From 25 July 2010
Six Minutes….That is the difference between catching a train and missing it. When traveling internationally by train, do not (I repeat) do NOT wait in the main station until the track number is announced. At this point you are too LATE and will most likely miss your train!! Good news for those traveling in London, you are not condemned to catch a different train. If you are in London you become a priority passenger.
The story behind this is as follows…we got to the train station an hour and a half early, but did not know what track to go to, so we assumed that we were to wait to find out. This was not true, as we discovered upon turning the corner towards the track. This turn revealed to us a long (and I mean l-o-n-g) line through immigration. Lucky for us, the ticket agent noticed our departure time, sent us to the front of the line, rushed us through security, and sent us to business class customs. We then booked it to the platform to find that we were on the furthest train car from the station. Again rushing down the platform we made it to our train car in time to wait for some other late-comers to put luggage on the car, then we boarded the train as it was pulling away from the station.
Lessons learned: (1) the British are wonderfully forgiving people and are very helpful to clueless travelers in high-stress situations; (2) never wait for a track number to be announced to begin the custom’s process.
I can also honestly say that I have never gotten through customs so quickly and efficiently, though I NEVER want to try that one again!
