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Title: Last off-peak train before peak begins (Kings Cross to Peterborough) Post by: johoare on October 28, 2014, 14:24:58 My sister was on this train yesterday.. It leaves Kings Cross at 4.40pm.. The next one she could have got on on her off-peak ticket was 7.10pm so a 2 1/2 hour wait..
She got there 15 minutes before the train left and it was already full and standing then due to there being 4 carriages less than normal..As you can imagine it was crammed by the time it left.. So, and whilst I don't know if it happened yesterday or not so this is hypothetical, what would happen if there were passengers unable to get onto this train? Would they be made to wait 2 1/2 hours even though they got there in time for this train or, and I'd like to hope, some discretion would be made to allow them to travel on the next train after this? Title: Re: Last off-peak train before peak begins (Kings Cross to Peterborough) Post by: JayMac on October 28, 2014, 15:23:15 No written rules or guidelines in such a scenario.
Discretion is the best that can be hoped for, or a refund from Customer Services of any excess fare paid. What ticket (including its routeing and whether this was single, outward or return journey being made) was held? Title: Re: Last off-peak train before peak begins (Kings Cross to Peterborough) Post by: johoare on October 28, 2014, 17:14:59 It was an off-peak day return and this was the return journey - ^26.50 so only valid on Great Northern Service (not East Coast)
Title: Re: Last off-peak train before peak begins (Kings Cross to Peterborough) Post by: JayMac on October 28, 2014, 18:55:38 It would be as I said then. Discretion at best. An excess up to the Off Peak Return (^39.00, so difference of ^12.50) at worst, for travel on the next available service at 1650.
I'd be complaining loudly though if an excess was demanded when it was physically impossible to board the 1640 due to it being short formed. Title: Re: Last off-peak train before peak begins (Kings Cross to Peterborough) Post by: johoare on October 28, 2014, 19:31:48 Thanks for that.. Fortunately it was only a hypothetical question though I'm sure if she had known how overcrowded the service was going to be pretty much all the way she may have considered the 2 1/2 hour wait.. She couldn't really afford the difference and travel on a peak train..
As for me (who had spent some of the day with her) I was on the 16.22 from Paddington to change at Slough for Maidenhead and must have had the best part of ten seats to myself.. I am thinking that was helped a bit by FGW not having such a long and strict peak time restriction in the evening rush hour.. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |