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I wonder if LNER were asked to refund the return half of one of those few returns that are cheaper than the single if they would instead ask you to pay the extra fare up to the single instead! :lol:
The lack of platforms at Salisbury is not helping this situation. It does seem mad that Platform 2 cannot be accessed westbound. This means trains arriving diverted from Southampton have to use 3, 4 or the dead end platform 6.
This often causes delays with Exeter trains having to wait for...
You could say actively discouraging customers helps reduce cleaning costs but I can't remember that last time a WoE train had cleaners on (they used to regularly board between Yeovil and Honiton and did a great job).
The services were originally through to Waterloo.via Southampton on Saturday, as often happens without fouling up paths, but SWR changed them after the strikes were announced. They are running thru on Sunday still as no strike.
They used to run a 9 car train from Exeter to Salisbuty at the end...
True but, without this easement, no tickets are valid without using the replacement bus between Salisbury and Andover. I assume SWR missed this issue until raised on here and are panicking their replacement buses would be swamped.
Also funny that the easement says SWT not SWR!
They've deliberately altered all the trains so they now terminate at Southampton and don't continue from there to Waterloo (like they originally did and do on Sunday). As via Southampton is not a permitted route from London to Exeter they effectively have blocked through travel by forcing people...
Hamble is used by numerous workers from the aerospace factory in Hamble, some walk, some cycle and some are dropped by car given the awful Hamble station location but the extra distance to walk to Netley and the quality of the road is such that all these people would likely stop using the train...
Interestingly, the 1420 Waterloo to Exeter is running twice as 1Z41 27 mins late from Waterloo and then 1L41 starting at Basingstoke! Not sure which gets canned at Salisbury given both still show Exeter but I assume there won't be crew for both.
I've waited time there before for a couple of mins on an early running Coaster. It's very rare but does happen, though usually only if they leave the previous timing point early.
That's because the advances have started to reappear weirdly and at the same prices as before. Certainly there were none available on any weekday on the two routes I use as of 1pm and they have all reappeared this evening for any time 2 weeks ahead. Curious given SWRHelp's comment on X earlier.
Actually that isn't even a true statement from SWR. The advance has been withdrawn completely from most peak services, not increased in price, and so the advance fare is not cheaper than a single ticket bought on the day of travel as the advance fare does not exist any more!!