Railway Myths (2013)

[Trainfan344]

Myth whatevs, everyone is alright with you shouting your head off to your mate on the train even though your in the "quiet zone"

 

[trainophile]

Sorry, we idid this one to death on a thread I now can't find. It was a connecting train, departing 3 minutes after arrival at Crewe off an ATW service, so ample time to get to it, but because Crewe has a minimum 10 minutes connection time we just have to sit around for half an hour.

I do know the rules but this presumably fairly unique situation always bugs me.

 

[455driver]

Sorry, we idid this one to death on a thread I now can't find. It was a connecting train, departing 3 minutes after arrival at Crewe off an ATW service, so ample time to get to it, but because Crewe has a minimum 10 minutes connection time we just have to sit around for half an hour.

I do know the rules but this presumably fairly unique situation always bugs me.

No it wasnt!

Are you saying it was a one and a half hour wait or just half an hour to wait (not sure from your 1st post but it looks like it is only half an hour), if it was indeed just half an hour what is the issue?

 

[stut]

Myth whatevs, everyone is alright with you shouting your head off to your mate on the train even though your in the "quiet zone"

Provided you prefix it with "YEAH, I'M IN THE QUIET CARRIAGE BETTER NOT BE TOO LOUD" in a booming voice, I can't see the problem

 

[Clip]

Myth 1.

Every person who works on the railway should know every place in the uk and the connecting times of all services from each of those stations. If they do not know this then they should not be working on the railway

 

[Murph]

The trouble with "rules is rules", is that it can often also be somewhere between bad and terrible customer service. Sure, if a service is busy or expected to get busy, it's fair enough and good sense to hold advance holders to their ticket terms. But, if the service is quiet and expected to remain quiet, excellent customer service can be achieved by allowing the advance ticket on an earlier train if the passenger is there. Sure, they have no entitlement to it, no grounds for complaint if they don't get it, it's just good service to show some discretion sometimes.

 

[trainophile]

No it wasnt!

Are you saying it was a one and a half hour wait or just half an hour to wait (not sure from your 1st post but it looks like it is only half an hour), if it was indeed just half an hour what is the issue?

Sorry again, didn't mean to cause massive annoyance, it's just aggravating having to sit around and subsequently arrive later than necessary (I'm now caught up in the commuter crush on my final connection).

I'll shurrup now .

 

[ainsworth74]

Lets try not to get too bogged down and keep things fairly light hearted

 

[61653 HTAFC]

*shudder*

The image that conjured up is one of every single member of rail staff being replaced by a clone of Branson.

That just made me think of the Aphex Twin video 'Windowlicker', but with the face of Dickie Pickle instead of the aforementioned Cornish savant!

The trouble with "rules is rules", is that it can often also be somewhere between bad and terrible customer service. Sure, if a service is busy or expected to get busy, it's fair enough and good sense to hold advance holders to their ticket terms. But, if the service is quiet and expected to remain quiet, excellent customer service can be achieved by allowing the advance ticket on an earlier train if the passenger is there. Sure, they have no entitlement to it, no grounds for complaint if they don't get it, it's just good service to show some discretion sometimes.

I was always under the impression that any 'connecting' leg (assuming that reservations aren't available) on an advance ticket was essentially valid on any of the services along the valid route subject to peak/off-peak restrictions. For example if I had an advance Huddersfield-Leicester ticket with a mandatory reservation on the EMT from Sheffield service at 1400, there'd be nothing to stop me taking an earlier off-peak train into Sheffield.

Though if such things are indeed at the discretion of staff, then as you say there's no point in getting all butthurt if staff don't allow it at any given time... Doing so will just make you look like an idiot and you'll end up with a 'myth' about you in this thread!

 

[AndyLandy]

What nonsense? You bought a train specific ticket (coz it wuz cheep innit) and expect to use it as an open ticket! If you dont want the restrictions that come with an Advance ticket dont buy an Advance ticket! :roll:

Myth PITA-

Buying the cheapest/most restrictive ticket (to save money) doesnt matter because just asking the guard nicely (or explaining about your gran dying, cat taken ill, woteva limp excuse has popped into your head) before boarding will always ensure the guard will let you on even if it is several hours before your booked train and if it doesnt the guard is a jobsworth, little Hitler, was very rude etc blah blah blah.

I have mixed feelings about this. The tickets are (notionally) quota-controlled, so if you've got a mega-cheap Advance, it's because the train you're booked on is (notionally) not busy.

In practice, you often arrive in good time to make an earlier connection and it's absolutely not unreasonable to ask the guard of a service if you can ride their train. Oftentimes they'll let you, Virgin certainly have always been really good about this in my experience. Sometimes they'll say no because their train is busy. This is also fine.

But sometimes, just sometimes, a guard says no. Just because "them's the rules", even if the train isn't busy. That's their right, and as a customer, you accept it and wait around for your booked service. But it's still pretty lousy.

 

[Murph]

*shudder*

The image that conjured up is one of every single member of rail staff being replaced by a clone of Branson.

That just made me think of the Aphex Twin video 'Windowlicker', but with the face of Dickie Pickle instead of the aforementioned Cornish savant!

It makes me think of The Master (John Simm) taking over the world in Doctor Who.

 

[455driver]

<snipped>

But sometimes, just sometimes, a guard says no. Just because "them's the rules", even if the train isn't busy. That's their right, and as a customer, you accept it and wait around for your booked service. But it's still pretty lousy.

I am not saying the guards should always say no just that on the odd occasions they do say no dont moan about it, discretion is a privilege not a right.

I think we are actually saying the same thing just in different ways.

 

[AndyLandy]

I am not saying the guards should always say no just that on the odd occasions they do say no dont moan about it, discretion is a privilege not a right.

I think we are actually saying the same thing just in different ways.

I think we probably are. It's always at the discretion of the guard, and I've generally found the vast majority are willing to be flexible. But if I'm ever knocked back, they get a polite "Sure, no problem. Thought I'd ask, just in case."

But I can believe there'd be a minority of times when you're knocked back for no good reason. This is annoying, and perhaps some guards should be a little more flexible, but as a passenger, we have to take that in our stride.

 

[Eagle]

Myth number twentington: the Railway Myths thread is an appropriate place to discuss in detail the various subtleties of ticket restrictions. :roll:

 

[AndyLandy]

Myth number twentington: the Railway Myths thread is an appropriate place to discuss in detail the various subtleties of ticket restrictions. :roll:

Myth twelvety: No thread on RailUK Forums ever veers off-topic. We stick rigidly to the original discussion matter and are never sidelined by interesting diversions.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Myth thirteenty: everyone finds tickets to be an interesting diversion

 

[TheEdge]

Myth FOR: Any employee of the railway has fully digested and absorbed the entire contents of the fares manual, national rail timetable, restrictions and routing guide. Thus it is both acceptable and reasonable to expect any member of staff to be able to reel off that information and should any member of staff challenge an obscure yet valid routing, price or ticket loophole being exploited they should be treating with the utmost contempt. And then their unprofessional ineptitude should be spread on the internet.

 

[Trainfan344]

Myth Is anyone keeping track?: Any member of rail staff will be able to tell you exactly where every single little village and hamlet in the whole of the UK is and know where it is on a map and be able to help you to get there

 

[island]

The trouble with "rules is rules", is that it can often also be somewhere between bad and terrible customer service. Sure, if a service is busy or expected to get busy, it's fair enough and good sense to hold advance holders to their ticket terms. But, if the service is quiet and expected to remain quiet, excellent customer service can be achieved by allowing the advance ticket on an earlier train if the passenger is there. Sure, they have no entitlement to it, no grounds for complaint if they don't get it, it's just good service to show some discretion sometimes.

I think making people travel on the right train on advances is great customer service... to the people who buy less restrictive tickets.

To stay on topic: Myth number København: Oyster is the worst and most complicated smart card system ever.

 

[pitdiver]

Myth Is anyone keeping track?: Any member of rail staff will be able to tell you exactly where every single little village and hamlet in the whole of the UK is and know where it is on a map and be able to help you to get there

I always thought that was the case anyway. In addition they should also know what time the booking office open opens and closes a the local station and where is the nearest taxi rank to the station is as well.

 

[stut]

To stay on topic: Myth number København: Oyster is the worst and most complicated smart card system ever.

Ah yes, the Rejsekort. I have rarely encountered a worse designed smart card system (thanks in no small part to the frankly paranoid Danish money laundering laws...)

 

[Eeveevolve]

TPE Class 185 have the most comfortable seats on the network.

 

[SuffolkRaider]

Branson ????? you sure personally I don't want to go all beardy (no offence lol ) we'll all have to sing the company song.....hang on how do you sing Tubular Bells

Myth the first Theres always room for negotiation

 

[Drsatan]

Myth no 423: 375s, 377s, 444s and 450s are superior to the Mk1 DC EMUs they replaced in every single conceivable way.

Admittedly, the 411s, 421s and 423s had much more room for bikes

 

[Flamingo]

Myth of the day: It was a really good idea for TOC's to set up Twitter and Facebook pages, as the majority of people posting on them are lovely individuals, not at all narcissistic psychopaths who really need a platform to spout their bile.

 

[Buttsy]

Myth x+y/z^5: All lorry strikes on bridges are the railway's fault for not building high enough bridges.

 

[A-driver]

Myth x+y/z^5: All lorry strikes on bridges are the railway's fault for not building high enough bridges.

A trespasser on the line delaying services is (according to people on twitter this Saturday when someone was running round the line at Bowes park) the railways fault as they refuse to spend their huge profits on suitable fencing and enough security guards patrolling the network. Despite, of course, that this trespasser climbed onto the tracks from the station platform...

 

[Oswyntail]

.... not at all narcissistic psychopaths who really need a platform to spout their bile.

Why use Twitter when you can do that on here?

 

[Flamingo]

But I'm not on Twitter. I think it and Facebook are the twin curses of the modern age, and anybody who has bad things happen to them because of their participation in them, quite frankly deserves it!

 

[TheKnightWho]

But I'm not on Twitter. I think it and Facebook are the twin curses of the modern age, and anybody who has bad things happen to them because of their participation in them, quite frankly deserves it!

Not sure I quite follow your logic there... Facebook is pretty much a necessity for younger people who want to organise larger events, which is not uncommon if you're a student like me. There are quite a lot of other things that it also facilitates, and the few that abuse it don't somehow make it a 'curse of the modern age'.