Itinerary Check Please

[SephenWorceste]

This is my planned itinerary for a Thursday in April. It is part of a longer trip using the Train Hotel to Barcelona. Do these seem sensible changes?

7.51 London Midland Worcester Foregate Street to Birmingham New Street 8.38
9.30 Virgin Trains Birmingham New Street to London Euston 10.54 (Advance)
Walk London Euston to St Pancras International
12.25 Eurostar St Pancras International to Paris (Not Flexible)

I know I should go for CIV tickets but they are so much more expensive. I assume that if my London Midland train is very late I should be able to catch a later Virgin Train? If my Virgin Train is late then I will just have to throw myself on the mercy of Eurostar or buy a walk on ticket to Paris. Any advice?

Thank you, Stephen.

PS I post here rather than the International Forum as my main concern is the connections in Britain.

 

[Lampshade]

1. Yes, they seem fairly safe connections.
2. Yes, you are covered if your first train is late.
3. VT services are every 20 minutes, so at best it'll only mean you arrive at St Pancras 20 minutes later.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you. Looks like I should be fine.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[Goatboy]

Split the ticket at Birmingham and go for CIV tickets from Birmingham. They are available on VT's lowest Advance tier, so £7.50 each way.

 

[lemonic]

On a tangent to this, assume you have the following tickets:
A (e.g. Worcester) to B (e.g. Birmingham)
B (e.g. Birmingham) to London International/London Eurostar CIV
London St Pancras to Paris

If your train from A to B is delayed then you are covered all the way to London, but are you covered all the way to Paris?

 

[maniacmartin]

I was under the impression that you are only covered all the way Paris if all of the connecting tickets are CIV tickets. I may be wrong though

 

[SephenWorceste]

My Eurostar ticket is CIV. Does that count?

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[maniacmartin]

A Worcester to Birmingham ticket isn't going to be a CIV though

 

[1E05]

The safest best would be to get a Eurostar Std Highsaver or Advance between Birmingham and London so incase ur train is late you will be protected all the way to Paris.

 

[Class172]

1. Yes, they seem fairly safe connections.
2. Yes, you are covered if your first train is late.
3. VT services are every 20 minutes, so at best it'll only mean you arrive at St Pancras 20 minutes later.

It shouldn't really matter if the 0751 from Foregate Street is late, as there are other departures (0804 to B'ham Moor St. and 0824 to B'ham New St.) that will allow you time to transfer safely to your London-bound train. I commute to Worcester at this time of the day weekdays and it's rare anyway that the 0751 will be late.

Word of advice though when catching the 0751, it may be formed of 5 coaches, but is often very busy when I've passed it, so I would wait at the Shrub Hill end of the platform (front of train) as generally it is quieter.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you for that advice. I guessed the 7.51 might be crowded.

Today the 16.20 from Moor Street to Worcester was packed. It was a two car 172. Literally no more standing room in the isles and doorways. I think Aston Villa had been playing. I have never seen anything like that apart from London Underground. All very good humoured. Lots of families and people chatting. Children standing for women passengers etc. A pleasure really.

 

[Class172]

Today the 16.20 from Moor Street to Worcester was packed. It was a two car 172.

I think that service is meant to be formed of 4 coaches, as it forms the 1716 return from Fgt St to Dorridge.

 

[Goatboy]

A Worcester to Birmingham ticket isn't going to be a CIV though

It doesn't need to be

 

[tannedfrog]

A friend had bought a Disneyland package from a travel agent which included Eurostar travel. She subsequently called the Eurostar booking office in Ashford, asking to buy "add-on" tickets from a UK station.

She was told that she could not buy add-on tickets as she already had the Eurostar ticket but was sold normal domestic advance tickets on the basis that she would be covered for any delays anyway. I'm guessing this was wrong?