How long ahead of your train are you at the station [outbound, morning]

[whole diary]

[grahame]

For your most frequent daily journey, how long before your train is due to depart do you normally arrive at the station? At the start of the day - typically in the morning; I am not looking at the return journey.

If it varies, please choose your most common value.   If the reason / selection of your answer is worthy of comment, please add comment. 

[TaplowGreen]

Really depends on how important it is that I'm on time, if it's a vital early meeting I often get the earlier train anyway as the service is so unreliable that I want to cut down the chances of being late!

[eightf48544]

Agree with TG about getting earlier train. Also depends on if I've got to get a ticket when it maybe up 15 minutes or more before departure time. Especialy more than one ticket from the machine!

[JayMac]

My most regular journey is the 0801 from Avonmouth. Having switched to that station from Shirehampton following changes to bus services. I take a bus from Lawrence Weston at 0735 arriving close to Avonmouth station around 0745. 12-16 minute wait then.

[grahame]

My most regular journey is the 0801 from Avonmouth. Having switched to that station from Shirehampton following changes to bus services. I take a bus from Lawrence Weston at 0735 arriving close to Avonmouth station around 0745. 12-16 minute wait then.

I conjecture that the longer waits are often going to be from (semi)connected buses ... really need some thorough analysis (or should ask Travel Focus, perhaps?).

The purpose of this survey is to help gauge time available for a survey day at [place] station, where [place] isn't Melksham for once 

[Phil]

In a former life, when I travelled two or three times a week from Chippenham, I would frequently arrive at the station car park in time to see the train before the one I intended to catch pulling out. This is more a reflection of my own personality than the fact that I was relying on buses to get there (I wasn't; I drove, out of necessity as there was no Melksham train service at the time) - I have an abhorrence verging on neurosis about being late for anything.

[LiskeardRich]

The train I generally catch is the first off peak from Redruth- the 0914. I try to get to the station for 0900.

[grahame]

Many thanks for your inputs ... they're an assistance informing our methodology for an upcoming survey. "Will there be time to talk to people?"

[Tim K]

I missed the survey (as I was on holiday) but as a regular commuter I usually arrive less than 2 minutes before the train leaves, usually having run from the car park :/

There is another train 3 minutes after my regular train and another 14 minutes after that one, but I still end up running far too often.

[broadgage]

When I lived in London, I usually only allowed a couple of minutes. My journey to the station was on foot, therefore no risk of bus or car related delays, and the train was usually a few minutes late anyway.
More than once I ran for the approaching train, believing that I had misjudged the time, only to find that is was the previous one running late.

By contrast on a couple of recent trips from Taunton, I allowed well over an hour ! but I was reliant on an infrequent and unreliable bus service, and having a "booked train only" ticket would have faced a "fine" of well over a hundred pounds for missing the train.

This is IMO^▸ (in my opinion) a great failing of todays railway, often the only affordable fares are restricted to a certain train. The customer therefore has to allow a very generous safety margin to avoid a huge fine. Allowing for the time thus wasted, many journeys now take twice as long as they used to.
I have long held the view that discounted fares should be inter available on ALL off peak services, and be unavailable on all peak time services.

[ChrisB]

I have long held the view that discounted fares should be inter available on ALL of peak services, and be unavailable on all peak time services.

Shum typo, shurely? :-)

[broadgage]

I have long held the view that discounted fares should be inter available on ALL of peak services, and be unavailable on all peak time services.

Shum typo, shurely? :-)

You are correct, I have now edited my post to remove the confusing typo. My original posting, including the typo may be seen in the quote above.

[ChrisB]

Re-read it....you say should be inter-available on all peak trains, but then unavailable on peak time services?

So, as off-peak/super off-peak are already available on all trains designated off-peak or super off-peak, you are simply suggesting removal of Advance fares?

[JayMac]

What ChrisB (not immune himself from confusing typos  ) is pointing out, I think, is the use of 'of' instead of 'off' in the following:-

I have long held the view that discounted fares should be inter available on ALL of peak services, and be unavailable on all peak time services.

[ChrisB]

yep! :-)