FIRST CITY FLYERS

PICTURE any London terminal in the rush hour as commuters cram on board a series of departing trains. Which of the passengers has been smart, or lucky, enough to pick the right suburb to give the fastest journey to work?

Finding a universally acceptable definition for the ‘fastest commuter service’ could prove controversial, so this survey has used those stations that appear on the February 2019 London Rail and Tube services map for which an Oyster Card is valid.

When this article was first planned, it was the intention to base research on the December 2018 to May 2019 timetable and reassess the figures in the light of the timetable in force at the time of publication, but Covid-19 has since taken its grip.

Railway travel is a ‘derived demand’ that reflects the economy in which it operates. Both are in a state of flux, so the original figures from February 2019 have been retained which might, by accident, also coincide with the zenith of London commuting.

The Railway Performance Society (RPS) keeps abreast of the fastest services on the national network thanks mainly to the efforts of Jeremy Hartill tracking developments, but London-based RPS publicity officer Baard Covington has undertaken extensive work to establish the winner of the title ‘London’s Fastest Commuter Service’.

If we turn back the clock, London commuting was chiefly into a suitable terminus near to the financial institutions of the City, but the business world and transport infrastructure has evolved since then. As aresult, many new commuting destinations, such as Stratford, lie outside the central zone 1.