Don't catch the train - walk!

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The Abbey Line - Watford Junction to St Albans - is one of the less well performing community rail lines in terms of passenger journey numbers (see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/smr/SAA.html or http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/smr/PKT.html for example).   I wonder how much is down to journey planners not favouring it.

Planning my journeys this week on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) web site, I've been surprised to be offered options that start or end with a 38 minute walk to St Albans City station.  Not something I've come across before.  Fair enough to suggest a walk between the two stations in St Budeaux, but over half an hour???



That 17:20 says "no fares available" and clicking on the "I" does nothing ... so I know I can do the journey tomorrow evening, at 17:20 from St Albans Abbey ... ideal ... but I don't know where to change, nor what ticket combo I need. Mind you, as there's no train scheduled to leave SAA at 17:20, I suspect it has me on foot to SAC which in the heat and with heavy luggage I'm disinclined to do.

[ChrisB]

It'll always offer the quickest journey allowed for in the routing guide (and sometimes not, as you've discovered), rven if that includes a 38min walk. That is what it is programmed to do.

I think there is an option somewhere to ask for journeys that are 'overtaken'?

[plymothian]

Try journey planning through the new GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) app.  It's powered by Google Transit!  You're more like to be told to take a bus.

[stuving]

It'll always offer the quickest journey allowed for in the routing guide (and sometimes not, as you've discovered), rven if that includes a 38min walk. That is what it is programmed to do.

I think there is an option somewhere to ask for journeys that are 'overtaken'?

It does offer journeys via the branch line, but as there's only a train every 50 minutes or so you have to look for them among the more numerous walk/St Pancras ones. And they are not a lot quicker. If there's a direct Euston train it saves 20 minutes, but that does not seem to happen at all often (I can't see why, without spending too much time on it). In most cases it shows a change onto Overground, which is slow but allows transfer to the Bakerloo.

What is missing (and is on other journey planners) is a "no walking" option.

And the walk it offers me takes only 33 minutes - how does it know I walk faster than Graham?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Try journey planning through the new GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) app.  It's powered by Google Transit!  You're more like to be told to take a bus.

Absolute disaster of a redesign (and online routeplanning is one of the things I do for a living, so for once, I know a little of what I speak ). I've switched to using the National Rail app instead.

[Western Pathfinder]

Iirc there is a bus betwine the two stations cost £1:00 I will check this and get back ASAP.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a5bLDmrCAgQ

The bus service gets a mention about 5mins into the video it's service No SC1 run by Lucketts.
Hope this helps .

http://www.abfly.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Abbey-Line-shuttle-bus-SC1-timetable-2017-01-25.pdf

[Bmblbzzz]

It'll always offer the quickest journey allowed for in the routing guide (and sometimes not, as you've discovered), rven if that includes a 38min walk. That is what it is programmed to do.

I think there is an option somewhere to ask for journeys that are 'overtaken'?

It does offer journeys via the branch line, but as there's only a train every 50 minutes or so you have to look for them among the more numerous walk/St Pancras ones. And they are not a lot quicker. If there's a direct Euston train it saves 20 minutes, but that does not seem to happen at all often (I can't see why, without spending too much time on it). In most cases it shows a change onto Overground, which is slow but allows transfer to the Bakerloo.

What is missing (and is on other journey planners) is a "no walking" option.

And the walk it offers me takes only 33 minutes - how does it know I walk faster than Graham?

This. Or simply to offer a variety of options. While I'm happy to walk 38 minutes – as long as I'm not in a dreadful hurry, don't have heavy luggage, it's not terribly hot, isn't raining heavily and I'm not accompanied by a toddler – many people aren't and some simply can't. And isn't this meant to be a public transport planner?

So I'd like to see a variety of options:
Walk 38 mins (click for route)
Bus No. 20, 21, 22B (click for timetable)
Taxi estimated fare £8

That's probably asking a bit much but it'd be rather useful.

[RichardB]

Add via Queen's Park to the search, Graham, and that will give you a 14 37 from Abbey, Melksham at 18 03 via Watford, Queen Park, Bakerloo, Paddington and Chippenham. 

[grahame]

Many thanks for various comments / feedbacks / suggestions folks.   I'm writing this from the White Hart in the centre of St Albans - tonight the "White Hot Hart" as cooling is inadequate, keeping me awake, hence the posts as Silly O'Clock.

Plans for tomorrow after I finish work at a nearby location were to try the St Albans Abbey (Abbey Line) as part of a different route home - a part leisure and part "rail role" trip to get flavour of another Community Rail line.  As it turned out, I finished slightly early yesterday and found myself up at City station at about 5 O'Clock; feeling like some fresh air, I decided on an early evening trip to Watford (as one does!).

Luckett's Coach was sitting, cooking gently, in the lay-by opposite St Albans City Station when I got then, and the driver pulled his oven over a minute or two before the bus's scheduled departure at 17:20. With a 14 minute run shown on the bus stop, and a 17:42 departure from Abbey to Watford, this looked like joined up planning.  I paid my pound and (apart from the driver) had the bus to myself when it pulled out on time.

Alas, St Albans gridlocks at around that time (don't know if this is the norm), but the journey took 25 minutes. Another passenger joined in the centre of St Albans (as ever, this bus route isn't direct) and we pulled into the lay-by outside Abbey Station at 17:45.  Train at 17:42, remember?  And of course the train had left on time ... leaving me (let's be positive here!) with a good chance to look around.

Funny how the lessons learned aren't always the ones expected.  In light of this experience of road to rail connectivity, I find myself looking at our detailed Melksham proposal and double checking its robustness at time of delay; something already on our radar, but never the less I'm checking. Numbers on the bus were very sad, and the second passenger wasn't even using it to get to the train.  I have no way of knowing if the complete blank it drew was due to there being no demand, no publicity (it's missed off the map as St Albans Abbey Station, for example) or because it rarely actually connects and all the potential passenger know this and make alternative plans.  I did note four passengers away from Abbey Station when I left there after my early evening trip to Watford - that was at about twenty past seven.

In the searing heat, with hills, and with a heavy bag of laptops, I'll probably make for City rather than Abbey tomorrow evening for my journey home.  On the way up I came into City, as even as scheduled I would have missed the last train (11 p.m. arrival); as it was, travel was delayed and I didn't get to my hotel until after 1 a.m., and I don't have the luxury of all night services to Melksham ... yet ... if I get delayed on the way home and miss the 19:00 final train from Paddington.

Routing via Queen's Park is a brilliant idea - next time I'm up here I'll come that way; save the hike from the 205 bus stop outside King's Cross to Platform B for Bedford.   And I'm keeping my Abbey line thought for another potential post - good to observe the working of another community rail line, and an enjoyable trip too.

[stuving]

In the searing heat, with hills, and with a heavy bag of laptops, I'll probably make for City rather than Abbey tomorrow evening for my journey home.  On the way up I came into City, as even as scheduled I would have missed the last train (11 p.m. arrival); as it was, travel was delayed and I didn't get to my hotel until after 1 a.m., and I don't have the luxury of all night services to Melksham ... yet ... if I get delayed on the way home and miss the 19:00 final train from Paddington.

There may be other reasons too (from the Herts Advertiser)...

Abbey Flyer brought to a halt after broken down train blocks service

PUBLISHED: 08:23 22 June 2017 Franki Berry

A London Midland class 321 pulls into Bricket Wood station with a service to Watford Junction.
Credit: Peter Alvey Photography

No trains will be running between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction today (June 22).

The severe disruption is because a broken down train is blocking the London Midland shuttle line.

It is not expected to be cleared before the end of the day.

National Rail say road replacement services have been requested but not confirmed - people should use the 321 bus on all reasonable routes instead.

Users of the line, nicknamed the Abbey Flyer, also faced cancellations and disruption earlier this week (June 19) because of the heatwave.

[grahame]

No trains will be running between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction today (June 22).

The severe disruption is because a broken down train is blocking the London Midland shuttle line.

It is not expected to be cleared before the end of the day.

National Rail say road replacement services have been requested but not confirmed - people should use the 321 bus on all reasonable routes instead.

Users of the line, nicknamed the Abbey Flyer, also faced cancellations and disruption earlier this week (June 19) because of the heatwave.

Looks like I made a wise choice.   Hot as heck yesterday; looks like loads of problems and I was lucky!

From a muriel of children's work as a mosaic at St Albans Abbey ... very appropriate for the weather ...



and the modern train that was running the line yesterday.  Perhaps it's run out of fuel and got stranded?

[ChrisB]

It'll always offer the quickest journey allowed for in the routing guide (and sometimes not, as you've discovered), rven if that includes a 38min walk. That is what it is programmed to do.

I think there is an option somewhere to ask for journeys that are 'overtaken'?

It does offer journeys via the branch line, but as there's only a train every 50 minutes or so you have to look for them among the more numerous walk/St Pancras ones. And they are not a lot quicker. If there's a direct Euston train it saves 20 minutes, but that does not seem to happen at all often (I can't see why, without spending too much time on it). In most cases it shows a change onto Overground, which is slow but allows transfer to the Bakerloo.

What is missing (and is on other journey planners) is a "no walking" option.

And the walk it offers me takes only 33 minutes - how does it know I walk faster than Graham?

This. Or simply to offer a variety of options. While I'm happy to walk 38 minutes – as long as I'm not in a dreadful hurry, don't have heavy luggage, it's not terribly hot, isn't raining heavily and I'm not accompanied by a toddler – many people aren't and some simply can't. And isn't this meant to be a public transport planner?

Nope, simply a train service planner. Google Maps is a very good public transport planner!

[simonw]

Some times, online map solutions, do not give accurate walking estimates!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP6FDDLhPrg

Geoff and Vicki faced an uncertain walk across Thorne until rescued!