Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi, is there the demand to stop almost every CrossCountry and First Great Western service at Tiverton Parkway and Totnes?  I know the stations are well used at times but both stations are only 15 minutes away from others and stopping there adds time to a long journey like Penzance to Paddington or Edinburgh.

I always find that loads of people leave XC at Tivvy! I'm always impressed by loadings!

seems that passengers who pre book tickets and have connecting trains to catch always seem to have tivvy thrown up as the place to change instead of Taunton or Exeter,

When it has virtually no station facilities??  ???

For some people, not having to change platforms is a definite plus.

Most of the time though if both trains are going to stop at Tiverton Parkway then it would be the same platfom at Taunton or even Exeter unless the train was terminating there.

I agree but:


If Tiverton Parkway is going to be given as an interchange station then I agree with devon-metro it ought to have more facilities. Canopies, Platform reshfreshment facilities and loos.  But the "bean counters" wouldn't  pay out to provide such facilities. Tiverton Parkway was built to the minimum standards to allow you catch a train from a platform. Its two up on many places on the continent and US where you might have to  cross the tracks to catch the train from the ground level or a very low platform.

With the exception of Summer Saturdays, as far as I know every XC train stops at Tiverton Parkway.

However, there are 2 periods during the day when FGW trains do not stop there for 2 hours. (Either the EXD-TAU-RDG-PAD or EXD-RDG-PAD services.)

TVP as small as it is, is a far more convenient option for passengers on/near the M5 then Exeter or Taunton, hence the reason during sea-wall disruption you will find that rail replacement buses will run Newton Abbot-->TVP rather than trying to flog through the traffic into Exeter.

With the accelleration on the Voyagers what it is, I also don't believe you are being inconvenienced journey-time wise by stopping at TVP by more than a couple of minutes.

The last time I had to get the bus they were running fast buses from NTA to EXD, all stations buses from NTA to EXD and fast buses from PLY to TVP.

Only Exeter/Plymouth/Torbay HSTs/Vomiters should stop (for journey times).

Although as said above, it affects Vomiters less.

Yes, the Paddington to Plymouth trains should stop there but it's a long journey from Paddington to Penznace and so Penzance trains could do without the Tiverton Parkway and Totnes stops.  The Cornish Riviera at one time even used to run PAD - EXD - PLY.

Before my time I must admit, I just thought that's what happened.

Speaking as a Tiverton Parkway User

1.  Yes. 

I don't believe the travelling public are too bothered about journey times over that sort of distance, punctuality is the key however many stops there are.

Perhaps it makes sound operating sense to stop HS services at 'intermediate' stations because it precludes the need for a semi fast services to follow in the wake of faster trains. (In order to link such hotspots as Taunton or Exeter with TVP, or NTA and Plymouth with Totnes).  Direct HS services are also good selling point for local business and add much to the perceived prestige of a town. 

That said, in the case of Tivvy and its hinterland, there is a population of almost 70,000 to serve, so I would agree that it is both a good candidate for HS services and its current facilities worthy of an upgrade. Totnes too, is an important local railhead which also attracts passengers from the nether end of Torbay, who find it preferable to drive from the coast and leave cars in Totnes, rather than rely on the bus and somewhat patchy train service via NTA.

Strikes me that ATOC/National Rail do something crafty about changing trains when both services call at more than one station, take passengers from Cornwall changing onto a XC service from Plymouth to the North seems that Passengers from Penzance get told to change at Newton Abbot, whilst passengers from St Erth, Hayle, Camborne & Redruth get to change at Exeter St D, from Truro and St Austell the change might be at Plymouth, from Par, Lostwithiel, Bomin Parkway change at Tiverton Parkway whilst Liskeard Passengers and passengers from branch lines change at Taunton.

It seems odd but It does spread out the crowds changing from One train to another. Me if I'm on a Vomet Comet I change ASAP, or If changing onto a Vomet comet ALAP.

If you take out the "Vomiter factor," I tend to:

a) Travel as far as possible on each train (so if you get stranded, you are nearer your destination

or

b) Change at the place where you are guaranteed plenty of train to your destination (e.g. B'ham New Street - it may be a sh*thole dump and you may have to pay for the loos- but it is a "safe" place to be for much of the West Mids.