Random 15 Championship 2025/26: Round 3

[tangy]

If you are new to all of this:

Welcome to the Random 15 Championship. I am your host (commonly known to regulars as the BERC when I am hosting Random 15 challenges). The Random 15 challenge is just that, visit 15 randomly selected stations that feature on the Tube Map (usually within zones 1-2 and using the Underground network only). There will be certain rounds within the championship that are a variation of this such as adding an extra zone or network e.g. DLR onto the challenge. So are you ready to take on the Random 15 championship?

The rules and scoring are unchanged from previous seasons but if anyone is not familiar with them, or needs a refresh, you can view them here: http://www.explorerticket.co.uk/tubecha ... 5rules.htm

Round 3 is upon us and that means it's everyone's favourite... the National Rail round!

When: Saturday 10th January 2026 12:30 UK local time.
Variant: Round 3 is always the National Rail twist round. Therefore National Rail stations (including Overground and Crossrail [Elizabeth Line]) in zones 1 and 2 will be in the mix.
Meet up: St. Pancras International, please meet on the concourse outside the entrance to the low level Thameslink platforms.
Post challenge pub: The Blue Posts, Newman Street, Marylebone W1T 3EU.
Time limit to complete: Twist round, 6 hours. Sometimes this is needed!

Closures affecting this challenge (correct at time of posting):
Jubilee: No service Green Park - Stratford (aka JLE).
Mildmay: No service Gospel Oak - Richmond / Shepherd's Bush. Special service between Stratford and Willesden Junction via Primrose Hill.
Waterloo & City: Usual planned closure.

South Eastern: No trains will call at Lewisham, trains diverted via avoiding line.
Southern: No trains between Clapham Junction and Watford Junction.
Southern: No trains between London Bridge and Crystal Palace via Sydenham (East London / Windrush line unaffected).
Thameslink: No trains between St. Pancras and Finsbury Park. These trains diverted to/from King's Cross mainline.

Other engineering work to be aware of:
Complete blockade between Purley and Gatwick Airport affecting long distance trains from London Victoria and London Bridge.

Please be aware that as this round contains National Rail stations, a standard Tube map be not be sufficient for you to plan your route. The London Connections map (or Rail & Tube Services in modern parlance) is no longer being produced and I do not have any left of the last printed version. Therefore if you need a copy, they are available for download on the TfL website.

Please respond if you are attending so I know how many envelopes to prepare.

[tangy]

A note regarding the status of Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) stations:

As Crossrail is part of the National Rail network like the Overground (XR is just another TOC), the low level platforms at Liverpool Street and Paddington can be used for the NR purposes of this challenge.

Canary Wharf XR is really the only one of the "core" Crossrail stations that is physically separate from its namesake Underground station. Therefore if say Bond Street appears in the list then as it is considered one station it can be visited by LU or XR as you see fit (as per already the case for stations like West Brompton or Stratford).

If a station is noted with an NR tag then as long as you visit the station on ANY NR TOC operated train then it is considered valid. Therefore if Liverpool Street NR is drawn out you may visit it on a Crossrail, Overground (Weaver Line) or Greater Anglia train as required.

[tangy]

A note regarding St. Pancras (NR):

As St. Pancras (NR) also includes the SouthEastern High Speed Javelin services (and East Midlands Railway), it is permitted to use these as part of your challenge but the challenger will be responsible for paying the extra fare required to travel on these trains.

Stratford International (NR) will be excluded and will NOT be one of the 15 you will be required to visit.

[tangy]

As this is a challenge that involves multiple networks (LU, LO and NR) it is vitally important you visit the correct station on a network that is valid for that station.

To clarify, here is a list of what stations are to be included in the challenge (except those closed for engineering work which will be excluded from the draw anyway):
--All LU stations in zones 1-2.
--All Overground stations in zones 1-2.
--NR Stations counted as separate from the above: All London Terminals, Battersea Park, Brixton, City Thameslink, Deptford, Drayton Park, East Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Essex Road, Finsbury Park, Greenwich, Herne Hill, Lewisham, Limehouse, Loughborough Junction, North Dulwich, Nunhead, Putney, Queenstown Road, Rectory Road, South Bermondsey, St. John's, Vauxhall, Waterloo East, Wandsworth Town, West Hampstead Thameslink.

The golden rule is that if you need to exit one set of ticket barriers then enter another set of ticket barriers to transfer to the other network then it is classed as separate. At stations where one can interchange between different networks without passing through any ticket barriers then it is counted as one station and can be visited by any of the above networks included in this challenge. Examples include: Farringdon, Highbury & Islington, Kensington Olympia, New Cross, Stratford, West Brompton, Whitechapel to name a few.

If you have any questions regarding this then please ask!

[miklcct]

As this is a challenge that involves multiple networks (LU, LO and NR) it is vitally important you visit the correct station on a network that is valid for that station.

To clarify, here is a list of what stations are to be included in the challenge (except those closed for engineering work which will be excluded from the draw anyway):
--All LU stations in zones 1-2.
--All Overground stations in zones 1-2.
--NR Stations counted as separate from the above: All London Terminals, Battersea Park, Brixton, City Thameslink, Deptford, Drayton Park, East Dulwich, Elephant & Castle, Essex Road, Finsbury Park, Greenwich, Herne Hill, Lewisham, Limehouse, Loughborough Junction, North Dulwich, Nunhead, Putney, Queenstown Road, Rectory Road, South Bermondsey, St. John's, Vauxhall, Waterloo East, Wandsworth Town, West Hampstead Thameslink.

The golden rule is that if you need to exit one set of ticket barriers then enter another set of ticket barriers to transfer to the other network then it is classed as separate. At stations where one can interchange between different networks without passing through any ticket barriers then it is counted as one station and can be visited by any of the above networks included in this challenge. Examples include: Farringdon, Highbury & Islington, Kensington Olympia, New Cross, Stratford, West Brompton, Whitechapel to name a few.

If you have any questions regarding this then please ask!

I'm sorry, Finsbury Park is not a separate station. The station is fully gated and both LU and NR share a paid area after the latest remodelling in 2021. Among all London Terminals, Moorgate is also not a separate station as well.

https://oysterfares.com/solving-finsbury-park/

My challenge generator reflects this latest position that FInsbury Park is one station.

I will be attending this challenge.

[Lunaticonthegrass]

Attending: miklcct, Lotg

Here's hoping we don't have a repeat of the train failures of last year!

[JamesWright]

Attending: miklcct, Lotg, JW

In addition to the closures listed above, it seems there will be engineering work on SWR next weekend, with no service at Vauxhall or Queenstown Road Battersea.

[Rhys1995]

See you there.

Attending: Me!

[RJSRdg]

I am hoping to be there, however I need to attend the Maidenhead Model Railway Exhibition in the morning so I may be very tight on the 12:30! (or it may be a case of leaving an envelope somewhere for me to find....).

Would it be possible for someone to clarify the best route from KXSP (Circle Line) to the Thameslink concourse?

[JamesWright]

Would it be possible for someone to clarify the best route from KXSP (Circle Line) to the Thameslink concourse?

Take the exit closest to the western end of the platform (rear if coming from Paddington), go through the ticket barriers, turn left, go up the stairs, turn right, enter St Pancras station, and go straight on past the shops all the way to the end.

[ANDY_JS]

Hoping to attend provided my train tomorrow morning is on time, it's due to arrive at Euston at 11:30am.

[Sachef]

Planning to be there - not sure if alone or with a friend at this stage. Should be interesting with all the closures!

[RJSRdg]

Just noticed that the TfL website says there will be no Jubilee Service between Finchley Road and Stratford tomorrow, which means Swiss Cottage and St John's Wood will be closed.

[greatkingrat]

That's only for Night Tube. By the time we get going the Jubilee will be running as far as Green Park.

I have noticed that Canada Water is closed though. Although the Windrush line is running, it is not stopping at Canada Water this weekend. I don't know if Tangy noticed and excluded it from the draw or not, I guess if it comes up we can just do a pass-through.

[RJSRdg]

Another disappointing round for me again, not helped by not being fully fit and effectively limited to walking rather than running. Even before the start my knee was starting to play up.

From St Pancras (NR), I headed with most of the others to Farringdon, where I changed on to the Elizabeth Line for the run to Liverpool Street (with hindsight I might have been better getting the Subsurface - despite the extra stop) owing to the lengthy corridors and escalators - although I did wangle myself a ride on the inclinator at Liverpool Street!

I then found I had a 14 minute wait for the first train to Cambridge Heath, and faced with a 10 minute wait for the next train back, I went down to street level and saw a 55 bus about to round the corner. I got on this only to discover that the road was jammed with traffic owing to roadworks further up. Eventually I got off at "Hoxton Station" bus stop, only to find there were no directions from the bus stop to the station! I asked one gentleman who'd just got off and he replied "Which station?" before sending Queens me in the wrong direction - in all, I think I got lost three times before finding it! My relief at finding the station though was short-lived as the barrier swallowed my Travelcard and it took some persuading for me to get the man in the ticket office to come out and retrieve it. He slowly put his coat on, went through the office door and waited outside for a few minutes (I could see him through the glass) before disappearing for long enough for me to wonder whether he actually was coming or had just gone for a cigarette - before finally turning up and retrieving it but I'm sure it cost me one train and maybe a couple more.

Down to Surrey Quays via Shadwell (NR) and a brisk walk to Bermondsey South where Andrew C and Michael disembarked from a northbound train and doubled back. I went south one stop to Queens Road Peckham and walked from there to Nunhead where I had an 18 minute wait, but at least with the trees out of leaf, there was a good view to Canary Wharf, The Shard, and St Paul's to enjoy.

Over to Peckham Rye and a better-timed change on to the Overground to Clapham High Street via Denmark Hill. Attempted to run the short distance to Clapham North but turned my ankle over. Down to Clapham South then back up to Stockwell, change on to the light blue to Green Park via Victoria. At Green Park, a Piccadilly Line train was already in the platform, so I hopped on it even though the door position was wrong for the Earl's Court change and the train was too busy to risk getting out and trying to move up the train at Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, or South Kensington, so I changed to the District Line at Gloucester Road (where the platform exit is near the rear of the train) as opposed to South Ken or Earl's where it is at the front. 2 minute wait for an Ealing Broadway service calling at West Kensington. From there I walked to Kensington Olympia and caught the Overground to Shepherd's Bush (somehow managing to get lost between the LO and LU stations! Then over to White City and back to Notting Hill Gate in 3:47:55 which at first glance wasn't too bad but only good enough for 11th which means after 3 rounds I'm still on "nul points". Still, a nice enough ride!