Have you ever used a rail replacement taxi?

[SussexSpotter]

Most of us will have encountered a time where we have had to use a rail replacement bus, but what about taxi's?

Some rail companies offer a taxi service, if a rail service unavailable. A classic example of this is Newhaven Marine station where you can get a taxi to the Harbour station at no extra cost if you phone a certain number. Although it's very unlikely that anyone would use this considering the short distance between the stations. For those that don't know Newhaven Marine station is no longer served by passenger trains, only a ghost train which stops there but doesn't pick up any passengers for safety reasons.

So has anyone ever used a rail replacement taxi?

Did you prefer it to a rail replacement bus?

Should rail companies look at providing this option to passengers more than relying on buses?

 

[12CSVT]

Often happens when the Bedford - Bletchley line is up the spout.

If an incident has just happened where line is likely to blocked for some time (derailment, wires down etc) it is usually more practical for TOCs to authorise taxis than have passengers waiting for hours while a replacement bus service is set up.

 

[Yew]

Once when Nottingham to Lincoln services where cancelled, there was no space felt on the rail replacement bus. So EMT shelled out for a taxi from Nottingham to Lincoln for me. They didn't even check if I had a ticket .


Personally I was hoping to be told to go via London

 

[Lrd]

I was at Eastleigh late night going home, there were no trains so buses were running but the bus never showed so the station manager put us in a taxi back home.

I may have accidentally forgot to buy my ticket as well

 

[gazthomas]

Only on the Ffestiniog railway of all places!

 

[Wath Yard]

I had a rail replacement taxi once when there were delays and SWT turned a London stopper, used by commuters from Bournemouth, into a fast. After a mutiny, and to get rid of us, they put us in taxis. Four of us were put in one taxi and it virtually passed my house so I asked he if could let me out. The reply was SWT had contracted him to take me to the railway station, if I wanted to get out elsewhere I would have to pay the fare myself. :roll:

 

[AndyLandy]

Longest taxi ride I ever took was courtesy of Wessex Trains. I was at Newport, awaiting the last Cardiff-Portsmouth train of the night, which ended up being cancelled. I got the following train through to Bristol, where Wessex Trains put me and three others into a taxi all the way back to Southampton Central!

We were given the same deal, the driver was only contracted to take us to the station, but since he didn't know his way back out of the city, I stayed in the car and navigated him back to the main road, which conveniently went past my home, where I got out.

 

[Simon11]

Once ended up in a rail taxi as the aber line was up the swan and missed the last connection at wolverhampton to london. Put in a taxi with 4 other stranges for the trip to london. The cab driver was rather unusual in being christian and not listening to any modern radio stations as he didn't believe in the lyrics- made for a long night! Finally the cab driver had no idea where he was going as he asked if watford was past london....
Considering the cost of the cab, I was rather pleased to only have paid £15 for the ticket from the welsh coast to london!

 

[Temple Meads]

Twice, once between Exeter and Tiverton Parkway due to myself getting the wrong rail replacement bus (one that was going Taunton - Exeter but missed out Tiverton Parkway), and the second time last month between Exeter and Newton Abbot.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Never been on one, but they are sometimes used to serve stations that are little-used (or out of the way; or both) when the rest of the line has a rail replacement bus service during engineering works: the example I am most familiar with is Battlebridge on the Southminster Branch - when the line is closed for engineering, it is served by a taxi to and from Wickford

 

[yorkie]

London - York in a black cab, and Newcastle to York! (All I need is Newcastle - Edinburgh and I've completed the ECML in taxis )

... the aber line...

Aber is on the Rhymney line

(Yes I know, there are other places beginning with Aber that are abbreviated to Aber by locals, such as Abergavenny and Aberystwyth)

 

[AndyLandy]

On a slightly different tack, I also once arrived at Crewe to find the last train to Hartford had been cancelled, so a rail replacement coach was in operation. The only passenger wanting to travel was me. So I got an entire coach to myself from Crewe to Hartford.

I bet it cost a whole lot more than my £3.50 fare would have covered!

 

[SussexSpotter]

On a slightly different tack, I also once arrived at Crewe to find the last train to Hartford had been cancelled, so a rail replacement coach was in operation. The only passenger wanting to travel was me. So I got an entire coach to myself from Crewe to Hartford.

I bet it cost a whole lot more than my £3.50 fare would have covered!

I don't think i've actually ever been on a rail replacement coach, although isn't there that one which runs between Wandsworth and Kensington every week and picks up a few if not any passengers? Think it was some silly Dft requirement when they got rid of the Brighton XC services.

 

[Temple Meads]

On a slightly different tack, I also once arrived at Crewe to find the last train to Hartford had been cancelled, so a rail replacement coach was in operation. The only passenger wanting to travel was me. So I got an entire coach to myself from Crewe to Hartford.

I bet it cost a whole lot more than my £3.50 fare would have covered!

I've had the same between Exton and Digby and Sowton which I thought was impressive, but you've done one better there!

 

[Polarbear]

I had a rail replacement taxi from Llandrindod Wells to Shrewsbury once! :cry:

It was a cold, November day & I was out on a Freedom of Wales. Having had my planned bus move from Llandrindod - Aberystwyth screwed up by a bus driver nattering to his mate & leaving 20 late (therefore missing the connection at Rhayder), I ended up at Builth Road & boarded the 153 en route to Shrewsbury...or so I thought.

The southbound diagram had been cancelled from Shrewsbury so the 153 was turned around at Llandrindod & sent back to Swansea. This was at 15:20. There were 8 people going north that afternoon & we were assured by the bloke in the ticket office that a "bus" was on it's way.

The chap in the ticket office duly booked off at 16:00 & went off home & we were then left at an unstaffed station still waiting for the "bus". To this day, I'm convinced that a bus hadn't actually been requisitioned as I ended up calling Arriva at their Cardiff office twice that evening whilst getting colder & colder stood outside Llandrindod station to explain what had happened & to find out what had happened to the onward transport.

At the point where I was sorely tempted to find my own way out of Llandrindod by bus (back to Hereford), an 8 seater taxi appeared at around 17:30 & duly belted up the main roads (request shacks were set down only & mostly avoided so tough turkey if you were out there).

At least I got home in one piece, but I did give Arriva a piece of my mind, especially after they didn't offer any compensation following my initial complaint letter...!!

 

[transportphoto]

I've had a 48 seater Coach, working rail replacement, to myself between a bus stop, somewhere between Sheringham and Cromer, and Cromer... this was after the coach driver asked me to answer the phone to his boss and then stopped at said bus stop.. where the other passengers asked to be let off at that stop as it was more convenient for them! The stop at West Runton didn't happen as we otherwise ran fast between Shezza and Cromer!

TP

 

[martinsh]

I've had a timetabled Replacement Taxi between Coventry and Nuneaton on a Sunday about 20 years ago when Crewe - Euston services were diverted via West Mids. Connected at Nuneaton with a rail replacement train to Leicester !

 

[transportphoto]

I've had a timetabled Replacement Taxi between Coventry and Nuneaton on a Sunday about 20 years ago when Crewe - Euston services were diverted via West Mids. Connected at Nuneaton with a rail replacement train to Leicester !

A rail replacement train you say sir?

 

[richw]

In the original post I wouldn't want to turn up close to departure time of 1852, call and wait for a taxi to get to the other station in time for 1903 departure. Never known a taxi arrive that quick!

 

[507 001]

I've been on 2....

First was in July 2002, We'd been to legoland and were on an evening train back from Euston which was held at Euston because of the OHLE sagging due to excessive heat (massive mess at euston, nobody knew what was going on, fed my 2 month old brother on the concourse, then spent at least an hour on a mk3 with no aircon that wasnt going anywhere!), eventually arrived back at Lime Street massively late, jumped off the train and got straight into a cab (the cabs could still come onto the platform then) which took us home.

Second was coming back from york on a TPE 158 (the 185's were in the process of being introduced), got as far as Leeds, in a massive thunderstorm where we were told that the line to Manc was shut due to a lightning strike. We were then put on coaches as far as Huddersfield, then on a 158, through Victoria up to Salford, reversal at salford and back down to Piccadilly where we were thrown off and waited 2 hours for a cab to turn up. And then to top it all off as my dad goes to get in the cab, some woman pushes him out the way and jumps in, que father shouting at woman that he has 2 elderly ladies, a 2 year old, a 12 year old and my mum with him, her reply "not my problem". Horrible woman.

Eventually got home at 3:30 am, some 5 hours late!

 

[rishtonlad]

I once had a replacment taxi from Blackburn one saturday. Got the last train from Preston to Blackburn and waited along with a couple of other people only to get informed by the co-ordinator that they had forgotton to order the bus. In the end they got one taxi for 4 of us.

 

[bunnahabhain]

Nuneaton to Leicester in a taxi, I believe it took something like 3hrs for Crosscountry to begin arranging taxis!

We arrived at Nuneaton, got booted off, the train then went back to Birmingham and we just waited. Eventually we were told to head over to the station entrance, where three taxis were lined up for approximately 200 people. Gradually more arrived, including a horse drawn phaeton. We eventually got into a taxi, where the driver then drove via any road other than the Motorway to Leicester, and proceeded to take us on a tour as he got lost.

We arrived into Leicester just as the train we had got off in Nuneaton arrived into the station, having gone back to Birmingham, up to Derby and down to Leicester.

 

[Wolvercoter]

I've been from Shrewsbury to Llangollen on a rail-replacement taxi. The only Sunday morning train from Shrewsbury to Chester was cancelled so Arriva provided a taxi. We were due to alight at Chirk to get a bus to Llangollen but, as we were late and would have missed the bus, and there was no other passengers, the taxi-driver kindly dropped us in Llangollen.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

VT and TPE both offered ones for Oxenholme-Windermere following a connection leaving after VT were delayed. Naturally it was faster to wait for the next train.

 

[broadbander]

I've used a rail replacement taxi once - to get from Lincoln to Fiskerton. There was some sort of signalling problem which meant very little service in/out of Lincoln, so a fleet of rail replacement buses was lined up outside the station. I was directed on to one that would get me to Newark Castle, and form there EMT arranged for a taxi to complete my journey.

 

[Ediswan]

Twice:

Stevenage to Hertford North one evening during snow. Some trains were running, but the last two Hertford Loop services had been cancelled at short notice. Station staff gave up trying to predict the future and paid for a taxi, just me.

Hertford North to Stevenage late Friday. Wires down somewhere, so no more trains that day. A few taxis were rounded up. Ours did a couple of doorstep drops on the way (without needing to detour).

On both occasions FCC produced a pad of pre-printed forms for taxi company to claim with. The taxi drivers seemed to know the system. So it must happen fairly often.

 

[Batman]

I had to use a rail replacement mini-bus once on a late night service from Walsall to Hednesford. This was in place of the 23:18 New Street to Hednesford which regularly terminates at Walsall due to engineering work on weeknights, but almost always runs through to Hednesford on Fridays and Saturdays when it's used by clubbers.

Fortunately only a small number of people stay on that train beyond Walsall on weeknights, although I dread to think what would have happened if someone with a suitcase or a small child in a pushchair had wanted to use it. Would LM have forked our for a taxi in those circumstances?

 

[stut]

A couple of times - the most memorable following a suicide at Worplesdon. It was late at night already, and it took quite a while, as you'd expect, to get us moving (they were all ready to evacuate us via the trackside, until it transpired one of the passengers was pregnant). Couldn't have been better organised - they'd already organised a fleet of taxis for us at Woking, and staff had stayed on to and got together water and sandwiches for us. Top marks to SWT for going way beyond on this one.

The other one was a bit of a failure - got stuck with a bike at St Neots during a major signal failure. It was the evening peak, and so all the buses were going north. Everyone else was put into a taxi, but they couldn't get a taxi which would take a bike. Eventually, they gave up and went home. Having already waited 3h (I would have had to cycle 40 miles down a dual carriageway in the dark to get where I was headed), I finally managed to get someone to come and pick me up.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I note quite a few storys from wales, unsurprising given the remoteness.
Scotland has a few too and I have been lucky enough to have several - signal failure at Stirling late Sat night, last 2 Edinburghs cansled and nothing else m6ving, they taxied the 2 pax going further than Falkirk to there front doors.

The recent derailment between Dundee and Aberdeen saw a lack of buses and me trying to catch the Northern Isles ferry at Aberdeen, Station staff without a question got me a taxi streight to the ferry.
And whilst
Yorkie
has done the ECML By taxi as far as Newcastle, I have done the northern end, all be it in 2 pieces thanks to various farses, one embarisingly for GNER Letting a bus go before 3 remaining pax were on it!

 

[34D]

London - York in a black cab, and Newcastle to York! (All I need is Newcastle - Edinburgh and I've completed the ECML in taxis )

Did the meters work?

I've had a couple of 'missed the last train' taxis, but never a taxi operating a service in lieu of a train.