Thank you very much blushingsnail for your OP.

You really saved me on Saturday. I saw your posting last week and realised that it involved me. I had to get to London’s Glittering West End for mid-Saturday morning.

If I had not seen your post then, being generally disorganised, I’d have not (I repeat NOT) done any of the following:

1. Checked the TFL Journey Planner website.
2. Left home well before I needed to be uptown just in case something like engineering works would throw a spanner in my works.

Because of your post, I left home comfortably before 9am. And got to my destination with a little bit of time to spare.

Oh, I had to pop to Forest Hill Station to renew my travel card and saw people stamping their feet and shaking their fists at the sky on realising the engineering works were in action.

I could feel their frustration but I also smiled to myself of having the good sense to read SE23.com.

I avoided the bus replacement service, as Michael wisely scribed, as I have found that tends to do the grand tour of South East England. The 185, at about 9am on Saturday, had me conveniently at Vauxhall within 30 minutes. Then a quick trip on the Victoria Line and I was standing outside of Oxford Circus well before my 10am appointment. Still smiling to myself and singing your praises, blushingsnail, with every step that I took.

Without your post, I’d have been still standing in the forecourt of Forest Hill Station petulantly stamping my feet and shaking my fist.

Thank you again.