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The London Underground's Northern line branches off in a couple of places, causing endless confusion for tourist and frustration for commuters.

The line splits in two at the middle - one going off into Central London via Charing Cross, the other heading through the City of London via Bank.

When you arrive at Kennington going northbound you have to decide - which route do you take?

Sometimes you'll not have a choice, say if you're going to Moorgate, but if you're heading all the way up to Euston it doesn't make a difference in terms of the journey.

Except how long it may take.

Two of the MyLondon team decided to find out exactly which is the quicker branch to take at peak rush hour - there are 10 stops on each, so how big is the time difference between the two routes?

Ready, set, go!

Ellie

Lucy and I parted ways at Kennington and I headed to the Charing Cross branch platform. I timed it perfectly, only having to wait one minute for a train - good luck given the train after wasn't going to be for another seven minutes.

As someone who takes the Bank branch to work every day the sight of the empty train pulling in sent a wave of delight right through me. I stepped on and got a seat easily, pulled out a book and enjoyed the breeze running through the nearly empty carriage.

Lucy

What's one of the worst things you could do at 8.45am on a Monday morning?

Take the Northern Line to work, specifically the Bank branch.

Getting on at Clapham Common I had already had a terrible journey to Kennington, having to watch five trains go passed before I could even get on.

So I was pretty used to the crowds by the time I was battling them for a second time to get on the train at Kennington. It didn't stop me from accidentally stepping on someone's bag when I got on though. I found a tiny portion of the Tube and accepted my fate of standing in a sweaty crowd for a while.

The journey

Ellie

The journey was so comfortable. The carriage was never packed - there was about 10 people standing at the busiest point.

There was none of the stressful vibe you get heading through the city - but the downside was you got strange people boarding, like the teen with a boom-box that blared incredibly loud 'music' through the carriage.

On the Bank branch someone would definitely have told him to shut up.

Lucy

Now it was time to endure the crowded journey through the city and up to Camden. It was quiet on the Tube, no sounds apart from people pushing through the crowds to get on and off. No-one spoke to each other.

It felt like a slow journey. The train stopped in the tunnel outside two stations - Elephant and Castle and London Bridge - to allow for the train in front to move from the platform. It was not looking hopeful that the Bank branch would be quicker.

As if summing up the journey in one sentence, an announcer on the platform at Bank station repeated 'mind the doors' about five times, probably as people attempted to squeeze onto the train.

The grand finale

Ellie

Surprise, surprise I got there first. By far.

The Charing Cross branch from Kennington to Camden Town took 17 minutes in total, not counting time waiting for the train to arrive.

Not only was it a much quicker journey, but it was a much more pleasant one.

(Image: Lucy Skoulding and Ellie McKinnell)

My advice - if you can ever get this line, do.

Find out below just how much longer the Bank branch took.

Lucy

After a slightly less stressful end to the journey because the train had emptied out at Moorgate and I'd actually got a seat for the first time, it was time to see if I'd won.

Checking my timer it took 24 minutes and 47 seconds to get from Kennington to Camden.

As I emerged from the escalator to our meeting point, sure enough Ellie was already standing there.

It took me a full seven minutes and 47 seconds longer to travel the same number of stops.

Of course there might be some discrepancies, such as different distances between stops, but that's still a big time difference.

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If this has made you realise just how grim the Bank branch of the Northern Line is during commuting time, you could look at alternative routes into the City.

If you work anywhere near Bank, why not take the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line to Waterloo then get the one-stop Waterloo & City Line. At least you wouldn't be on the train for long.

Alternatively you could go to Embankment on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line then take the District/Circle Line round to Cannon Street, Monument, Tower Hill, Liverpool Street or Moorgate.

Do you have any interesting facts about London's transport? Email mylondonnewsdesk@reachplc.com