Last tube cancelled

[Leisurefirst]

Hi,
Anybody know what you are or aren't entitled to when the last tube is cancelled?
This just happened to me for the first time ever and the "customer service" was non-existent at best and hostile and rude at worst.
Firstly, lied to (that it had gone) and just told to leave the platform and "get a bus or a taxi".
Secondly, finally admitted to by somebody else that it was cancelled.
Lastly when asking a third person at the entrance how I was supposed to get home just given the bus or taxi "advice" and blanked when asked if they would pay for it.

 

[LU_timetabler]

Write everything down, in theory they should book you a taxi, but book one yourself and contact TfL to reimburse.

 

[Leisurefirst]

Write everything down, in theory they should book you a taxi, but book one yourself and contact TfL to reimburse.

Cheers, appreciated.
"Hilariously" the bus stop outside the station was also closed due to roadworks and it was bucketing down with rain for that extra customer satisfaction.

 

[yorkie]

Hi,
Anybody know what you are or aren't entitled to when the last tube is cancelled?
This just happened to me for the first time ever and the "customer service" was non-existent at best and hostile and rude at worst.
Firstly, lied to (that it had gone) and just told to leave the platform and "get a bus or a taxi".
Secondly, finally admitted to by somebody else that it was cancelled.
Lastly when asking a third person at the entrance how I was supposed to get home just given the bus or taxi "advice" and blanked when asked if they would pay for it.

Where were you going from/to?

At the very least I would expect details of alternative bus services to be provided, and if there aren't any, I'd expect you would be entitled to a taxi.

I don't know what LU's policy is.

However the quality of their customer service assistant staff isn't always great, sadly.

 

[Leisurefirst]

Where were you going from/to?

At the very least I would expect details of alternative bus services to be provided, and if there aren't any, I'd expect you would be entitled to a taxi.

I don't know what LU's policy is.

However the quality of their customer service assistant staff isn't always great, sadly.

Hi @yorkie
I was returning to London from a gig in Cambridge at the Junction with a Super Off-Peak Return plus Oyster PAYG to and from King's Cross/Liverpool Street.
It finished at 22:30 so just missed two departures to King's Cross.
The next one wasn't until 23:22 IIRC and didn't arrive until 00:48, too late for the last tube.
However, I looked at ye olde departures poster upon arrival and saw there was a 22:50 to Bishop's Stortford then a connection to arrive at Liverpool Street at 00:22.
The last westbound H&C leaves at 00:25 on a Sunday and although the Greater Anglia train arrived just under a minute late, I was very pleased as I had made my way down to the front carriage to just make it.
Nobody at the entrance nor at the barriers told anybody the train was cancelled.

Tfl confirmed on the 'phone this morning what @LU_timetabler posted earlier, (although they didn't know but at least checked with a manager), that you can get a taxi and claim it back.

I got completely blanked when I asked if they would pay for it.
I actually made the approaching bus to Paddington coming outside which wouldn't open the doors for me at the lights near the closed bus stop on Bishopsgate (fair enough, I chanced it as it was bucketing down) by legging it rather optimistically to the next stop. Fortunately it got held up long enough for me to make it by virtue of one person getting on.
After another very fortunate short change of bus got back only about 25 minutes later than the tube.
However, paid £3.50 for the privilege as got charged a fare for touching in & out at LST and then the bus which I have to wait to claim for (and I suspect only half) due to the systems breach.

 

[miklcct]

When the last train was cancelled, shouldn't the second last train be held until the time when the last train was due to depart, in order to avoid actually cancelling the last train?

In Hong Kong, there is strict procedure in bus companies that first and last buses can never be cancelled (it happened in the past and resulted in a police call because it was a rural route without other alternatives, and a historical fine to the bus company for breach of service obligation), and on the railways, there is a strict procedure for dispatching last trains to avoid stranding passengers:

1. Close the entry gate 5 minutes before departure
2. Station staff ensures that everyone has boarded the train, and no one is left on the platform
3. The train goes, and the station staff clears and closes the station

 

[Egg Centric]

When the last train was cancelled, shouldn't the second last train be held until the time when the last train was due to depart, in order to avoid actually cancelling the last train?

In Hong Kong, there is strict procedure in bus companies that first and last buses can never be cancelled (it happened in the past and resulted in a police call because it was a rural route without other alternatives, and a historical fine to the bus company for breach of service obligation), and on the railways, there is a strict procedure for dispatching last trains to avoid stranding passengers:

1. Close the entry gate 5 minutes before departure
2. Station staff ensures that everyone has boarded the train, and no one is left on the platform
3. The train goes, and the station staff clears and closes the station

Really? I managed to miss the last train at Tsim Sha Tsu (I think, whichever the one was for Chungking mansions) once. This would be 2006ish though so maybe things were different then.

 

[miklcct]

Really? I managed to miss the last train at Tsim Sha Tsu (I think, whichever the one was for Chungking mansions) once. This would be 2006ish though so maybe things were different then.

For every journey on the MTR network, there is an official last train time which connection is guaranteed. It may be on a different route than usual. If any of the trains are delayed in the chain, MTR will ensure that you still arrive your destination, most likely by holding trains down the chain. The official route never includes the out-of-station interchange between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui.

12 years ago, there was a piece of news of people missing their last trains at Lai King after transferring from other lines. The fact was that they were behind the official last train time for the particular connection (00:04 from the airport), and relied on an unofficial connection for their regular commute from the airport for years (00:16 from the airport, delayed to depart at 00:20 due to an event at the nearby Expo with additional non-stop trains).

 

[boiledbeans2]

For every journey on the MTR network, there is an official last train time which connection is guaranteed. It may be on a different route than usual.[...]

What do you mean by "It may be on a different route than usual." Do trains on one line cross to another line?

 

[H&I]

Some people say that the MTR runs, or used to run, additional trains after the last official trains as a courtesy to passengers in the spiritual realm. Does the London Underground have similar procedures, and if so, could these trains also be used to carry regular passengers should the last official train be cancelled?

Really? I managed to miss the last train at Tsim Sha Tsu (I think, whichever the one was for Chungking mansions) once. This would be 2006ish though so maybe things were different then.

Were you changing from East Tsim Sha Tsui? That connection is not guaranteed or used for official first and last train routes.

What do you mean by "It may be on a different route than usual." Do trains on one line cross to another line?

It means that connections for the officially advertised first and last train times between any two stations may involve catching trains on different lines and sometimes taking a more circuitous route than one would take. For example, the usual journey from Hung Hom to Kowloon Tong is direct on the East Rail line, taking eight minutes, and this is also the route taken for the first train time at 05:30. However, the route for the last train time at 00:47 involves catching a Tuen Ma line train to Ho Man Tin and changing onto a Kwun Tong line train to Kowloon Tong. This journey takes 17 minutes. This difference in routes taken is due to the last northbound East Rail line train being earlier, at 00:28. First and last train times and routes are available on station notices, on the MTR website and in the MTR Mobile app.

 

[Egg Centric]

For every journey on the MTR network, there is an official last train time which connection is guaranteed. It may be on a different route than usual. If any of the trains are delayed in the chain, MTR will ensure that you still arrive your destination, most likely by holding trains down the chain. The official route never includes the out-of-station interchange between East Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui.

12 years ago, there was a piece of news of people missing their last trains at Lai King after transferring from other lines. The fact was that they were behind the official last train time for the particular connection (00:04 from the airport), and relied on an unofficial connection for their regular commute from the airport for years (00:16 from the airport, delayed to depart at 00:20 due to an event at the nearby Expo with additional non-stop trains).

Were you changing from East Tsim Sha Tsui? That connection is not guaranteed or used for official first and last train routes.

Sorry, I obviously wasn't clear enough that I was referring to the fact I managed to enter the station to find no train - the entry gate wasn't closed 5 minutes before departure in that case. I've no idea what the "schedule" was (I do remember being quite surprised that I'd missed the last train though).

Wasn't changing or anything, I'd been to Chungking mansions to do something or other sinful, although which particular sin I can't remember - very interesting place!