station where you alight and catch a H.10 bus which stops at the hospital. This might mean you get to the hospital a little early, but it'd the best I can work out for you. You can look on line at www.thetrainline.co.uk which will give you times from Bedford to Harrow-on-the-Hill via Marylebone, but I think that's complicated. You should therefore use that site in conjunction with www.tfl.gov.uk which can work you out a journey from King's Cross St Pancras direct to the hospital.

(I don't think Amtrak serves the London area!)

Not internet knowledge, by the way. I used Northwick Park station regularly at one time in my life. it takes a couple of seconds to get from the platform to the buses. I agree, it might be just as quick to walk to the back of the hospital - but that could be confusing.

Answer 2

Cliff shows the danger of internet knowledge
if you can walk then it takes almost exactly the same time to get to the back of the hospital as to the bus stop on the other side of the station and so, by rights, even if you have to go to reception you will be there quicker walking than waiting for the bus.
On the trains what he's talking about even if the times are a little early.

If you are taking a Metropolitan line train from Kings Cross i advise you to take the Uxbridge train if there is a choice: this is now always stopping at all stations. Alternatively you can get any train (Circle/Hammersmith and City/any Met Line train to Baker Street and get an all stations train there. (the staff may talk of a "fast" or "semi-fast" train: these do not stop at Northwick Park and you must take an all-stations train.

Leave yourself an hour minimum from Kings Cross to NP Hospital. officially it is much quicker than this but 10-15 minute delays abound on this line as they push 3 tube lines along the same pieces of track around from Baker Street.

Answer 3

An alternative route would be Bedford to West Hampstead Thameslink. Turn right outside the station entrance and walk 200 yards to West Hampstead Jubilee Line. Northbound to Wembley Park, change cross-platform there to Metropolitan Line train for Northwick Park. (You could take a southbound Jubilee Line train one station to Finchley Road, cross the footbridge to the northbound Metropolitan Line train which runs non-stop from there to Wembley Park - this may be slightly quicker.)

It is a very long walk between Kings Cross Thameslink and Metropolitan stations: if you should choose to travel via Kings Cross, then go on one more stop to Farringdon where there is a cross platform connection with the Metropolitan line trains to Northwick Park.

As stated above, it is quicker to walk from Northwick Park station to the hospital rather than using a bus. At the bottom of the steps down from the platform, turn left. Follow the path past the University until you reach the hospital peripheral road. Turn right up a slight slope until you pass the lecture theatre on your left. An entrance which leads to main reception is adjacent to this on your left. Allow 8 minutes from the station to hospital reception.