Caledonian Sleeper

[Bald Rick]

Rifraf staying at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel are not Caledonian Sleepers type of customers (even in the seats)

They very much are, as I’ve done it (albeit not to that hostel). As are the middle ground people staying st the station itself. Or just using it as a launch point for a walk to Ft Bill or Dalwhinnie via Ben Alder, etc.

 

[godfreycomplex]

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/

Eat the rich

 

[paul1609]

They very much are, as I’ve done it (albeit not to that hostel). As are the middle ground people staying st the station itself. Or just using it as a launch point for a walk to Ft Bill or Dalwhinnie via Ben Alder, etc.

Yes but you are special, do you know what priv is short for?

 

[Merseysider]

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?

I’ve done something similar; 3 sleepers in a row in Europe. No problem if you’re happy with headphones & a book! The lack of a shower was the only issue, but CS ensuites have one & Inverness station does too, if the shower’s back in use (it was broken when I went last month). Goes without saying that if you’re eligible for a railcard, get one!

 

[Spaceship323]

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

Yes but delay repay is compensation if the train is late, the Glasgow portion isn't running, therefore it can't be late!

 

[Goldfish62]

W

Eat the rich

With fava beans and a nice chianti. Fa fa fa fa fa!!!

 

[Cantab26]

Yes but delay repay is compensation if the train is late, the Glasgow portion isn't running, therefore it can't be late!

But the passenger has been delayed as a result of the cancellation and, as such, is contractually entitled to compensation.

 

[norbitonflyer]

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?

Daytime train from Fort William (or Tulloch) back down the line? Or transfer to the Glasgow sleeper and then first morning train out. (assuming the diversion isn't because the line itself is closed). Otherwise I guess a taxi would be provided.

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes but you are special, do you know what priv is short for?

Well, yes, but my friends were paying!

 

[Spaceship323]

But the passenger has been delayed as a result of the cancellation and, as such, is contractually entitled to compensation.

Maybe it would be more appropriate to cancel the booking and make alternative travel arrangements if you really needed to be in Glasgow by 07.30

 

[Peter Mugridge]

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.

We were forewarned about that and I came prepared with a roll of insulating tape in my bag...

If I was travelling on my own*, I'd have booked a classic room - but still been quite happy to be in an end cabin; I nearly always was ( by choice ) on the MK3 rakes.


*My wife doesn't like the bunk beds, even if she's on the lower one.

 

[Tormod]

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?

Certainly feasible. I went down from Edinburgh to Penzance, stayed overnight and got the excellent GWR train with the on board restaurant to Paddington, before getting the sleeper to Inverness. Excellent food.
Time for a couple of beers in the fine gatehouse bars at Euston beforehand too.

 

[Cantab26]

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

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

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

Yes but delay repay is compensation if the train is late, the Glasgow portion isn't running, therefore it can't be late!

But the passenger has been delayed as a result of the cancellation and, as such, is contractually entitled to compensation.

The passenger was booked to Glasgow, that portion has been cancelled, he will need to catch a connecting service from Edinburgh to Glasgow and, as a result, he will arrive at his destination late.

In these circumstances, Delay Repay compensation is clearly payable.

This answers the original question and it’s not difficult!

Maybe it would be more appropriate to cancel the booking and make alternative travel arrangements if you really needed to be in Glasgow by 07.30

Irrelevant to the question asked. The passenger has given no such intimation that the arrival before 7.30am was time critical. He asked about compensation entitlement arising from the delay to his journey.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Yes but delay repay is compensation if the train is late, the Glasgow portion isn't running, therefore it can't be late!

You can get delay repay compensation for a cancelled train, even if the train you end up using (whether it is a later train on the same route, or one using a different route) is on time.

 

[Spaceship323]

You can get delay repay compensation for a cancelled train, even if the train you end up using (whether it is a later train on the same route, or one using a different route) is on time.

Thanks for the clarification

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Sep 2021 ==

The passenger was booked to Glasgow, that portion has been cancelled, he will need to catch a connecting service from Edinburgh to Glasgow and, as a result, he will arrive at his destination late.

In these circumstances, Delay Repay compensation is clearly payable.

This answers the original question and it’s not difficult!

Irrelevant to the question asked. The passenger has given no such intimation that the arrival before 7.30am was time critical. He asked about compensation entitlement arising from the delay to his journey.

OK sorry if I misunderstood the original question

 

[MrEd]

Daytime train from Fort William (or Tulloch) back down the line? Or transfer to the Glasgow sleeper and then first morning train out. (assuming the diversion isn't because the line itself is closed). Otherwise I guess a taxi would be provided.

A taxi can be sent from Pitlochry to Rannoch (reaching the station by road from Fort William requires a substantial detour) but I don’t think that any taxi can go to Corrour - it cannot be accessed from any public road, only private estate tracks (which may only be passable by 4x4s). I wonder if a 4x4 vehicle can be sent to extract folk from Corrour at times of service disruption (if there is absolutely no train at all)? Otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do.

 

[Bill57p9]

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?

Pitlochry would be the obvious exchange point for Rannoch.
There is a direct public service bus from Pitlochry to Rannoch station. Something like 3 times a day.
Though the Fort William service is only diverted to Kingussie through prior planning, at which point CS only sells tickets to/from the WHL stations along the A86: Tulloch, Roybridge, Spean Bridge and Fort William. Short notice WHL issues seem to result in passengers guests being offered the "opportunity" to board/alight at either Edinburgh Waverley or occasionally Glasgow Queen Street.

 

[MrEd]

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.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world, you’re right, and those of us who simply wanted/needed to be in Fort William for 10am would hardly care. However, it would fall short of expectations for those who wanted to do the Fort William sleeper specifically to enjoy the WHL and enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the lounge car crossing Rannoch Moor. That fickle premium tourist market is significant on the Fort William route. The A86 is probably a very lovely rural route but not quite the WHL that the tourists were sold.

The reason why a lot of complaints about CS are ‘glass half empty’ are that passengers paying premium fares have understandably high expectations, and understand (from the marketing) that they are paying for an ‘experience’ rather than just a train from A to B. In First Group days when you were paying for a bargain berth you didn’t expect much so were simply grateful to get there. At the end of the day, if you’d paid £75 for your ticket from Euston-Fort William, you’d probably cheerfully tolerate being put on a bus at Kingussie at 7.20. If you’d paid £300+ expecting the ‘journey of a night time’, you’d be somewhat more irate. That’s the difference, I’m afraid.

We seasoned CS users know that the ‘journey of a night time’ is just marketing speak which is undeliverable in practice, but occasional users swayed by the marketing definitely don’t. That, I think, is a huge source of complaints.

 

[Grumpy]

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.

Gets you there an hour earlier in fact. More opportunity to enjoy the rain and midges

 

[D6130]

Gets you there an hour earlier in fact. More opportunity to enjoy the rain and midges

....or a leisurely breakfast in FTW before joining the Jacobite - assuming that you had booked a berth that didn't have breakfast included.

 

[al78]

They very much are, as I’ve done it (albeit not to that hostel). As are the middle ground people staying st the station itself. Or just using it as a launch point for a walk to Ft Bill or Dalwhinnie via Ben Alder, etc.

I've considered doing such a walk, sleeper to Dalwhinnie, walk over a couple of days to Corrour taking in some of the munros en-route. Walk from Corrour to either Fort William or Spean Bridge. Another good route would be Blair Atholl to Aviemore via glen Tilt and the Lairig Ghru.

 

[Bald Rick]

Another good route would be Blair Atholl to Aviemore via glen Tilt and the Lairig Ghru.

Friend of mine did that earlier this year, wild camping. With their Pre-school child!

 

[Butts]

....or a leisurely breakfast in FTW before joining the Jacobite - assuming that you had booked a berth that didn't have breakfast included.

Half price in Morrisons (adjacent to the Station) at the moment.

 

[trek]

The passenger was booked to Glasgow, that portion has been cancelled, he will need to catch a connecting service from Edinburgh to Glasgow and, as a result, he will arrive at his destination late.

In these circumstances, Delay Repay compensation is clearly payable.

This answers the original question and it’s not difficult!

Irrelevant to the question asked. The passenger has given no such intimation that the arrival before 7.30am was time critical. He asked about compensation entitlement arising from the delay to his journey.

Rightly or wrongly will CS attempt to wriggle out of it by stating it was a delay advised far in advance of travel?

Curious whether any compensation was attained anyway. I was impacted by these cancellations and needed to be in Glasgow before 8am, I decided to cancel my ticket completely and used an Avanti day service but if I'd known my journey on CS were to be effectively free I might have changed my plans...

 

[Sleepy]

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?

Ref. Showers are available at Penzance & Truro Sleeper lounges and also Paddington (Network Rail) Being exhausted depends how easily you sleep on trains.

 

[Cantab26]

Rightly or wrongly will CS attempt to wriggle out of it by stating it was a delay advised far in advance of travel?

Doesn’t matter how far in advance the cancellation is advised: if the passenger is delayed in arriving at his destination then he has a contractual right to compensation.

It is so open and shut that I would take on such a case pro bono and seek expenses/costs on the agent and client/indemnity basis.

 

[TrainSailing]

Doesn’t matter how far in advance the cancellation is advised: if the passenger is delayed in arriving at his destination then he has a contractual right to compensation.

It is so open and shut that I would take on such a case pro bono and seek expenses/costs on the agent and client/indemnity basis.

Thank you for your replies. Funnily enough I was actually 20 mins early into Edinburgh yesterday morning. That didn’t help me getting to Glasgow any earlier though and I arrived at 0838. I will apply for delay repay in due course and update here for anybody interested.

 

[HST274]

Rifraf staying at Loch Ossian Youth Hostel are not Caledonian Sleepers type of customers (even in the seats)

Not always true...

 

[trek]

Doesn’t matter how far in advance the cancellation is advised: if the passenger is delayed in arriving at his destination then he has a contractual right to compensation.

It is so open and shut that I would take on such a case pro bono and seek expenses/costs on the agent and client/indemnity basis.

Is anything due the other way round when the passenger is told to take an earlier Scotrail service from Glasgow to Edinburgh, given they arrive on time into Euston?

 

[Steve Harris]

Is anything due the other way round when the passenger is told to take an earlier Scotrail service from Glasgow to Edinburgh, given they arrive on time into Euston?

See post #10,970 on page 366 where this matter has already been discussed/debated.