Railway Myths (2013)

[Temple Meads]

Myth: Continuity is the only thing that matters in railway based TV programmes.

 

[Clip]

Myth 60: You can save (up to) 43% by buying on thetrainline.com

You can if you buy an AP ticket though against the walk up fare.


Maybe this should be myth: 342i7569.5 The perception that what the trainline state in savings on an advance purchase ticket against a walk up fare is not true because rail forums uk say so.

 

[MK Tom]

Myth: Upgrading EMUs to 110mph will fix all problems on any line.

 

[AndyLandy]

Myth: East Coast is the only TOC to have been nationalized (I've actually seen people claim this one).

What other franchises have been temporarily nationalised? I have vague recollections that the northern one was brought in-house for a brief time, but it could equally be my brain making stuff up!

 

[Buttsy]

What other franchises have been temporarily nationalised? I have vague recollections that the northern one was brought in-house for a brief time, but it could equally be my brain making stuff up!

I think Southeastern was under DOR for a while a few years back.

 

[ainsworth74]

You can if you buy an AP ticket though against the walk up fare.

No you can't because you'll still be charged booking fees. Meaning that the exact same advance ticket will still be cheaper booked via a TOC website.

 

[sprinterguy]

What other franchises have been temporarily nationalised? I have vague recollections that the northern one was brought in-house for a brief time, but it could equally be my brain making stuff up!

The South Eastern and South Central franchises were brought under Government control following the failings of Connex.

I don't think that it was under the Directly Operated Railways subsidiary though, I believe that's only been set up relatively recently. Additionally, no components of the current Northern franchise have been brought under Government control since privatisation.

 

[IanD]

No you can't because you'll still be charged booking fees. Meaning that the exact same advance ticket will still be cheaper booked via a TOC website.

Myth 0871 244 1545* - Thetrainline claims to be the cheapest place to buy train tickets.

They don't claim to be the cheapest, they claim you can save an average of (not up to) 43% which has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the ASA as being true. As 43% is the average, bigger savings can obviously be had eg Milton Keynes to Glasgow is 87.5% cheaper buying the cheapest Advances compared to an anytime return (85% on thetrainline after adding fees). Can't remember if the % they quote is inclusive of the price after they've added the fees. Still wouldn't use them though, bunch of sharks.

*Calls to this number cost 10p per minute from a BT landline. Calls from other operators and from outside the UK may cost more.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Myth 319019: Buying a ticket from Trainline is always cheaper than buying from a Ticket Office.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a passenger who's bought two walk-up Singles through TTL and ended up paying nearly double the price of a walk-up Return as a result.

 

[PR1Berske]

Myth number 08712441545: You should use thetrainline.

That's a flame with which I've been burned before.

I suppose Myth n+1 is "The tickets available at a machine are the same as the tickets available at a counter"

And something about Norther DUO tickets being available to everywhere, at every time, too.

 

[tbtc]

Myth Number 0845484950:

There is a railway route in the UK that an enthusiast hasn't once suggested that a 444 (or an "AC 444" or a "diesel 444" or a "commuter 444" or a "bi-mode 444" or a "freight engine based on a 444") wouldn't be ideal for.

 

[atomicdanny]

Myth: Everything was better under British Rail
Myth: British rail was never late or ever had dirty trains and was perfect!
Myth: All Southeastern Trains are either late, cancelled, dirty, break down, falling apart and never cleaned. (or a mix of them)
Myth: There are no polite pleasant staff that work for Southeastern, they are all evil jobsworths that see joy in making passengers lives hell!

 

[Eagle]

The South Eastern and South Central franchises were brought under Government control following the failings of Connex.

I don't think that it was under the Directly Operated Railways subsidiary though, I believe that's only been set up relatively recently. Additionally, no components of the current Northern franchise have been brought under Government control since privatisation.

Connex South Central wasn't, it passed to Govia in 2000.

It was Connex South Eastern that was nationalized in 2003 to form South Eastern Trains. The franchise was relet in 2006 and won by Govia, who called it Southeastern.

Also London and Continental Railways (the UK contingent of Eurostar) was nationalized in 2009 in the wake of the NXEC nationalization. Unlike East Coast there are no plans to reprivatize LCR.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Myth Number 0845484950:

There is a railway route in the UK that an enthusiast hasn't once suggested that a 444 (or an "AC 444" or a "diesel 444" or a "commuter 444" or a "bi-mode 444" or a "freight engine based on a 444") wouldn't be ideal for.

South West Trains suggested that a commuter 444 would be good on many of their suburban routes. They called it a 450.

 

[OuterDistant]

Myth: delivering trains with the toilet vent next to the air conditioning intake is the way to showcase British manufacturing.

 

[Eagle]

Myth: delivering trains with the toilet vent next to the air conditioning intake is the way to showcase British manufacturing.

If you're referring to the trains I think you're referring to, they were made in Belgium.

Myth: All Bombardier trains were made at Derby :P

 

[Temple Meads]

Myth: The whole carriage wants to hear your mobile phone conversation.

 

[Qwerty133]

Myth: The whole carriage wants to hear your mobile phone conversation.

and if said conversation is in a foreign language not only do they want to hear your side they want to hear the other side!
myth: you cannot use your loud speaker on your phone while on a XC train
(you can but only to broadcast the other side of a phone call)

 

[GatwickDepress]

Myth: The whole carriage wants to hear your mobile phone conversation.

Sub-section b of that myth: When entering a tunnel, sticking the phone in front of your face and bellowing "HELLO!? HELLO!? IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME, THAT'S BECAUSE I'M A TUNNEL!" is an ideal way to make friends with your fellow passengers in any carriage, especially if in the quiet coach or first class.

 

[Flamingo]

Myth: every passenger travelling between Reading and London has to stand, regardless of how many empty seats there are.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Sub-section b of that myth: When entering a tunnel, sticking the phone in front of your face and bellowing "HELLO!? HELLO!? IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME, THAT'S BECAUSE I'M A TUNNEL!" is an ideal way to make friends with your fellow passengers in any carriage, especially if in the quiet coach or first class.

Myth 07765 - A bridge is a tunnel

That's related to people I have heard on phones when their signal cuts out, the train goes under a wide bridge that carries some motorway/dual carriageway and then they say 'sorry we went under a tunnel'...

 

[generalvegitable]

...When entering a tunnel, sticking the phone in front of your face and bellowing "HELLO!? HELLO!? IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME, THAT'S BECAUSE I'M A TUNNEL!"

myth no 1557899: people speaking on phones are tunnels

(sorry, couldn't resist )

 

[gnolife]

Myth 07765 - A bridge is a tunnel

That's related to people I have heard on phones when their signal cuts out, the train goes under a wide bridge that carries some motorway/dual carriageway and then they say 'sorry we went under a tunnel'...

Myth: Trains go under tunnels rather than through them.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Myth: Trains go under tunnels rather than through them.

! I ain't going to stop giggling now the next time I hear a passenger say that!

 

[Eagle]

Myth: Trains go under tunnels rather than through them.

What about trains that are in a tunnel below another tunnel (e.g. the Liverpool loop)?

 

[tbtc]

Myth Number 450444:

SWT have sufficient 444s to run all Portsmouth services, but choose to keep them in a shed all day long so that passengers have to use 450s

 

[jnjkerbin]

Myth 455: the only aim of the Thameslink project is to deliberately and massively disadvantage every single commuter from Kent and will bring no benefits for them whatsoever.

 

[GatwickDepress]

myth no 1557899: people speaking on phones are tunnels

(sorry, couldn't resist )

Well, they are something else that light shines out of...but let's not go there!

(I've been awake too long! I re-read what I just wrote two times, just to make sure I didn't open myself to any other misunderstandings!)

 

[12CSVT]

Myth number 26104:

If enough people on an internet forum suggest Class 508s for the Lymington branch, it will eventually happen

Does it also work if that internet forum suggests class 421s or 423s ?

 

[yorksrob]

Does it also work if that internet forum suggests class 421s or 423s ?

If only !

 

[34D]

Connex South Central wasn't, it passed to Govia in 2000.

It was Connex South Eastern that was nationalized in 2003 to form South Eastern Trains. The franchise was relet in 2006 and won by Govia, who called it Southeastern.

Also London and Continental Railways (the UK contingent of Eurostar) was nationalized in 2009 in the wake of the NXEC nationalization. Unlike East Coast there are no plans to reprivatize LCR.

And (sort of) LTS as being renationalised.