Caledonian Sleeper

[Tormod]

1S25 seems to have ground to a halt at Dalwhinnie

 

[Twingo37175]

1S25 seems to have ground to a halt at Dalwhinnie

I think that may have been entered in error, as of 9 AM the sleeper seems to be approaching Pitlochry, unless the magical CS experience has taken it North first.....

 

[norbitonflyer]

I think that may have been entered in error, as of 9 AM the sleeper seems to be approaching Pitlochry, unless the magical CS experience has taken it North first.....

Where are you looking? I must admit to finding both Open Train Times and Real Time Trains difficult to use. RTT shows the Sleeper as already at Inverness (arrived 0834), but I'm not convinced it's showing last night's departure. I can't find 1S25 on OTT at all. (Nor on National Rail's Live arrivals board)

 

[Twingo37175]

I was using RTT - the grey is only an estimate (working forward from the Dalwhinnie entry). As far as I am aware, and others with more detailed information will no doubt add to this, the entries can be either automatic (through TRUST) or a signaller make manual entries, which appears to be the case with the 07:50 entry.

 

[Tormod]

On the National Rail App on my phone, it's shown as arriving 51 minutes late at Dalwhinnie. The NR main site is pretty useless for that sort of thing. Traksy shows the last train through to Inverness was 1H01. 1S25 does show at Dalwhinnie also. No update on CR Twitter feed this morning, so best guess is it's stopped at Dalwhinnie with onward connection.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I was using RTT - the grey is only an estimate (working forward from the Dalwhinnie entry). As far as I am aware, and others with more detailed information will no doubt add to this, the entries can be either automatic (through TRUST) or a signaller make manual entries, which appears to be the case with the 07:50 entry.

But what I'm seeing is this..................

 

[Tormod]

It's just appeared at Kingussie, on Traksy.

 

[TB]

According to TRUST, it has departed Dalwhinnie 171 late.

 

[Twingo37175]

It's just appeared at Kingussie, on Traksy.

In addition, the 07:51 time at Dalwhinnie has been amended to 09omthing - which I assume will be when then train actually passed through

 

[Journeyman]

A month ago I did Glasgow both ways in J1, i.e. an end room.

No problems at all with the quality of the ride; nothing at all like the stories some people come out with - I wouldn't worry or make a central room a condition of your travelling. Just book it. You should be fine.

See also the howls of protest about class 80x units. I've never had any issues with them.

 

[Highlandspring]

I was using RTT - the grey is only an estimate (working forward from the Dalwhinnie entry). As far as I am aware, and others with more detailed information will no doubt add to this, the entries can be either automatic (through TRUST) or a signaller make manual entries, which appears to be the case with the 07:50 entry.

Mechanical signalboxes like Dalwhinnie generally enter times into TRUST manually. It’s very easy to select the wrong train to report against if you’re not paying attention (and sometimes an incorrect report is deliberately put in against a non running train just to clear it off the lineup screen, which is not the right way of doing things).

If a wrong time is entered then the report can be revised forward - so if you enter 06:38 and it should actually be 06:40 you can change it - but the system doesn’t allow signaller to revise a time backwards or delete a report.

The system won’t let you enter a time in the future either, it makes you wait until the time has passed - so in the case of the 06:40 report in the last sentence you wouldn’t be able to revise it until 06:40:01 or later. That means if you report something wrongly a few hours in advance of the train actually passing you have to wait that long to revise the report. If you have reported a train totally incorrectly, for example when it isn’t actually running, then you need to phone the TRUST clerk and ask them to delete the report for you.

 

[najaB]

If you have reported a train totally incorrectly, for example when it isn’t actually running, then you need to phone the TRUST clerk and ask them to delete the report for you.

Is that a "call of shame"?

 

[Highlandspring]

Is that a "call of shame"?

Not really, no.

 

[sftfan1909]

Does anyone know if the crew on tonight's southbound from Inverness are the same as have just worked north? If so then I anticipate a delay to the southbound sleeper tonight to make sure they get the minimum amount of rest?

 

[Scotrail84]

Does anyone know if the crew on tonight's southbound from Inverness are the same as have just worked north? If so then I anticipate a delay to the southbound sleeper tonight to make sure they get the minimum amount of rest?

Yes it will be an English crew and they will need their rest period.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Yes it will be an English crew and they will need their rest period.

Departed Inverness 14 minutes late according to National Rail. Seems to have made up three of those minutes by Pitlochry

 

[sftfan1909]

Departed Inverness 14 minutes late according to National Rail. Seems to have made up three of those minutes by Pitlochry

We boarded at just after 2045, so could be worse!

 

[TrainSailing]

Apologies if this has been asked here already.
I have booked to go to Glasgow on the sleeper this Friday from Euston. I received an email last week saying the train now won’t be taking me to Glasgow but will take me to Edinburgh instead where Scottrail will accept my ticket until 0900 to get over to Glasgow.
I must say I’m a bit cheesed off by this having expected to wake up in my final destination but now having to catch another 1Hr train across to Glasgow.
I will now arrive at my final destination well over an hour late so my question am I entitled to receive compensation for this?

 

[Nova1]

Apologies if this has been asked here already.
I have booked to go to Glasgow on the sleeper this Friday from Euston. I received an email last week saying the train now won’t be taking me to Glasgow but will take me to Edinburgh instead where Scottrail will accept my ticket until 0900 to get over to Glasgow.
I must say I’m a bit cheesed off by this having expected to wake up in my final destination but now having to catch another 1Hr train across to Glasgow.
I will now arrive at my final destination well over an hour late so my question am I entitled to receive compensation for this?

You'll be entitled to delay repay at least.
Refunds | Caledonian Sleeper

 

[Spaceship323]

You'll be entitled to delay repay at least.
Refunds | Caledonian Sleeper

Assuming the train arrives Edinburgh as timetabled where's the delay?

 

[Cantab26]

Assuming the train arrives Edinburgh as timetabled where's the delay?

The passenger was booked on the Glasgow portion which has been cancelled.

 

[OFFDN]

That raises an interesting question. Semi-hypothetical situation perhaps here, but would there be any compensation entitlement (albeit informally) if a passenger was diverted, had to wake up earlier yet still made it to their destination on time? I’m thinking perhaps when the Fort Bill portion is diverted to Kingussie and then bus to FTW. I’m sure you’d probably need to be awake 2-3 hours earlier, to get off the train and onto the bus, but would probably still get there on time? Would CS compensate for the inconvenience, particularly if you had booked the tickets to FTW and they told you afterwards about the change in journey? I’d be pretty cheesed off if I’d booked those tickets and didn’t get to enjoy the scenery, had to get up a lot earlier, change onto a bus etc.

 

[najaB]

Semi-hypothetical situation perhaps here, but would there be any compensation entitlement (albeit informally) if a passenger was diverted, had to wake up earlier yet still made it to their destination on time?

Delay repay wouldn't be due, but I'd like to think that CS would be amenable to providing compensation.

 

[MrEd]

That raises an interesting question. Semi-hypothetical situation perhaps here, but would there be any compensation entitlement (albeit informally) if a passenger was diverted, had to wake up earlier yet still made it to their destination on time? I’m thinking perhaps when the Fort Bill portion is diverted to Kingussie and then bus to FTW. I’m sure you’d probably need to be awake 2-3 hours earlier, to get off the train and onto the bus, but would probably still get there on time? Would CS compensate for the inconvenience, particularly if you had booked the tickets to FTW and they told you afterwards about the change in journey? I’d be pretty cheesed off if I’d booked those tickets and didn’t get to enjoy the scenery, had to get up a lot earlier, change onto a bus etc.

The bus from Kingussie usually arrives at Fort William 35-40 minutes earlier than the sleeper so sadly no delay repay is due in such a situation; however, it is evidently not the experience which the sleeper customer has been sold (as long as they booked before they knew that such an alteration to the service was due to take place). If they booked before the alteration to the service had been publicised, they should either be allowed to claim a refund before the date of travel or, if they do travel, given a generous rail travel voucher or credit towards their next sleeper booking as a goodwill gesture. CS ought to do this (if they don’t already) to preserve public trust in the brand.

If you had booked a seat, you’d expect to change coaches during the night anyway, so perhaps no compensation would be due. But there’s no way that CS can continue to sell berth tickets at £250-£350 promising ’the journey of a night time’ only to throw these supposedly ‘first class’ passengers off well short of (sometimes nowhere near) their destination and put them on a crowded and uncomfortable bus which has to navigate often slow and twisting single carriageway roads. Even if they get to their destination on time, the reality has fallen massively short of the expected product.

 

[paul1609]

To be honest if I was booked to Fort William and diverted via Kingussie I wouldn't be unduly bothered. Assuming the Inverness portion was on time you'd get to Kingussie at 7.17 and its then a1hr 20 max in a coach through glorious scenery to arrive before time. The A86 isn't what I'd call a single track about 20 miles of it are 1 and a half lanes but it's not a slow road and under 50 miles between the stations.
Whenever I've suffered serious disruption I've always received a prompt full refund. Do wonder if some of the people on this forum aren't glass half empty people.

 

[norbitonflyer]

There is another downside to being bussed from Kingussie to Fort William. In these Covid-infested times travelling on most public transport is problematic for anyone who is clinically vulnerable - for example with a compromised immune system. Travelling in a compartment mitigates the problem. Many heritage railways have realised this and have only been taking bookings for complete compartments - the Ffestiniog has even pressed into service its historic little "workmens' carriages" for the purpose. But on National Rail the only compartment stock left is the sleepers. Having to complete the journey by coach (or day train) negates this advantage.

Our recent booking to Fort William by sleeper was cancelled because of industrial action and we had to fly to Glasgow, then get a daytime train, and stay in a hotel instead of just getting straight off the train and on to the hills as intended. And sure enough, somewhere in that itinerary we must have contacted someone with Covid because we got pinged.

 

[Caleb2010]

A month ago I did Glasgow both ways in J1, i.e. an end room.

No problems at all with the quality of the ride; nothing at all like the stories some people come out with - I wouldn't worry or make a central room a condition of your travelling. Just book it. You should be fine.

When I travel on the sleeper I can only have J1, the accessible double, it is an improvement on the mk3 ride!
I don’t find it as noisy either!
Yes the pump for the sink drainer (or is it the water pump) is a bit loud but it doesn’t detract you from sleep as you’d be awake when using it anyway!
The only criticism I have is the brightness of the panel lights, sorted by folding the room card wallet and making a cover for the panel containing the offending light.

Though I liked the mk3 layout, there really wasn’t room to swing a cat in the berths, and towards the end of their days they were getting pretty ropey- the constant banging of the hangers, doors that wouldn’t either open or stay shut!

There have been problems with the Mk5 sleepers - there have been with lots of recently introduced stock, it’s not a new thing! But it would seem that a lot of them have been sorted and they’re not too bad now.

 

[Bald Rick]

When the Ft Bill sleeper is sent to Kingussie, what is done for passengers to intermediate stations (if there are any)? Especially Corrour and Rannoch?

 

[paul1609]

When the Ft Bill sleeper is sent to Kingussie, what is done for passengers to intermediate stations (if there are any)? Especially Corrour and Rannoch?

If your staying at Corrour Lodge presumably the same fleet of chauffeur driven range rovers that pick you up from Corrour private station will pick you up from Kinguisse. They drop you back to your private jet at Inverness anyway. https://ltrcastles.com/special-offers/long-weekend-offer-corrour-lodge/
Rifraf staying at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel are not Caledonian Sleepers type of customers (even in the seats)

 

[James Starkie]

I’m coming up to a significant next summer and am looking at striking a few more off my bucket list. I’m based in Lancashire and wonder how feasible it is to get down to Penzance, then sleeper up to Paddington. Then CS upto Inverness and back to Preston the following night. Is it doable and / or would it be thoroughly exhausting?