Last trains

[whole diary]

[Ollie]

Sorry

[Chris from Nailsea]

Fair enough, Ollie - don't let them get you down! 

Typo's are the bane of my life, too! 

[Zoe]

The 18:24 from Manchester to Plymouth is timetabled to take 55 minutes between TVP and EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains).

[Tim]

Not really, as it's only really the 21:45 Exeter that has that padding to west of england, if i remember correctly, and the paddington is from Tiverton - Exeter, so all it would mean is people getting to Exeter earlier than expected.

Thats correct, and also this service is 'set down only' from Bristol? I think. So the timetable sort of becomes irrelevant!

I understand why services are marked "set down only" (essentially to make it easier to alter the timing or replace the train with a bus), but if I decide to take a chance and join a train at a station marked set down only and I have an anytime or off peak ticket, is my ticket valid? in practice will anyone take any action against me either at the platform to prevent my boarding or on the train to issue a penalty?

[Ollie]

Technically yes you would be liable for a penalty if you bored a train that is not scheduled to pick up at a particular stop. However I personally haven't seen it enforced.

[devon_metro]

Not really, as it's only really the 21:45 Exeter that has that padding to west of england, if i remember correctly, and the paddington is from Tiverton - Exeter, so all it would mean is people getting to Exeter earlier than expected.

Thats correct, and also this service is 'set down only' from Bristol? I think. So the timetable sort of becomes irrelevant!

I understand why services are marked "set down only" (essentially to make it easier to alter the timing or replace the train with a bus), but if I decide to take a chance and join a train at a station marked set down only and I have an anytime or off peak ticket, is my ticket valid? in practice will anyone take any action against me either at the platform to prevent my boarding or on the train to issue a penalty?

As Ollie says, you will be charged from the previous station call. Bristol Temple Meads - Exeter is quite a difference compared to Tiverton - Exeter!

[Super Guard]

On days the engineering works does not happen, I have seen many people get off the 2353 FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service and onto the 2325 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service if they are both sitting there, and the TM^‡(resolve) does not seemed too fussed.

[John R]

I guess where the set down is for operational convenience as in these cases then I would have thought it unlikely that any TM^‡(resolve) would impose a penalty. Penalties are justified if set down only/pick up only is used to control passenger numbers. Eg if an ex Paddington service is Reading pick up only to prevent it being swamped by Reading commuters. Then there would be every justification in charging a fare to the next station, as the passenger is clearly trying to perform a journey that is not allowed.

If the 2145 gets diverted after Bristol due to engineering work then staff can easily lay on coaches/taxis to get people to intermediate destinations. However, if it weren't set down only then they would have to ensure taxis were available at each intermediate station on the off chance that a pssenger was waiting. Another benefit for it being Set down only after Bristol.     

[Btline]

When I was in Edinburgh, I stayed near Haymarket station.

To get into Edinburgh station each day, I often took a "set down only" train - the station staff said I could, and nobody mined/ fined me!

This is because there are few trains that stop "unrestricted" at Haymarket - probably to stop fare evaders switching from one station to the other.

But since ticket gates have recently been installed at Haymarket, it is rather pointless!

[Feckham]

Hi

As someone who sometimes relies on this service on a Thursday evening and gets me into TVP at a reasonable time, I am really beyond caring how long it actually takes  so long a there's beer in the buffet.

After working the last day of my "week" in Iceland, and the flight into Heathrow is on time, I usually make it to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) 20 mins before departure.  The taxi picking me up at TVP onward to BNP^▸ (Barnstaple) usually tracks the service, so I am not left out in the cold at TVP for too long.

Waiting for the sleeper service?  I'd book an hotel in London rather than wait for that departure.

[Zoe]

It appears they have done exactly what I wanted in the new timetable and published the times as though there is no possession but marked the train as EW for engineering work.

[Super Guard]

Someone told me that the engineering is due to complete soon, as the previous 4 weekend line closures were to get the job done.