Landslip between Salisbury and Romsey

[whole diary]

[Clan Line]

My wife is planning to travel from Warminster to Ryde St Johns Rd. She has an Advance Single from Warminster to Portsmouth Harbour.   At the moment "South Western Railway are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice".
She wishes to leave Warminster 2 hours earlier than her booked train, and go via Basingstoke to Portsmouth Harbour, to get to the Island at approx the same time as originally planned. Can anyone offer any thoughts/advice as to whether her advance ticket would/might be accepted on an earlier start from Warminster with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (to Salisbury) ? I can find nothing online that mentions the use of "odd" tickets like this.

[grahame]

I asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ... "Advanced tickets to Portsmouth, booked before Salisbury Landslip. Need to arrive at Portsmouth at originally scheduled time. Can I catch an earlier train?  Journeycheck says SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) accepting all reasonable routes but does not say that for GWR.

@GWRHelp, 25.2.2020, 11:50 to @MelkshamRUG
"Hello, yes ticket acceptance is in place so you may travel earlier than booked - Bradley"

[Clan Line]

I asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ... "Advanced tickets to Portsmouth, booked before Salisbury Landslip. Need to arrive at Portsmouth at originally scheduled time. Can I catch an earlier train?  Journeycheck says SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) accepting all reasonable routes but does not say that for GWR.

@GWRHelp, 25.2.2020, 11:50 to @MelkshamRUG
"Hello, yes ticket acceptance is in place so you may travel earlier than booked - Bradley"

Grahame, very many thanks for that. That was going to be my next move if no one else was aware of anything online about use of Advance tickets - as there was over the past two "stormy" weekends.  Wife will be pleased 

[grahame]

I asked GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ... "Advanced tickets to Portsmouth, booked before Salisbury Landslip. Need to arrive at Portsmouth at originally scheduled time. Can I catch an earlier train?  Journeycheck says SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) accepting all reasonable routes but does not say that for GWR.

@GWRHelp, 25.2.2020, 11:50 to @MelkshamRUG
"Hello, yes ticket acceptance is in place so you may travel earlier than booked - Bradley"

Grahame, very many thanks for that. That was going to be my next move if no one else was aware of anything online about use of Advance tickets - as there was over the past two "stormy" weekends.  Wife will be pleased 

Funny how answers flow in ... further confirmation from another source that GWR *are* accepting tickets flexibly - that's their instruction just like the "any reasonable route/train" of SWR. Just didn't make it to the simplified version on JourneyCheck to reassure the customers!

[Trowres]

Although "via Basingstoke" for Southampton has been mentioned specifically in online advice, there's been nothing about via Woking for Portsmouth.

The National Rail journey planer is behaving oddly for via Woking journeys - it provides a "via Salisbury" fare for Portsmouth-Trowbridge via Salisbury if the Woking-Trowbridge leg is a through train, but not if a change at Salisbury is required. This appears contrary to the description of the via Salisbury fare:

Valid only for travel via (changing trains or passing through) Salisbury

[Clan Line]

Doesn't help, does it ?

https://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/news/18259134.commuters-warned-delays-car-crashes-romsey-redbridge/

[Timmer]

It appears freight is still operating between Salisbury and Romsey:
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H43990/2020-02-26/detailed

Happy to be corrected if this is not the case.

[grahame]

It appears freight is still operating between Salisbury and Romsey:
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H43990/2020-02-26/detailed

Happy to be corrected if this is not the case.

Interesting.

Meanwhile GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) report

Cancellations to services between Salisbury and Romsey
Due to a landslip between Salisbury and Romsey all lines are closed.
Train services running through these stations have been cancelled or suspended between Salisbury and Romsey. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 31/03/20.

and National Rail report

A landslip has damaged part of the railway between Salisbury and Romsey resulting in all lines being closed. From an initial inspection, Network Rail engineers have observed that the embankment has slipped, leaving the track unsupported over approximately 20 metres, making it unsafe to run trains.
We don't expect the line to reopen before Thursday 30 April as extensive repairs will be required to reopen the line.

National Rail are not even saying 30th April is an estimate - they're saying it's the earliest.

[Clan Line]

Further to my posts above re my wife's trip to the IoW.

For reasons best known to herself (!) she rang National Rail Enquiries and was told that as she had an Advance ticket then she MUST travel on the nominated train. We went to WMN^» (Warminster - next trains) station to put her on the 1113 (now only to SAL anyway) be find that the train was cancelled ! 
I suggested that we wait for the next train heading roughly in that direction, the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) 1148 to WAT. When the train arrived we explained what had happened to the guard and asked if she could ride on that train to BSK^▸ (Brake Standard Corridor (carriage)) and change there for PHM.  Yes, that was perfectly acceptable. She, later, gets on the (SWR) train at BSK to PMH, the guard on that train then inspects her (Advance) ticket and makes no comment until my wife asks if she can return on the same route - and she is told - No !
As I had already told her that her return (Advance booked) train from PMH didn't actually exist any more she then wondered how she would ever get home - without buying a new expensive ticket. As she had a while to wait for the ferry she went to the booking office at PMH, shows them her Advance return ticket and asks if she can return via BSK and is cheerfully told - Yes, until 30th April  !

Left hand not knowing what the right is doing ..............or even what the left is doing ?

[grahame]

For reasons best known to herself (!) she rang National Rail Enquiries and was told that as she had an Advance ticket then she MUST travel on the nominated train. ...

As a "read the [right web page / rules page] to me" service, National Rail Enquiries usually does a reasonable job. And, let's face it, it can be darned hard for the punter to find the right page sometimes.  As such it's a useful service for the majority of people who call in.  Sadly, where questions get to be more challenging - where even an informed [potential] customer is having trouble working something out, the National Rail team seems to have the same trouble - and often (one feels) without even the benefit of knowing the local geography.

At times of disruption such as we're seeing at Salisbury, if you do what you think is logical and the best way to get to where you need to be in the circumstances, and in good faith, you're hardly likely to get into trouble.  The staff involved will for the most part be sympathetic and understanding, and in the unlikely event of them taking exception and taking it further, the PR^▸ (Public Relations) machine will decide that it's better to keep the customer happy. If they feel you're "trying it on", sure, they'll be robust in persuing the matter.

If you look back through the forum, you'll find a couple of shocking pieces of advise I've had on fares from National Rail - in one case a recommendation that would have cost me nearly £600 in extra fares. What they really need, and lack as far as I'm aware, is a line in their script that says "I don't know - I will pass you on to our Guru on this topic" ... and of course they actually need to have that Guru to pass on to!

[eightonedee]

They could always sub contract the work out to BNM!

[Timmer]

They could always sub contract the work out to BNM!

Be a full time job!

Left hand not knowing what the right is doing ..............or even what the left is doing ?

[sigh]Sadly yes and at times can end up with passengers paying way more than they should due to confusing and misleading information; something the railway at times seems to specialise in.

Graham is absolutely right when he mentions even an informed customer can have trouble working something out, what hope does an infrequent traveller have; especially when they are given incorrect advice?

[grahame]

Network Rail has announced an interim fix that will enable the railway between Salisbury and Romsey to reopen to passenger trains by the end of March.

From Network Rail

Team of engineers have been assessing the damage after a landslip on a railway embankment close to Salisbury on 18 February. Following an extended period of above average rainfall and significant flooding of the adjacent field, the railway embankment slipped, leaving the track unsupported over approximately 20 metres. This caused the track to dip and it has not been possible to run services.

Since the incident, detailed ground investigations and topographic surveys have been carried out to understand how best to repair the line. The task has been made more challenging by significant flooding of the field at the foot of the embankment meaning heavy machinery is unable to reach the landslip to carry out the long-term fix.

Engineers have come up with an interim solution. They will use specialist equipment to install 160 metres of 13 metre deep steel sheets which will be driven into each side of the embankment.  Teams will then drill under the track and tie both sides together with steel rods to support the embankment.

[Clan Line]

Network Rail has announced an interim fix that will enable the railway between Salisbury and Romsey to reopen to passenger trains by the end of March.

Clever !

[Clan Line]

Just to finish off my wife's trip to/from the IoW.

No problems with her GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Advance ticket.............but the train from Basingstoke to Salisbury was a 2 car 158 - to use a Corbynism..."rammed". She had to stand to Andover, managed to grab a seat there at the changeover. Mid afternoon on a (wet) weekday - poor show.