Advance Ticket making me wait an extra hour

[mike_transport]

So I bought a ticket from Euston - Hereford changing at Birmingham New Street using Trainpal. Trainpal have given me a 1hr 6 mins wait at Birmingham when there is a train 6 mins after arriving from London. My ticket only tells me the time of the train running between Euston & Brum but haven’t afterwards they told me they will update it but still haven’t so can I use the train 6 mins after arrival.

 

[YorkRanger]

The reason it's given you that connection is because the minimum connection time at New Street is 12 minutes. That's nothing to do with holding an advance ticket, even flexible tickets would give you that itinerary.

If you can make it to the train with a 6 minute change (which I doubt you would because your trains will likely be on opposite sides of the station & New Street is a nightmare), you can try speaking to the conductor to see if they're happy for you to board the earlier train, but they might turn around and say you need to stick to your booked itinerary and just wait out the hour at New Street.

 

[mangyiscute]

Do the Birmingham to Hereford services have reservation places, cause it might be the case that op can take any service they choose for the Birmingham to Hereford section but I am not sure

 

[Watershed]

Do the Birmingham to Hereford services have reservation places, cause it might be the case that op can take any service they choose for the Birmingham to Hereford section but I am not sure

They are non-reservable, so if travelling on paper tickets they generally speaking wouldn't be listed. On e-tickets, all services in the itinerary are listed - even if non-reservable.

Most WMT guards aren't as strict on revenue matters as XC or Avanti TMs for example, so the odds of permission to take an earlier-than-booked service being given are reasonably high. Especially so given the long wait the OP would otherwise potentially have. It is definitely advisable to ask before boarding to avoid any problems once onboard - the guard will typically be found near the back of the train (i.e. the eastern end at New Street) prior to departure.

Changing trains in 6 minutes is easily done at New Street if you know where to go - Hereford services mostly depart from the B end of the station, so you are best off using the western concourse or overbridge at New Street, as these both allow access between all platforms without needing to pass through a gateline (as is the case at the poorly designed eastern concourse).

 

[30907]

Changing trains in 6 minutes is easily done at New Street if you know where to go - Hereford services mostly depart from the B end of the station, so you are best off using the western concourse or overbridge at New Street, as these both allow access between all platforms without needing to pass through a gateline..

Just to clarify, that's towards the front of the train (normally the standard class end). And there's a steps-only footbridge right at the front, if you're sure of your platform.

 

[Harpers Tate]

What I'd do in such circumstances, is to leave the booked itinerary in place. On arrival at BHam, I'd attempt to catch the earlier train and if I did get to it in time, I'd ask its guard BEFORE I got on - not afterwards. If I were too late to find the guard before boarding, I'd abandon the attempt and wait the hour. If s/he refuses, I'd abandon the attempt and wait the hour. If my incoming train were late arriving, I'd (obviously) abandon the attempt and wait the hour. And if I make it, and the guard allows me, I'd save the hour.

No risk of penalty.

 

[mangyiscute]

They are non-reservable, so if travelling on paper tickets they generally speaking wouldn't be listed. On e-tickets, all services in the itinerary are listed - even if non-reservable.

Can you not take any reasonable train for a non-reservable leg of an advance ticket? So op shouldn't even have to ask for permission.
Obviously if it's a paper ticket and doesn't show the time, I would expect no issues - the wmr member of staff would have to work out that the connection is invalid from knowing when the avanti train arrives into Birmingham, and then decide to pursue this, which seems extremely unlikely.

 

[Watershed]

Can you not take any reasonable train for a non-reservable leg of an advance ticket? So op shouldn't even have to ask for permission.
Obviously if it's a paper ticket and doesn't show the time, I would expect no issues - the wmr member of staff would have to work out that the connection is invalid from knowing when the avanti train arrives into Birmingham, and then decide to pursue this, which seems extremely unlikely.

By the letter of the rules, no - you have to stick to all of your booked services. But with a paper ticket, if a service isn't listed, the guard has no way of knowing what the booked non-reservable connection is; it could be later than the first valid connecting service, or there may be "unnecessary" changes depending on the itinerary selected when booking. The likes of TrainSplit give a lot of flexibility in this respect.

As you say, a very clued up guard might work out that the connection off the Avanti service is invalid - but that does seem a very remote prospect. Still, the safe answer is to ask for permission before boarding.

 

[Haywain]

So I bought a ticket from Euston - Hereford changing at Birmingham New Street using Trainpal. Trainpal have given me a 1hr 6 mins wait at Birmingham when there is a train 6 mins after arriving from London. My ticket only tells me the time of the train running between Euston & Brum but haven’t afterwards they told me they will update it but still haven’t so can I use the train 6 mins after arrival.

One thing to bear in mind is that if you make the connection on to the earlier train from New Street, and that is subsequently delayed, you won't qualify for Delay Repay, as that will be calculated against you original itinerary. However, there are clear benefits in making the earlier train so I would still try.

 

[Willie Bee]

I had a similar situation when taking trains from Newcastle to Carlisle, then Carlisle to Workington.

There was an approximate waiting time of 40 minutes, on my advance tickets but as my first train pulled into Carlisle I checked an app on my phone and saw there was a train about to leave to Workington a couple of minutes later. I sprinted over the bridge and was about to ask the guard if I could board .. all she said was Get on .. Get on !

When the train started to move I asked the guard and she said it wasn't a problem catching the earlier train .. but added that I couldn't have taken the train if my complete journey had started at Carlisle rather than Newcastle