The one where I got lost on the Underground
While travelling home from a distant work location last night, I had to traverse London via the vast network of underground trains. I've done it countless times before – either for work, at weekends with the children to visit the museums, or with friends to show them the sights. I have travelled early in the morning, during the day, and late at night – and I never got lost before.
I got lost yesterday. At both Euston underground station, and Kings Cross underground station.
After arriving at Euston main line station, I headed down a tunnel towards the underground, and started following the signs for the “Circle Line”, which I knew would take me back to Paddington Station, and main line trains to home. After walking along the corridor for a short while, suddenly there were no more circle line signs – only two other train lines. I looked at the map quickly, and figured I could just get the Victoria line down to Oxford Circus, and then the Bakerloo back to Paddington – and was about to do that, when I figured out I could also go to Kings Cross, and from there get the Circle Line – so I jumped trains, and did that. It would probably be quicker.
This is where it gets stupid.
I got off the train at Kings Cross, and started following the signs for the Circle Line. Suddenly there were no more Circle Line signsagain. For those that have not been in the cavernous depths of Kings Cross underground station, it is vast – like a human version of an ant nest you might see on the Discovery Channel. You can walk the tunnels for hundreds of yards without really getting anywhere.
I started to think logically – in the absence of signs – and continued heading up any “up” escalators. Eventually – after two more escalators, and walking round a twisting passage, I broke out onto an atrium with ticket machines, and a sign on the opposite wall (100 yards away) pointing towards the Circle line once more – which involved almost doubling back on myself, and walking anotherfivehundred yards through tunnels.
I get it. I get that the London Underground network is ancient, and quirky, and shouldn't work at all but somehow does – but when somebody that has travelled it for years gets lost, you start to wonder what's going wrong. In my case, a few signs would have solved everything...