Bristol Parkway anomaly

[exile]

Planning a trip from Birkdale to Swindon I came across the following weird results (using National Rail Planner for 28th July)

1. Putting in no "vias" at all - a number of journeys changing at Bristol Parkway suggested but no valid fares offered.

2. Putting in "via Stroud" now gives a number of journeys with valid fares (changing Cheltenham)

3. "via Hereford" also gives a valid fare via Chester/Newport - which, of course, passes through Bristol Parkway.

4. "via Bristol Temple Meads" also gives a valid fare,again passing through Bristol Parkway on the way to Temple Meads, changing there and getting to Swindon via Bath.

Checking the Routeing Guide suggests this is all correct - you can do this journey via Hereford, or via "Bristol Group" (but ONLY if you then reach Swindon via Bath). The glitch appears to be in the map "BW" which allows travel Birmingham to Swindon via Bristol only if also passing through Bath, effectively preventing changing at Parkway.

BTW going via Didcot or Reading is no problem, but those routes will not be suggested via the Planner as they take longer.

Any logical explanation for this? Anyone with no train ticket nerd-level knowledge would presumably give up at stage 1 and assume there are no valid fares for this journey at all .... and this weirdness applies to
all journeys involving the Liverpool or Wigan groups.

 

[Watershed]

Yes, you've correctly identified the problem - the train from Bristol to Swindon doesn't go via Bath or Chippenham, so it doesn't follow a mapped route. There are mapped routes which include that section, but that would then prevent you from travelling via Runcorn which is almost always the quickest route out of Liverpool.

The Routeing Guide should really be updated to add a map combination like BV+PM+SB.