Appropriate alternative routes for Bolton to Edinburgh during current disruption

[thealexweb]

Hello all. On Thursday 7th January I had pre-booked to do Bolton to Wigan Wallgate and then Wigan North Western to Edinburgh at around noon. Can anyone recommend an appropriate alternative route? I have a VTWC and connections advance ticket. Thank you in advance.

 

[gray1404]

Hello all. On Thursday 7th January I had pre-booked to do Bolton to Wigan Wallgate and then Wigan North Western to Edinburgh at around noon. Can anyone recommend an appropriate alternative route? I have a VTWC and connections advance ticket. Thank you in advance.

If you are unble to travel via the WCML due to the disruption then get a train from Bolton to Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria. Then a service to York. Then from there a service to Edinburgh. Look up the train times on National Rail so you can ensure that your trains connect. I understand Advance restrictions have been lifted and you will be able to use your ticket on the alternative TOCs.

 

[dave87016]

Advance tickets restrictions have indeed been lifted however on VTWC website makes no reference of what to do travelling from the north west so personally I would suggest on arrival at York you ask staff and ensure the TOC your going to complete the rest of your journey with has agreed the ticket accotance

services are expected to be very busy and if passengers are able to put off travelling then they are advised to do so and claim a full refund

The Carlisle to Glasgow/ Edinburgh line disruption is expected to last till around the end of January

 

[Bletchleyite]

They also haven't mentioned Milton Keynes Central. Which leaves me confused, as I'm going to Edinburgh next week. Should I go via London or via Manchester and TPE, or something else?

 

[Olympian]

They also haven't mentioned Milton Keynes Central. Which leaves me confused, as I'm going to Edinburgh next week. Should I go via London or via Manchester and TPE, or something else?

I agree it's confusing that they've missed out some stations from the detailed advice but it sounds like you (and the previous posters) potentially have various route options based on this paragraph on ticket acceptance with other TOCs which does cover your journey, as you're going to/from Scotland, though not from Milton Keynes specifically:

Passengers travelling to and from Scotland are able to use their tickets on Arriva Trains Wales, CrossCountry, First TransPennine Express, Northern Rail, ScotRail and Virgin Trains East Coast services via any reasonable route and on London Underground between London Euston and London Kings Cross.

Milton Keynes -> Euston -> Kings Cross -> Edinburgh seems "reasonable" to me in the circumstances, and possibly the easiest, or you could indeed go via Manchester and York, or Carlisle and Newcastle, or Carlisle and Glasgow etc. etc. What would work best for you and maybe then tweet Virgin just to confirm it's indeed ok if you're still concerned about it and want their blessing?

 

[Tetchytyke]

VTWC website makes no reference of what to do travelling from the north west

Yes, they do:

Customers travelling from Scotland should travel as follows:
For Cumbria & North Lancashire travel via Newcastle & Carlisle.
For Merseyside, the Greater Manchester area & Crewe travel via York & Manchester.
For Staffordshire & the West Midlands travel on Cross Country services towards Birmingham New Street.
For London & the South East travel via the East Coast Main Line to London Kings Cross.
Customers travelling to Scotland from London & the South East should travel via the East Coast Main Line from London Kings Cross.

Neil, I'd say any of the options of travelling via London, via Birmingham and Sheffield or via Manchester and Leeds would be accepted as a reasonable route.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks all.

 

[thealexweb]

Thanks again everyone

 

[AndrewE]

Yes, they do:



Neil, I'd say any of the options of travelling via London, via Birmingham and Sheffield or via Manchester and Leeds would be accepted as a reasonable route.

Apologies to Virgin (not), but rather than search every possible train operator's website I'm gullible enough to use the website headed "National Rail Enquiries" with a web address http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx where I expect to find advice. Given that they run intercity trains to and from Edinburgh 2-hourly - starting from London, no less - I would have thought that those trains deserved a mention in the virgin section there.
How many non-enthusiasts or non-rail-workers have any idea which TOC's websites they ought to trawl through to get an accurate answer about a disrupted service at the other end of the country?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Given that they run intercity trains to and from Edinburgh 2-hourly - starting from London, no less - I would have thought that those trains deserved a mention in the virgin section there.

You mean a mention like this one?

Passengers travelling between London and Edinburgh should travel from London Kings Cross on Virgin Trains East Coast services.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just to add, the advice seems to have changed since yesterday for people travelling to/from the West Midlands. CrossCountry are no longer accepting Virgin Trains Only tickets for travel.

 

[AndrewE]

You mean a mention like this one?


--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just to add, the advice seems to have changed since yesterday for people travelling to/from the West Midlands. CrossCountry are no longer accepting Virgin Trains Only tickets for travel.

My point exactly. A lot of people from EDB on the WCML do not want to travel to London - or even as far south as the west Midlands. Reading the Nationalrail website they might divine that their journey should be made via Glasgow. I bet trains S from Carlisle are abnormally quiet at the moment. There is normally a significant amount of traffic between Edinburgh and Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire.

It won't help (re)build confidence in trhe railway if someone sees a train going on their diversionaty route, only to be told that the company running it is not prepared to help them out.

 

[sprinterguy]

Deleted - please remove.

 

[reb0118]

Re. Post #11. Are there no replacement buses direct from Edinburgh to Lockerbie/Carlisle? Surely that would, in most cases, be quicker than either routing via Glasgow or Newcastle/York?.........

 

[cuccir]

Just to add, the advice seems to have changed since yesterday for people travelling to/from the West Midlands. CrossCountry are no longer accepting Virgin Trains Only tickets for travel.

Really? There's no mention of Vrigin Trains Only tickets National Rail, which still says

Passengers travelling between West Midlands stations and Glasgow Central with Anytime or Off-Peak tickets can travel via Edinburgh on CrossCountry and ScotRail services, travelling within the time restrictions of their original ticket

Re. Post #11. Are there no replacement buses direct from Edinburgh to Lockerbie/Carlisle? Surely that would, in most cases, be quicker than either routing via Glasgow or Newcastle/York?.........

Yes, there's replacement buses, connecting to trains at Carlisle.

 

[sprinterguy]

Really? There's no mention of Vrigin Trains Only tickets National Rail

Yes, it's certainly meant to be the case, but it doesn't seem to be getting communicated very well. Open tickets of the Anytime or Off-Peak variety, as stated by that quote, are however valid.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Really? There's no mention of Vrigin Trains Only tickets

I'm happy to be corrected, but I'm not aware of any VTWC Only anytime/offpeak fares through the affected area. The only VTWC Only tickets will be advance.

Though I'd agree that the advice on NRE is as appallingly written as always. The advice on VT makes much more sense.