Getting away from the O2 arena in London

[Clearinguptheclutter]

Hello wise mnetters who know about getting to/from the o2.

dh is going to Radiohead next weekend. A very long story as to why I’m not going. Anyway he is a grown adult but not great with public transport.

I can’t work out how best for him to get from the o2 (obviously quite late) to the premier inn canary wharf. All the maps suggest one stop the jubilee line is fine but tfl app suggests very convoluted bus routes. Is not very far as the crow flies but obviously swimming across the Thames or apparently walking under the tunnels are not options.

whats the issue with the jubilee line? They don’t mind a bit of a walk. Or is it an uber situation (I bet demand will be high!). Everything seems to point to the o2 being a complete PITA to get to. Hopefully it’s better organised than it seems.

Getting from the O2 to North Greenwich station is very quick. The queue moves quickly and jubilee line trains come every couple of mins.

Definitely don’t get the bus!

Thanks. I just don’t understand why the tfl app is not suggesting.
is it currently closed or something?

There is a cable car that can take him access the river. Not sure how far away it is from his hotel but I’ve got it after gigs before and it’s a much more pleasant experience than getting the tube. It’s tap on tap off. He’ll need to check what time it stops running but could be an option.

Jubilee line is the obvious choice, it will be very busy after the concert he might have to queue to get into the station. But it should be fine. You can check TFL website for planned closures but I can’t see any for jubilee line. And citymapper app for live updates.
but also. He is a grown up and there sounds like some back story here as to why you’re not going so maybe let him figure it out for himself.

Get the jubilee line. It's one stop. The premier inn is a bit of a walk from the tube, which is why it might be suggesting convoluted bus routes. But tube and walk will be easier.

cable car goes in wrong direction, don't get that

Also absolutely don’t try to get an Uber after a concert it will be really expensive and setting a pick up location at North Greenwich is a pain

Westferry Premier Inn? It's a 30-minute walk. I used to live in Westferry, I would just walk and avoid the public transport crowds.

I was there recently seeing Lewis Capaldi, stayed drinking a little after in our corporate box (maybe only 30m after the gig ended) and the tube station was like a ghost town already! So assuming no closures listed by TfL I imagine he will be fine

Ha. It’s not that interesting.

yes he is a grown man, with a friend, and he will definitely be fine
he appreciates my advice on stuff like this, having very poor geographical awareness and being useless with maps. If I’m honest I will go to sleep much more easily if I know he has a plan, regardless of whether or not he follows it

walk from where? I can’t see an easy way to walk across the river. Or am I missing something

The TfL journey planner often has a weird fixation with buses. I remove them from the travel options. Unless there's a Jubilee Line closure for engineering work, this one is a no-brainer.

Sorry I didn't type the right timing, missed off the hour! Greenwich Foot Tunnel.

TfL often encourages you to take routes that are less busy, which is probably why it’s directing you to avoid the Jubilee line after a gig at the O2 as it can take a while to queue to get into the station, then onto the platform etc.

I thought so too but with it not coming up on the app or on Google I was convinced I was missing something

Tbh at that time of night I wouldn’t walk along that section of the river and through the Greenwich foot tunnel.

Wouldn’t recommend this OP.

I was at the O2 earlier this week. Didn’t take long at all to get to the platform and no where near as much queuing or waiting around like Wembley.

That route would take well over 90 minutes I think, down from the o2 to Greenwich then around 50m up to the premier inn.

thanks everyone. I think one stop on the jubilee line plus 20 minute walk will be totally fine

gutted I’m not going (childcare issues) but they are going to have a fab time.

I think this is the best option too.

Things to note: you want to be fairly near the front of the the train, and when you get off you want to be heading left up the escalator. If you head right you'll come out of the opposite end of the jubilee line station and it can be a bit confusing.

I've previously also found the various levels Canary wharf is on a bit confusing and Google maps sent me down various flights of stairs to get to the west ferry premier Inn. I prefer to cross over the north dock footbridge instead but I usually have a suitcase and this involves fewer (though still some) steps.

Bless you @Ineffable23 that’s really helpful

The o2 is actually my favourite venue in London to get away from and I often work in Canary Wharf. 100% tube, don’t be put off by the queue to get into the station, they are well organised and I’ve never been more than 15 mins wait to get on.

One stop to Canary Wharf and then just make the walk through the wharf, it’s a safe area and easy to get around on foot. Definitely not the bus!

Agree with PP not to be put off by queues at tube - it is very, very well managed and he'll be out in no time

Oh and use citymapper app, it is better than tfl

My husband took my daughter to see Alicia Keyes at the 02 a few years ago. There was some mega tube failure while the concert was running and the result was no Jubilee Line.

And there were thousands of people basically stranded on the 02 peninsula with no way out.

Uber app wouldnt work - it was quoting about £500 for a pick up.

So people were trying to get onto buses, without really understanding where they were going.

My husband and daughter managed to get on a bus into central London and then a night bus home. But it took hours.

Last year or year before my daughter and her friend went to see JLS and the same thing happened. This time it was much worse as it was basically all young women. There were groups of hysterical girls who had no hope of getting home.

My husband had to drive over and pick them up. They were hysterical. There were gangs of men roaming around asking them for their numbers. There were no police, the 02 closed and there were no staff around.

We have decided never to go to a concert at the 02 ever again. The infrastructure just isn't there. There is no back up plan for when the tube fails. I actually wrote to my mp about it.

I’ve stayed in Canary Wharf hotels or ones in central London (and beyond) when seeing gigs at The O2 a lot. A tube from North Greenwich to Canary Wharf is definitely an easy option and then walking the rest to the hotel.

The queues do move quickly. My tips to OP’s DH would however be don’t queue if you don’t want to. I always hang back for 40 minutes or so after the gig and check out merchandise in the shop by the front entrance to The O2 and then go get a drink in one of the bars within The O2 - usually All Bar One. The atmosphere in there after a gig has always been great.
By the time I walk over to North Greenwich station, the queues have long gone.
With the gig being on a Friday night, the tubes will be running into the wee hours and are roughly every 10 mins.

Blimey that is bad. You’re right there should def be some kind of contingency plan when the jubilee is down.