One for the train nerds...

[theclaud]

Well, sort of. It's about tickets rather than locomotives, but you have to be a bit of nerd these days just to avoid paying a zillion pounds to go anywhere.

Anyway, just suppose I have bought an Advance ticket, and it is for the 20:08 from Bristol Parkway to Swansea. I am waiting on the platform at Bristol, and the 19:42 to Swansea is delayed, and is now expected at 20:13. The 20:08 to Swansea is delayed by an uncertain and growing number of minutes - latest prediction is 20:32. Now, obviously I'm going to get on the train that departs at 20:13, because a) it's the obvious thing to do and b) I'm scared of missing last orders at the pub thanks to an indefinitely delayed train. But is it allowed, or is it against the rools, given that the "20:08" on my reservation arguably refers not to an actual time of departure but to a specified service? Do the rools require me to wait for the next train? Has anyone ever tested this and had a barney with a ticket inspector as a result?

Yours interestedly

TeeCee

 

[Crackle]

Oooh this is like a someone dinted my car thread for people without cars, cool

 

[Arch]

If you've bought an advance ticket, do you have a seat reservation? If so, I'm sure the rules are that you must travel on that train - ie, the one you booked, no matter how late it is.

As to the result, that might depend on the ticket inspector, the lateness of the train, and the reasonableness with which you state your case.

 

[snorri]

It's not going to help your case with the ticket inspector if you come out with line "but my friend on the CycleChat forum said".

 

[theclaud]

If you've bought an advance ticket, do you have a seat reservation? If so, I'm sure the rules are that you must travel on that train - ie, the one you booked, no matter how late it is.

As to the result, that might depend on the ticket inspector, the lateness of the train, and the reasonableness with which you state your case.

The seat reservation is mandatory with Advance tickets, so yes my hypothetical booked seat would be on the later of the two trains.

 

[Arch]

The seat reservation is mandatory with Advance tickets, so yes my hypothetical booked seat would be on the later of the two trains.

Then the rools say you have to travel on that train I'm afraid. Your ticket is not valid for another train, as it's not valid without the seat reservations.

You may get a sympathetic guard who exercises judgement, but you may not. If not, you'll be required to cough up to make up to the standard fare, I think.

 

[Arch]

Given the timings, what have you hypothetically done by now?

 

[Crackle]

She's hiding in the loo, like in all the films

 

[Linford]

You could always just stop in Brizzle and go clubbing instead until the morning train to Swansea

 

[theclaud]

Then the rools say you have to travel on that train I'm afraid. Your ticket is not valid for another train, as it's not valid without the seat reservations.

You may get a sympathetic guard who exercises judgement, but you may not. If not, you'll be required to cough up to make up to the standard fare, I think.

I expect you're right about the rools. I would certainly refuse, of course, but then I would hope that it wouldn't come to that, as a lot of ticket inspectors are reasonable about such things. But with this as with travelling short, I have a fancy to test the rools.

 

[Archie_tect]

Well, sort of. It's about tickets rather than locomotives, but you have to be a bit of nerd these days just to avoid paying a zillion pounds to go anywhere.

Anyway, just suppose I have bought an Advance ticket, and it is for the 20:08 from Bristol Parkway to Swansea. I am waiting on the platform at Bristol, and the 19:42 to Swansea is delayed, and is now expected at 20:13. The 20:08 to Swansea is delayed by an uncertain and growing number of minutes - latest prediction is 20:32. Now, obviously I'm going to get on the train that departs at 20:13, because a) it's the obvious thing to do and b) I'm scared of missing last orders at the pub thanks to an indefinitely delayed train. But is it allowed, or is it against the rools, given that the "20:08" on my reservation arguably refers not to an actual time of departure but to a specified service? Do the rools require me to wait for the next train? Has anyone ever tested this and had a barney with a ticket inspector as a result?

Yours interestedly

TeeCee

You can't travel on an Advance ticket on a different train- you'll be liable to pay for the equivalent full single ticket on the train. You're not allowed to break the journey part way and you're not even supposed to get off at a station before the one stated on your ticket....

I had a similar problem but lost out to the Jobsworth Guard.... Had an Apex Ticket for a train to Kings Cross from Newcastle... can't remember the times but it was something like this...
Arrived at NCL to catch the 7:30... train on platform 2 as usual and av=bout to depart- asked guard if it was the London train... he said yes. I got on. My train only due to stop at York and Peterborough.
Ticket inspector didn't make an announcement until the train was leaving York station at 8:20 [or so] and said, " This is the delayed 7:55 train to London Kings Cross calling at Doncaster and Grantham......I realised I was on the earlier train than the one I was supposed to catch so set off to find the guard.

He was wandering down the aisle saying. "Tickets from Newcastle and York...." When I pointed out my Apex ticket was for the 'later' delayed train from Newcastle but that the guard had pointed me to this one without mentioning the delay, he was totally unsympathetic and repeatedly said I should have waited for the later train regardless of how late it would then have made me arriving in London for my 11 am meeting... He insisted that I had to pay £90 for a day single ticket from York to London [as my Apex ticket was void on that train single. The alternative was to get off at Grantham, but the following train [my train] didn't stop at Grantham so I'd have to wait for a slow connection after.... I couldn't get him to see reason so paid the £90 . Complained formally to East Coast but they backed the guard saying I should have checked the time of the train at Newcastle even though the delay would have mede my trip to London totally pointless as I'd've been late for my meeting.

 

[theclaud]

Given the timings, what have you hypothetically done by now?

Both hypothetically and in reality, I have got on the train that departed at 20:13. The hypothetical bit is the Advance ticket.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Tea anyone?

 

[theclaud]

You can't travel on an Advance ticket on a different train- you'll be liable to pay for the equivalent full single ticket on the train. You're not allowed to break the journey part way and you're not even supposed to get off at a station before the one stated on your ticket....

I had a similar problem but lost out to the Jobsworth Guard.... Had an Apex Ticket for a train to Kings Cross from Newcastle... can't remember the times but it was something like this...
Arrived at NCL to catch the 7:30... train on platform 2 as usual and av=bout to depart- asked guard if it was the London train... he said yes. I got on. My train only due to stop at York and Peterborough.
Ticket inspector didn't make an announcement until the train was leaving York station at 8:20 [or so] and said, " This is the delayed 7:55 train to London Kings Cross calling at Doncaster and Grantham......I realised I was on the earlier train than the one I was supposed to catch so set off to find the guard.

He was wandering down the aisle saying. "Tickets from Newcastle and York...." When I pointed out my Apex ticket was for the 'later' delayed train from Newcastle but that the guard had pointed me to this one without mentioning the delay, he was totally unsympathetic and repeatedly said I should have waited for the later train regardless of how late it would then have made me arriving in London for my 11 am meeting... He insisted that I had to pay £90 for a day single ticket from York to London [as my Apex ticket was void on that train single. The alternative was to get off at Grantham, but the following train [my train] didn't stop at Grantham so I'd have to wait for a slow connection after.... I couldn't get him to see reason so paid the £90 . Complained formally to East Coast but they backed the guard saying I should have checked the time of the train at Newcastle even though the delay would have mede my trip to London totally pointless as I'd've been late for my meeting.

He sounds like a right git.

There's an ontological question here. The "20:08" may indeed refer to a designated service and not to a promise of punctuality, but it is not an arbitrary designation. There is a point at which the "20:08" cannot reasonably be supposed to be anything to do with 20:08, without a kind of demented self-referential irony that seems to me just cause for protest. For me that point is when the service is "overtaken", so to speak, by the following one.

 

[theclaud]

Do you remember the ride to Cleethorpes when the trains were expected to be buggered up by cabling theft?
I caught a much earlier train so that, if we had to ride part way, I could get to Doncaster in time for my booked train. As it happened the train sailed through and I had a three hour wait at Doncaster because they wouldn't endorse my ticket for an earlier train. I am starting to get over it now though.

I don't think we should rush you on this. Yes I do remember the occasion, but had forgotten the exact circumstances. I didn't tag you but sharp-eyed Cyclechatters might have spotted a veiled reference to you in the thread title...