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Travel to Wembley Sunday 24th April

Trains – Due to the London Marathon all early trains to London Bridge and Victoria are expected to be extremely busy with long queues at ticket offices, especially East Croydon, so I recommend you purchase tickets a day in advance. Paper One day Travelcards can also be purchased from ticket machines at stations and tram stops but you cannot buy One day Travelcards at Oyster shops. Non-regular travellers in London are reminded that you can use a debit card for contactless payments on the yellow card reader to obtain the Oyster card pay as you go rate. Travelcard adult fares are capped at £12.10 for zones 1-6 via Central London. Children with a Zip Oyster photocard can travel free if aged 5-10 and for £6 if aged 11-16. Travellers from Gatwick Airport and intermediate stations to Merstham can now use pay as you go payment cards with the price capped at £19. Group Day Travelcards for groups of ten or more are only available as paper tickets from ticket machines at Tube stations or from London Overground or TfL Rail station ticket offices and some National Rail stations that Tube and London Overground services run through such as West Croydon and Norwood Junction. These cost £8 per person for zones 1-6.
Normal Sunday service timetable with fast trains from East Croydon to Victoria at 06, 12, 17, 26, 35, 41 and 50 and to London Bridge at 03, 09, 32 and 38 past each hour.
Thameslink services will not run between Blackfriars and St Pancras International so there will be no direct interchange to the Metropolitan line at Farringdon.
There is no direct train from East Croydon to Wembley Central on Sundays. Change at Clapham Junction to a London Overground train (only 5 car units) and then change at Willesden Junction for the Underground to Wembley Central. Note that the Southern train to Watford Junction will not stop at Willesden Junction or Wembley Central but do not continue to Harrow and Wealdstone and then change for a southbound train as it is likely that the majority of Watford fans will travel to Wembley Central and so the trains will be very busy. This is the cheapest route option (return fare: £7 .50 adult, £4.95 railcards, £3.75 child from East Croydon) but pay as you go payment card passengers are advised to touch in on the pink card readers at Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction to ensure that the correct fare is applied.
Due to weekend engineering works buses will replace trains between
• West Croydon and Balham via Crystal Palace,
• Barnham and Brighton
• Shortlands and Brixton via Herne Hill.
• Ashford and Tonbridge.
Travellers from West Croydon, Norwood Junction or Crystal Palace can travel on the London Overground to Canada Water for the Jubilee line or continue to Whitechapel for the Hammersmith & City line to Baker Street.

Tramlink – No engineering works expected. To avoid crowds at East Croydon you could travel by tram to Wimbledon and then continue to Vauxhall or Waterloo via zone 1. To avoid zone 1 take the District line and change at West Brompton for London Overground and then Willesden Junction for the Bakerloo line to Wembley Central. Pay as you go payment card passengers are advised to touch in on the pink card readers at Wimbledon, West Brompton and Willesden Junction. Travellers who continue on the District line and change between stations at Edgware Road for the Bakerloo line will be charged the zone 1 rate.

Underground - No engineering works are planned on any lines but Jubilee Line trains direct to Wembley Park are expected to be especially busy between Canary Wharf and Green Park due to the Marathon. Entrances at London Bridge and Victoria Underground stations are also expected to be crowded. It may be easier to change at Clapham Junction for a train to Vauxhall and then take the Victoria line to Oxford Circus.
If drinking around Baker Street an alternate route is to take a Chiltern Rail train from Marylebone to Wembley Stadium. Marylebone Station is only about a 200 metres walk from Baker Street. Note however that Wembley Stadium station can have large queues after the game.
Supporters either arriving at Paddington by train or using the District line from the Wimbledon area should be aware that the Bakerloo line platforms at Paddington are closed until the autumn so either change at Edgware Road for a Circle or Hammersmith & City line train to Baker Street or walk between the separate stations at Edgware Road for Bakerloo trains to Wembley Central.

Coaches – Depart Selhurst Park at 12:30 and fare is £13. Bookings can be made online or at the box office but 2 for 1 travel vouchers can only be redeemed at the box office. Supporters are requested to park with consideration for local residents and also to ensure that the exit gates and junctions in Holmesdale Road are kept clear. The normal 3 hour time restrictions will apply to the Sainsbury’s car park so this will be unavailable.

Roads – The following event and road works and may affect your possible car routes to Wembley:
Extensive road closures from 7.00am until 7.0pm in Central London especially Westminster, Blackfriars and Tower Bridges due to the London Marathon. Traffic diversions are likely to make river crossings at Vauxhall, Lambeth and Waterloo Bridges extremely busy as well as roads near Victoria and Hyde Park Corner.
Traffic is also likely to be very slow in the area around Baker Street station due to the Palace street party outside the Globe and Metropolitan pubs.
Roadworks on the westbound North Circular Road at the Brentfield Road junction near the IKEA store may cause delays, especially after the game.
Parking for a large area around Wembley is strictly permit holders only for Stadium events. Parking is available at Wembley Stadium at £30 for about 3000 cars and £65 for coaches. This should be booked in advance via the Wembley Stadium website. An alternate would be to park in the Stanmore or Queensbury area and get the Jubilee line back in to Wembley Park.

Pubs - If intending to drink around Victoria, remember that the Duke of York and Stage Door pubs are closed due to the whole area being a building site, so that a repeat of the 1997 street party will not be possible. If drinking in the area of The Globe or Metropolitan Bar at Baker Street you may want to get some cans as reaching the bar will be almost impossible. There are several other options in Baker Street /Marylebone area.
The following pubs on the east side of Wembley Stadium have been specifically designated to Palace fans:
• The Torch - 1-5 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB
• Crock of Gold - 23 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB
• Watkins Folly - 1 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0EW
• The Junction, Wembley Retail Park, Engineers Way, HA9 0EG
• Crystal Club (Silverspoon) - South Way, Wembley
• The Parish - 120 Wembley Park Drive, Wembley, HA9 8HP
• First Class Sports Bar - 125 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG
• The Wembley Tavern - 121 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG
• Cheers Bar - 45 Blackbird Hill, NW9 8RS
To reach The Torch, which is the largest on the east side, turn left out of the Wembley Park main entrance.
To catch some of the Marathon atmosphere before the game the following pubs are close to the route:
• The Gypsy Moth near the Cutty Sark, Greenwich (but this whole area will be extremely crowded).
• The Surrey Docks (Wetherspoon’s) is opposite Surrey Quays station.
• The Gregorian is just west of Bermondsey station.
• The Draft House, Bridge House and Pommelers Rest (Wetherspoon’s) are in Tower Bridge Road and are a short walk from London Bridge station via the embankment.
The Marathon mass start is at 10:00 and the elite runners should reach Tower Bridge from 11:00 and the masses from about 11:45. Places to cross the Marathon route will be limited so remember to allow for delays.

I will update as further information becomes available but try to keep postings to helpful information only.