Advance ticket question

[southernyoshi]

Hi again, I don't know if this is the right forum but I guess it's a trip planning thing.
I'm going to Manchester on Tuesday from Newtown, on advance tickets - two singles, one each way. I have a 33 minute connection at Shrewsbury on the way in, and a 40 minute one on the way back - is it ok to leave the station during that time? If it's not, how do I deal with the barriers if the Newtown - Shrewsbury train (or vv) uses the disconnected platform 3? Thanks in advance

 

[yorkie]

Technically you are not permitted to break your journey (i.e. leave station premises, other than - not applicable here - to connect with trains from another station, such as across Birmingham or Manchester) however you may exit through the barriers to use station facilities.

In practice, staff may well grant you permission to leave the station; there are some shops near the station which it would be reasonable to allow a customer to use; indeed the barriers may well operate with your ticket.

I can't say for sure if you will be able to do this, but it's likely that you will be fine to do that. I have encountered problems at Shrewsbury, though it wasn't over break of journey, and was a few years ago now (they tried to say I couldn't access the platform to board a train that wasn't a National Rail service)

 

[southernyoshi]

So ask the person at the ticket barrier? I'd be more likely to want to leave the station on the return connection because it's longer & fewer trains go through in the time.

 

[Hadders]

When you leave the station just say can you pop to get a coffee/go for a smoke/get some supplies. Don't say 'can I break my journey' as this can be a bit of a red flag with some staff.

I've never been refused exit and re-entry, at any station whenever I've popped out for some supplies.

 

[southernyoshi]

I was completely fine, my ticket even worked the barrier - I didn't leave the station on the way back because my train was 20 minutes late in...