Advance tickets when train departs ahead of schedule

[Par]

On Tuesday I travelled on the 19.24 XC service from Liskeard towards Penzance, which departed 8 early at 19.16. Now I was travelling on an Off-Peak Day Return so it didn't affect me , but I got thinking, what would the situation be if forced to attempt travel on the next GWR service on an Advance ticket because I wasn't at the station on time?

I'm not even certain that "Advances" are available for that journey, but they surely are from Plymouth, from where the train departed similarly 8 minutes early?

Incidentally the service departed Truro 15 early!

 

[LexyBoy]

You'd be told that you should arrive in plenty of time to catch your train in case it's late!

Not really It should be easy enough for the TM to check and I'm sure they would allow you to travel. Technically I think you should still travel with XC (if possible). And claim Delay Repay of course!

 

[Bletchleyite]

*8* early? *15* early?

Assuming it was not retimed due to engineering, that needs reporting and investigation for possible disciplinary action against whoever was responsible for such a thing.

A minute here or there is understandable, that is not.

 

[MikeWh]

*8* early? *15* early?

Assuming it was not retimed due to engineering, that needs reporting and investigation for possible disciplinary action against whoever was responsible for such a thing.

A minute here or there is understandable, that is not.

Looking at RTT the preceeding GWR service to Penzance was running 20 odd minutes late and departed Plymouth at the time the XC service should have. I wonder therefore if the XC service was directed to run early to fill the gap?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looking at RTT the preceeding GWR service to Penzance was running 20 odd minutes late and departed Plymouth at the time the XC service should have. I wonder therefore if the XC service was directed to run early to fill the gap?

That might be a sensible piece of regulation, but not if passengers were not informed on ticket validity being cross-accepted etc.

 

[Merseysider]

Looking at RTT the preceeding GWR service to Penzance was running 20 odd minutes late and departed Plymouth at the time the XC service should have. I wonder therefore if the XC service was directed to run early to fill the gap?

Unfortunately for them, that GWR service arrived PNZ 103 late...

Being able to leave 15E just shows how much faster XC services could be if they didn't need so much timetable padding

 

[bb21]

Unfortunately for them, that GWR service arrived PNZ 103 late...

There was severe flooding between Truro and Camborne.

 

[ainsworth74]

Being able to leave 15E just shows how much faster XC services could be if they didn't need so much timetable padding

You could easily knock thirty minutes off many XC schedules but the impact on the reliability of the service would be huge. It is a shame all in all

 

[Par]

That might be a sensible piece of regulation, but not if passengers were not informed on ticket validity being cross-accepted etc.

There was certainly no announcement at Liskeard about cross-acceptance of tickets, just an announcement that the GWR was expected at 19.25, and therefore the 19.24 XC would be next departure towards Penzance. The PID showed the XC to be "on time" so when it rolled in at 19.14, I was very surprised, but boarded nonetheless.

If a ticket holder with an Advance Liskeard - Penzance had arrived at 19.17, they would have found their booked train already departed. In this scenario then you would like to think that the TM on the late running GWR, would apply common sense and allow the ticket holder to travel on that service although clearly it wouldn't be strictly speaking "valid".

Going off-piste, any benefit from the 15 early departure from Truro was subsequently lost due to the flooding near Redruth meaning a missed connection at St Erth for St Ives.

To be fair to XC though the have already agreed to my Delay Repay request, with payment by BACS, which I think is a new [in my case welcome] development (a claim last month with them was paid by way of a cheque).

 

[Richard_B]

In this case as both trains where going to the same destination - and presumably stopping at the same places, there isn't really a problem imo. If it was going northbound from there though that would be a different matter entirely.