TPE/Avanti: Mcr>Edinburgh & return

[wijit]

Hi all. I’m getting both confused and concerned by various emails I’m getting from both Avanti and TPE. One seems to indicate but not actually say cancelled, the other that they don’t know.
So we’re travelling up on the 10:26 Mcr>Edinburgh which is TPE and returning next day on 16:52 as far as Preston, which is Avanti.
Is it really a case of checking the week before? That doesn’t leave much room to make other travel arrangements.
Can anyone advise?

 

[Bletchleyite]

More a case of checking five minutes beforehand. The service is not reliable.

If you have an alternative I would take it.

 

[td97]

TransPennine have been slighter better lately, but the bar was set very low. A few weeks ago they couldn't run a single service on the WCML beyond Carlisle; now about half seem to make it across the border.
It's pot luck - today the 1026 was cancelled entirely, but yesterday ran in full, and tomorrow will terminate at Carlisle.

Today, all of Avanti's services from Edinburgh ran at least as far as Preston. Yesterday the 1652 was the only southbound cancellation.

If your TPE starts from Preston instead of Manchester, you will be able to catch the 1001 Northern service from Piccadilly to connect with it using your existing ticket.

If your TPE is cancelled entirely then ticket acceptance with Avanti should enable you to take the 1153 from Preston to Edinburgh (using either the 1001 or 1030 Northern from Piccadilly to Preston).

Even if you end up with Northern + Avanti at 3hrs 48, this is still favourable compared to driving.

It is definitely worth checking the day before and again before you leave home, and allow time to get there early in case you need the 1001 Northern service. Use the operator website to check for service changes and not a third party site such as Trainline or realtimetrains.