Angel to Canary Wharf on the Tube, London
July 6, 2009 by Jennifer Holmes
Angel is one of the deepest on the network and a long bank of elevators leads down into its depths. It is located on the Bank branch of the black, or Northern Line, in Zone 1 of London’s Underground network, between Old Street and King’s Cross stations.
I catch the 08:28 or 08:31 southbound train to Morden, though sometimes if I am running late it might be the train after that. They come about every 3 to 4 minutes, if there are no delays on the tube. If delays occur, the platform is often packed three deep and everyone has to wait while stress levels climb. Unlike trains, commuters don’t usually board a regular carriage – often it is just the one that is least packed, or the one you manage to squeeze on. By the time the Northern Line gets to Angel, it would have passed by high traffic areas like Hampstead, Camden and Kings Cross – so perish the thought of an available seat! We are packed like sardines on as the tube whizzes past Old Street, then Moorgate.
After about seven to ten minutes, the tube stops at Bank station, and the human confluence spills out of the carriage, only to be replaced by a fresh set of elbows, knees and shoulders all squeezed tightly in. Rush hour on the London Underground is not for the fainthearted. I sometimes choose to change for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) here if the Jubilee Line is experiencing delays. To reach Canary Wharf, I catch the Lewisham bound DLR from Platform 9, which departs every five minutes. The journey to Canary Wharf from Bank takes eleven minutes and is a pleasant ride above ground.
If the Jubilee Line is running smoothly, I stay on the Northern Line until it gets to London Bridge. Here, I change for the eastbound Jubilee Line, which departs every two to three minutes. The Jubilee comes more often than the DLR, and there are also fewer stops along the way, which is why I choose to change at London Bridge rather than catch the DLR from Bank. The Jubilee is London Underground’s newest line, and the only one to interchange with all other tube lines. That’s why it’s always packed to the gills with commuters. It takes only eight minutes on the Jubilee before I am at Canary Wharf, at the end of my daily morning journey.
