Best driving/train combo to get to East Croydon from south!

[User0610134049]

I could really do with some MN wisdom and help.
Am going to have to travel to East Croydon from Liphook (down the A3 and on the Waterloo/guildford/Portsmouth train line). On the train it’s 1.5-2 hours but only one option an hour really (change at Clapham junction)

Driving says an hour on Google maps but I know in reality will be horrendous and much longer.

Basically nearer home the train links are rubbish, but nearer Croydon the traffic will be awful won’t it.

I thought driving and parking to guildford might be good as it’s after that the traffic worsens on the A3 and m25… but the train links are still rubbish (might be better when timetable improves?)

I think Best option I’ve found so far is driving and parking at Redhill station (an hour maybe? But no idea what traffic is like from m25 to Redhill), then it’s 14 mins on the train and 4 trains an hour.

Merstham looks closer to m25 and 12mins on train but only 2 trains an hour.

Any other ideas I’m missing?

Oh, I should say time will be of the essence because of childcare timing limitations so can’t really set off at crack of dawn.

What day of the week?

Ok 1hr 20 driving time showing today not 1 hour, must’ve looked before late at night!

Weekdays

Might need to be there 9-5 but plan on saying I’ll do my best but can get there when I get there

The tram goes to E Croydon - is driving to a tram stop and parking an option, rather than train?

Could be, the only option I checked for that so far is Wimbledon but the tram is 37 mins from there. Not sure if there would be tram stops on my route really (I guess the traffic get worse as I come in from m25) but will check the tram map.

Just seen online parking at Redhill station doesn’t sound very easy, might be season ticket holders only before 9am

Croydon tram doesn’t seem to go south/southeast at all from Croydon so don’t think that’s going to help me much

I don't think I'd try driving cross country to Redhill to be honest. You could look at driving south to Havant and pick up the Southern train there? Counter intuitive but then quite a short drive to pick up the train.
Or drive up to Haslemere and do the connection at Clapham Junction?

You could drive to merstham and park there instead? Might be easier as redhill is a connecting station with loads of lines whereas merstham just has the one line.

Can you change train at Guildford, then Redhill change for East Croydon? Parking at Redhill is more difficult and costly than Merstham (one of the carparks is being closed temporarily).

What time are you travelling?
I can and do drive often from Reigate to liphook in an hour (56/57 minutes).

Thank you for the suggestions

Havant is definitely an option, but it’s 1hr33-1hr37 two options an hour and 20 mins at least to get there

Guildford is 55mins to 1hr 15.
Maybe more options when they restore the normal timetable, I’m not sure.
Haslemere I will check

So maybe people think less driving and more train is better…

I just like option to hit the road straight after dropping at breakfast club and not be restricted by one or two trains an hour

Oh just seen times, yes merstham/Redhill for train stations , if it were me I would just drive the whole journey though I think.

Horsham might be an option?

Is driving whole way an option? Just assumed getting into east Croydon would be awful and take lot longer from the m25 than the train from merstham. But maybe I’m wrong.

It’s stressing me out as it’s a new job where I have to go to the Croydon office for training but they are not telling me how often I’ll have to go there. Am desperately hoping most of it is online. Otherwise i might just have to say I can be there more like 10-4 than 9-5.

Check Google maps at the exact time of day on a weekday you'd be driving. I wouldn't assume that M25 to Croydon would necessarily be that bad.

Yes the problem with the train is that the return journey there’s only one an hour to Liphook and it gets in dead on the hour. So the 6pm would be just too late for after school club, and the 5pm would mean leaving Croydon at 3.30 which is too early really.

Coming off the m25 the really slow but if where you join the a23 at that junction through Hooley and that sort of area. Also going.back in the evening.

Horsham has a direct 36m train twice an hour, but it’s annoying as it’s only 28 miles but is a cross country drive of about an hour.

I used to work in East Croydon and there was someone in the office who commuted by train from Petersfield (I guess he changed at Clapham Junction). I would imagine it would take far longer than an hour.

Every day? Wow
Yes it’s about 1.5 hours doing it that way I think. But not many trains from Petersfield/Liphook stop at Clapham junction now, one an hour I think.

@LIZS

Horsham might be an option?

Horsham doesn't have nearly as many trains to East Croydon per hour as Three Bridges does, as Three Bridges is on the Brighton mainline. Could OP get to Three Bridges?

Do you have a partner who could do either drop off or pick up on those training days? It's a massive commute to fit into a childcare day.

I'd also advise doing as little on Southern as SWR is a lot more reliable. I mean, no rail service could be as bad as Southern