Tarka Line - Exeter to Barnstaple - services, passenger numbers, carriages, engineering works, incidents and events

[whole diary]

[Ollie]

chances are the guard didn't do a ticket check from Barny because he/she didn't see anyone get on the train.

Well he clearly didn't look very well!!

How so? The customer in question didn't join the train at Barnstaple, they were however meant to get off! In fact this is the whole point of the topic...

[Bristolboy]

In theory the guard should not have let this man off at Eggesford as it is not an advertised stop on this service. The train only stops there for token exchange. My personal opinion on this is that if you've had a long day and feel you may fall asleep, set an alarm on your phone for 5 minutes before arrival time, or perhaps ask the guard to check you get off on arrival, not just assume it's everyones' responsibility but your own.

The new national rail app for android and iPhone does this (or so they claim).

[bambam]

I have overslept before by an hour and a half, and although it was my fault the train operators in question allowed me to travel back to where I meant to get off for no charge, which was great credit to them.

I believe it is this mans responsibility but it does raise the question of why none of the other passenger tried to wake him knowing that Barnstaple is the terminus.

I think in the same situation I would have gone back to Exeter St Ds and sought ought accomodation or waited for the first train on the platforms.

But stories like this don't indicate a helpful attitude of the railway, so for example if he had woken up as the train was leaving Barnstaple, would it have been okay for the guard to go back or stop at Chapelton?

Or if he had gone back to Exeter would both his return to Exeter and his travel the next day to Barnstaple been free?

[thetrout]

I believe it is this mans responsibility but it does raise the question of why none of the other passenger tried to wake him knowing that Barnstaple is the terminus.

I can think of a few reasons:

1) The other passengers simply were not aware that he was still there

2) No annoucements were made for final stop (We don't know whether they were or weren't - That train could go onto Okehampton - although I think that's Summer only?! *Paging Relex109*

3) The Pax thought it would be funny to leave him there... I know my Grandfather used to do it to his work colleagues when they meant to get off at Brighton London Road and they let 1 poor sod fall asleep and wake up at Brighton Terminus...! (And before anyone asks, yes they did do it to him too!)

4) Possibly the most crucial point here: When waking someone up you don't know, you have no idea how they are going to react... You could potentially find yourself in a rather unpleasant situation.

[molinnis]

2) No annoucements were made for final stop (We don't know whether they were or weren't - That train could go onto Okehampton - although I think that's Summer only?! *Paging Relex109*

The train definatly wouldnt have gone on to Okehampton from Barnstable.

[TerminalJunkie]

The train definatly wouldnt have gone on to Okehampton from Barnstable.

Not least because Barnstable doesn't have a railway station...

[johoare]

I know a couple of people who regularly miss their stops.. One ends up in Brighton quite regularly when going from Victoria to change at Clapham Junction (no matter how many times he's told to stand up for those five minutes  )..

The other was overheard booking a taxi to pick him up from his station for when he got there and so the kind person that overheard it actually woke him up when they got there..

[grahame]

I know a couple of people who regularly miss their stops.. One ends up in Brighton quite regularly when going from Victoria to change at Clapham Junction (no matter how many times he's told to stand up for those five minutes)

Have you ever thought that he might have a friend he visits in Brighton 

[Umberleigh]

Our Government has just splashed ^335,000 of taxpayer's money on a sculpture to 'welcome' the Olympics to Weymouth.

Approximately - in my opinion - the amount of money needed to solve the capacity issues on the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line without having to close a single station.

Oh, and ^89,000,000 on a nice new relief road to the seaside, ready for the hordes of sailing enthusiasts

Still, it's a lovely sculpture...

[rogerpatenall]

It does, however, beat Barnstaple in one respect, by having the closest thing to a "hub" airport on Cape Cod:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstable_Municipal_Airport

Actually, this raises a mildly interesting point (depending on your point of view, of course): as far as I'm aware, Cape Cod hasn't been served by Amtrak for many, many years*, and yet you can see Cape Cod flip over as one of the destinations on the Solari indicator at 30th Street Station when it updates.

Two comments - the airport at Nantucket is possibly the nicest small airport I know of anywhere in the world and has a hugely sophisticated ILS^▸ (Instrument Landing System) possibly reflecting the 'importance' of the users! And when the 'Cape Codder' ran on Friday evenings (from NYC as you say), I suspect that the connection into it was shown on the Philadelphia board.

[TonyK]

My brother was heading home to Blackpool from a football match. The train had a 15 minute stop at Preston, and we've all felt the hypnotic effect of the heat, a couple of drinks, and the throb of the engine. He woke to someone banging the window, and shouting "Blackpool North!".He said that was where he was going, then noticed that was where he was. He got out of the door as it started closing. Near miss!
A nearer miss was the man I saw fall asleep from a standing position on the same platform at Preston many years ago. It was only 10am, but I think he had come a long way, and was well "refreshed". His head and shoulders were overhanging the platform edge until we pulled him back, as the train arrived. Another foot, he would have been on the track.

[johoare]

I know a couple of people who regularly miss their stops.. One ends up in Brighton quite regularly when going from Victoria to change at Clapham Junction (no matter how many times he's told to stand up for those five minutes)

Have you ever thought that he might have a friend he visits in Brighton 

I think he needs one!! But no he's slept in Brighton station before (apart from the hour or so when it's closed).. The last time was a Friday night and apparently the pub near the station is open till 2 or 3am so he stayed there and then the first train back is only an hour or so after that... Also he doesn't exclusively go there.. Other places he's ended up in are Chichester, Upper Warlingham, Oxted and obviously various places on his actual train line on the occasions he manages to actually change trains at Clapham junction...

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

i missed my station on saturday .... ended up in pinhoe lol its easy done when tired, you know who i blame? ..... you lot as i was reading replies until quite late the night before :-p


and back to the okehampton line ... you would be surprised how many people have ended up there by mistake on a sunday thinking they had hopped on the barnstaple service :-p

[inspector_blakey]

Random thought...

"Pinhoe" is an anagram of "iPhone"

Must be overtired, it's bedtime. 

[alanr888]

It would be pointless closing any stations between Crediton and Eggesford, given that trains have to cross there in order to run an hourly service.

That was my view too until I looked at the figures. It is possible
to run EGG/CDI in 18 minutes whilst only another 8 minutes are
needed to reach the main line from CDI.

Thus there is a potential to omit all stops between EGG and EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains)
apart from CDI and to retain an hourly service without needing to
pass at Crediton. In an editorial the North Devon Journal gave
support to the idea of alternate slow and semi-fast trains. This
provides a service every two hours to the halts - a frequency
that is now regarded as acceptable for rural 'bus routes.

In my submission to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) in March, I set out a specimen
timetable that could achieve this slow/semi-fast pattern. It
also provided:

a) Service to Okehampton (Park and Ride at Oke East)
b) Two hourly service between Barnstaple and Axminster
c) No impact on Exmouth services
d) No MAJOR infrastructure upgrades

Copies of this can be requested by e-mail (alanr555@waitrose.com)

The situation North of Eggesford is different. It is possible to
run EGG/BNP^▸ (Barnstaple) in 23 minutes stopping only at Umberleigh. With
request stops included a round trip EGG/BNP/EGG should be
always achievable within an hour.

One way to improve service to the halts is to permit reverse
direction travel (eg to/from EXD via EGG).

Of course, the real need is for upgrades of the infrastructure
and the automation of "possession" of single track sections
but we CAN have faster connections BNP/EXD before such
investment is made. For example the current 07.00 from BNP
could leave at 07.13 and arrive at EXD at the same time.

Let us look at the objective (fast connections at key times)
rather than getting sucked in to a "closure" debate. We CAN
have the faster connections AND provide rural connectivity.

Alan - EX39 2BA