How reliable are Rail Replacement Buses?

[kermit]

Hi folks,

Is there any info on how reliable the Rail Replacement Bus service is from Carlisle to Edinburgh in terms of keeping to advertised times. I'm looking at a journey from Chester or Liverpool to Edinburgh Airport on Sunday 8th May with a must-get-to-the-airport time of 16.00 - is it do-able?

Thanks in advance for any expertise / insights!

 

[tspaul26]

In my experience, rail replacement buses can be a mixed bag depending on the route and driver. That time on a Sunday should broadly keep to time though.

However, as far as I’m aware, even if the bus runs to time your arrival into Waverley is 1520. This is cutting things fine if you must reach the airport for 1600.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Is there any info on how reliable the Rail Replacement Bus service is from Carlisle to Edinburgh in terms of keeping to advertised times. I'm looking at a journey from Chester or Liverpool to Edinburgh Airport on Sunday 8th May with a must-get-to-the-airport time of 16.00 - is it do-able?

You might have to consider travelling from Liverpool to Edinburgh on the more expensive via York / Newcastle (ECML) route and even then it would probably depend on TPE's services operating on that particular Sunday.

 

[cambsy]

I would say that the Carlisle to Edinburgh run, should be reasonably reliable, under normal circumstances, the timings for the coaches, seems ok, but obviously traffic on the day, or motorway or road closure etc, could have impact on particular day. I think showing reliability and on time performance, is not practical, as some routes for rail replacement coaches etc, will be inherently hard to keep time, such as cities or high congestion areas, whereas Motorway or A roads, are easier for timekeeping. Carlisle-Edinburgh is Motorway then A road, so you should be ok for time keeping, though Edinburgh could delay a bit. I would leave an hour on top of what you would, for a train connection etc, as its a coach replacement service.

 

[trainophile]

I'd be going the night before and staying in a Travelodge or similar, hang the extra expense. I'd be a nervous wreck all day if I had a plane to catch.

 

[route101]

What route do the coaches go between Carlisle and Edinburgh? Up the A702 or along the M8?

 

[Dave S 56F]

Well me my friend and I were travelling to from Huddersfield Manchester picc on 19 march and due to TPE strikes our 3:55am connection was cancelled.

So I rang TPE and asked if a rail replacement bus was to be laid on in place; the telephone handler - who was Australian - didn't think there was a replacement bus service.

We got to Huddersfield and asked a station attendant if alternative transport was been laid on; they said there was a minibus service in place for the cancelled man picc and airport train.

So sometimes, due to poor communication, TPE customer services don't always know what's happening, it seems.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What route do the coaches go between Carlisle and Edinburgh? Up the A702 or along the M8?

Believe it's up the M6/M74 calling at Lockerbie, then back on the M74 and off up the A702 into Edinburgh.

 

[Watershed]

Hi folks,

Is there any info on how reliable the Rail Replacement Bus service is from Carlisle to Edinburgh in terms of keeping to advertised times. I'm looking at a journey from Chester or Liverpool to Edinburgh Airport on Sunday 8th May with a must-get-to-the-airport time of 16.00 - is it do-able?

Thanks in advance for any expertise / insights!

Longer distance rail replacement buses generally have reasonably generous timings. It's usually more the local, stopping replacement buses that can have tight timings and are particularly liable to be delayed by traffic.

I wouldn't be planning things too tight for getting to the airport, although I would be reasonably confident of the bus running to time.

 

[Flying Snail]

A big part of your problem is the stupidly late first WCML train north of Lancaster to Carlisle on Sundays, made even worse by Avanti terminating
the previously first northbound service at Preston. Added to this the TPE no-shows due to the strike and not only is it a very late arrival for Carlisle but it will reliably be absolutely rammed.

Unbelievably the earliest service from Preston to Carlisle on a Sunday is to take the 08.39 Preston-Blackburn-Clitheroe-Hellifield and connect into the Settle-Carlisle arriving at 11.52. It's too early for connections from Liverpool or Chester though.

I was out that way a few weeks ago on a Sunday, Carlisle was pretty chaotic with the replacement buses, two queues for Glasgow and Edinburgh with Glasgow being much busier.

The coach to Edinburgh took 2h45 which included a stop at Lockerbie and more than 10 minutes at a service station with the driver refuelling.


How about this, via Preston to avoid TPE strikes:
08.29 Liverpool - Preston 09.33
09.47 Preston - York 11.55 Northern
12.09 York - Edinburgh 14.36 LNER

No matter which way you try the connections are too tight to chance missing a flight though, as others have said a trip up the day before and a hotel room may be the only sensible option.

 

[AngusH]

I was in central Edinburgh yesterday and the traffic situation around Edinburgh Waverley (the main station) is very bad right now. One the main road bridges near Waverley station is being repaired and down to one lane in one direction only, other routes are closed and the tram construction is also underway.
Lots of diversions and it seemed very slow.

I don't know what route the rail replacement bus will take, but I can't see how it wouldn't be affected by this.
Also the trams and buses from Waverley to the airport will be slowed down too.

At minimum I'd suggest interchanging at Edinburgh Haymarket station rather than Edinburgh Waverley.

Or can you avoid the centre at all and travel via Edinburgh gateway?[
sorry messed up my geography.

edit: Route via Edinburgh Park station and then tram possibly?

 

[Bantamzen]

I'd be going the night before and staying in a Travelodge or similar, hang the extra expense. I'd be a nervous wreck all day if I had a plane to catch.

I'd second this, with the risk of multiple connections being missed or rail replacement buses getting fouled up in traffic, plus the potential of longer than usual check-in / security times I'd be seriously considering travelling up the day before and staying over. Even the earliest departures from Liverpool only give you a couple of hours wiggle room.

 

[kermit]

Thanks for the very helpful insights everybody! I should perhaps have mentioned that the reason for travel is a birthday party on the Saturday evening in the Wirral, so the overnight option really isn't. All things considered it looks like a hire car or an appearance at the party via Face Time!

 

[trainophile]

Unless it's your own birthday party I'm sure your hosts would be understanding. Could you pop over early in the day and deliver some booze with your greetings to make up for your later absence? I stand by my views that it's not worth the stress on flight day.

 

[Flying Snail]

There is a 14.20 Easyjet from Birmingham - Edinburgh 15.35. Currently showing as £120 on skyscanner.

You'd have no difficulty getting to Birmingham from Liverpool or Chester for that.

There is also a 13.45 Easyjet from Luton - Edinburgh 15.05 £48

You can get to that from the 08.18 Avanti Liverpool - Milton Keynes 10.19, 11.00 Milton Keynes - Luton Airport 12.07 Stagecoach 99 bus. You could also connect to that at Crewe with the 08.05 from Chester.

 

[trainophile]

£97 for a room at Edinburgh Airport Ratho Travelodge on 7th May. I expect booking.com have better prices for B&Bs nearby.

 

[yorkie]

I agree with staying at a hotel; it's not probably worth the risk.

Unfortunately Saturday nights are not the best times to book hotels for, but there is no way I would resort to a Travelodge at that price!

Premier Inns are available and one near the airport is £80.

 

[trainophile]

Good spot @yorkie, I never thought of checking Premier Inn despite having the app on my phone. It's weird that Travelodge which used to be the really cheap end of the market are now frequently more expensive than the nearest P/I.

 

[pdq]

As you don't need to be at the airport until 4pm your overnight stay could be elsewhere with a stress free connection at a sensible time. What's the last but one (for redundancy) train out from your party that's heading in the right direction, to get you partway there?

 

[pelli]

If you don't mind an early start, there's a Megabus at 06.05 from Liverpool, arriving Manchester (Shudehill) at 07.00, which should give you ample time to continue by rail to Edinburgh Airport. (I found this by asking Google Maps for suggestions, which can sometimes yield useful combinations of different modes of public transport.) You could also consider taking the last train on Saturday evening to a hotel somewhere like Manchester to get a head start on travel for Sunday.

 

[kermit]

Hi again folks! Thanks again for all the suggestions, some of which would perhaps have suited Anneka Rice in her heyday! Much appreciated, but there are of course complicating factors too numerous and tedious to go into here, so please can I call a very grateful halt on this correspondence?

 

[Snow1964]

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ONGOING: Our bus supplier has been unable to provide buses today between #BromleySouth & Swanley. To travel between these stations, please travel via Orpington & Chislehurst on the following trains:
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