Salisbury-Exeter St Davids via Westbury - Is it safe for me snow-wise?

[159jim]

Hi!

Later on today, I will be catching the 09:03 to WOS from SAL and alighting at WSB, and then changing for the 10:00 PAD-EXD service, and alighting at EXD.

Coming back home on the same day, getting the 14:58 Paddington service from EXD, changing at Castle Cary for the Weymouth to Gloucester service, and then changing at WSB for the CDF-PMH service, getting me back into SAL at 17:32

But with all this snow, would this trip be safe?

Thanks,
Jim.

 

[yorkie]

What do you mean by safe? It would certainly be safer than driving

Providing you allow at least the minimum interchange time, then the TOCs will get you back, but no-one can say when as anything can happen.

 

[mumrar]

What do you mean by safe? It would certainly be safer than driving

Providing you allow at least the minimum interchange time, then the TOCs will get you back, but no-one can say when as anything can happen.

New Labour's inflicted 'dependancy' kicks in. If you are an adult, make a responsible decision for yourself, based on your reasons for travelling and how well prepared you can be for long waits if the train fails. No-one is going to make the for you.

Sorry you've caught me on one today, but after seeing the shear amount of people driving little non-important journeys in this snow and people saying they'll be stranded at home because the roads aren't clear. Just do what is absolutely necessarry. I've walked a mile or so to get some bits to enable a lot of meals to be prepared. The walk was fine, we've got 5-6 inches but I wouldn't dream of driving. It just isn t necessarry.

 

[penaltyfines]

I thought they were absolved of liability when there's snow?

I've been stuck at Reading (from Paddington) trying to get to the westcountry in the snow and FGW told passengers to have fun and make their own way home.

 

[bnm]

.... FGW told passengers to have fun and make their own way home.

Was that the official response?

 

[mumrar]

Was that the official response?

I'm sure it wasn't but it helps to paint a picture of the evil TOCs and their lazy staff in order to complain about it :yawn:

 

[bnm]

↑↑

 

[Failed Unit]

I'm sure it wasn't but it helps to paint a picture of the evil TOCs and their lazy staff in order to complain about it :yawn:

East Coast were very good a few weeks ago. They said upfront if you were travelling north of Edinburgh they could not be sure they would get you to your destination. They just let you go South again. What more could they do - if you were going to Bathgate that is a long time in a hotel.

 

[yorkie]

I thought they were absolved of liability when there's snow?

I've been stuck at Reading (from Paddington) trying to get to the westcountry in the snow and FGW told passengers to have fun and make their own way home.

They would get you there, but you may have a long wait. If is that bad, road transport may be dangerous and may not be easy to arrange, so if the demand was instant travel then the response of 'arrange that yourself' may not be unreasonable, but I doubt they refused to do anything to get people home. You may have to wait a few hours, but they'd get you there eventually.

 

[Flamingo]

I wasn't working today (wish me luck for tomorrow) but I overheard an ATW person saying that as press and news and TOC's were advising people not to travel, onward transport for missed connections due to the weather was not going to be arranged.

They had a point, the roads are in a lot of cases nearly impassable, why should a taxi driver risk their life to travel to out of town? The trains are getting through (eventually in some cases), the one-hour rule regarding arranging onward travel is unworkable in this situation.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I thought they were absolved of liability when there's snow?

I've been stuck at Reading (from Paddington) trying to get to the westcountry in the snow and FGW told passengers to have fun and make their own way home.

I presume you are sending this from your Blackberry as you are riding on a husky sledge team southwards al la "Nanook of the North"

 

[penaltyfines]

I'm sure it wasn't but it helps to paint a picture of the evil TOCs and their lazy staff in order to complain about it :yawn:

Cynical much?

A group of us asked the platform staff and the station duty manager, they said that they were only liable in cases 'within the control' of the railway - so weather (and suicides etc I expect) are not covered.

 

[yorkie]

Liable for what?
What was the question?
What was the outcome, did you get there?
What time was this?

 

[arb]

In an attempt to paint TOCs/railway staff in a good light (which doesn't seem to happen too often on these forums!), I just thought I'd add to this thread by saying I had a day return from London to Honiton (passing through Salisbury) on South Western Trains today.

My outward journey was stopped at Salisbury due to the weather, and I was told I could either wait there to see what happened, or I could try using First Great Western via Westbury and Exeter St. David's to get to Honiton. I went to Westbury, only to discover that the Westbury to Exeter service was cancelled due to "an incident at Reading". I was then given the option of going to Bristol and using a CrossCountry service to get from there to Exeter.

The overall journey was a couple of hours longer than it should have been, but having seen the weather forecast, I'd set off earlier than I originally planned, so this wasn't a major problem. All things considered, I thought everybody I dealt with today did a brilliant job at dealing with the people travelling the same route as me, and keeping us informed of our options at all times.

 

[chuckles1066]

I wasn't working today (wish me luck for tomorrow) but I overheard an ATW person saying that as press and news and TOC's were advising people not to travel, onward transport for missed connections due to the weather was not going to be arranged.

At Bristol Parkway this morning, three people asked about journeys and all three were told a bus service was being laid on.

(I think two of them mentioned Cheltenham, I'm assuming they've had it a lot worse than down here)

 

[Flamingo]

There was a replacement bus from BPW to Patchway today, as the South Wales HST's were turning at Patchway and going down Filton to Temple Meads, and vice versa, avoiding BPW.