How long is reasonable......

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

The whole thing about connections and pre-booked journeys made me think - just how long in advance is reasonable.

Consider my egham experience - I had got there in time for the train BEFORE the one I needed - took 40 minutes to park.  I had to jump on the last train I could get without a ticket.  Should I have left my car and missed a potential space to get a ticket?  Got the NEXT train - should you really have to get to a station 70 minutes before departure?

On wednesday I wanted the 1748 from ludlow - I live 8 miles from the station - I left 30 minutes - its all country road.  I got (1) tractor (2) OAP who did not know the concept of an accelerator (3) truck   any one of them 30 minutes was more than enough - I usually take about 15-20 to get to ludlow.  I missed the train and ended on the 1815 - not a major biggy but had I had pre-booked tickets?

Just what do the train companies expect - I once left three hours ealier than I needed for a transatlantic flight I needed to get - I missed it because of a pile up.  My now departed dad said - "well you should have left earlier"

I guess my query is sparked by the response to my earlier post about needed to get food - Monday - Friday I am usually rushing from A to B with little or no time to vary - I might start a very uninteresting blog but it would illustrate that some people some times have to make decisions on the fly that preclude them from being able to be whiter than white or that sometimes, shit happens.

[JayMac]

All the examples you cite - tractors, OAPs, pile-ups, the need for food - are outside the control of the train companies. With the great value that comes with an AP fare comes the additional risk of s**t happening. TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) cannot legislate for this, nor should they. You can only minimize the risk of missing your train OR pay the extra for a flexible walk-on fare.
Agreed, we all occasionally have to 'make decisions on the fly', however a snap decision may turn out to be the wrong one. That's human nature and TOCs cannot second guess that! My now departed Grandad used to use a phrase called "The seven Ps" - "Prior Planning and Preperation Prevents Piss Poor Performance".

[JayMac]

The expectation that the passenger can get away with it, is however sometimes reinforced by TMs^‡(resolve)/Guards/Conductors looking for an easy life. I'm not tarring all these rail staff with the same brush, most do an excellent job, in sometimes very trying circumstances. However I have witnessed on more than one occasion a TM merely excessing a passenger up to the walk on fare minus the cost of their AP ticket, when said passenger is on the wrong train. I've also seen TM's let folk off with nothing more than a "I should really sell you a whole new ticket, but I'll let you off this time".

If a passenger boards the wrong train with an AP ticket and the reason is not the fault of the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) (ie connecting service delayed) then that passenger should be treated strictly as if they have boarded without a ticket and be dealt with accordingly: Full open ticket to be purchased, no railcard discounts and a penalty fare issued where in force. On-train staff showing leniency merely reinforces the belief that it is acceptable to 'try it on'. Bloody annoys me when I see folk getting away with it.

[Steve44]

Two years ago, i had an interview for University in Swansea.  I booked a ticket for the day before, and to travel back the evening after and i stayed in a hotel.  My Train home was booked for something like 5pm, i thought i'd make sure i had plenty of time, just incase it had over ran.  I ended up finishing a lot earlier than expected, and landed up at Swansea station at 2.30pm.  There was a train at around 3pm (it was 2 years ago, my memory is a bit vague) so i went upto the Lady at the desk and explained my situation, asking if i could swap my ticket for the earlier train and how much it would be.  She was absolutely lovely, and swapped my ticket for no cost atall! I'll always remember that, so helpfull.  Sorry a tad bit off topic, but Flamingo's Post reminded me of this.