Do trains have to leave request stops on time if they're running early?

[ThomasI]

Hi all,

As the title says, say if a train was doing a Holyhead > Birmingham Int'l service (lots of request stops between Holyhead & Bangor) say if they skipped all request stops so they were running a few mins early, until the final one (Llanfairpwll) and someone requested that stop, do they have to wait until the scheduled departure time there or can they leave early?

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

I don't think any stopping time is actually built in to the timetable for request stops but rather at Bangor and Llandudno Junction. If a train stops at all request stops it will be slightly late arriving at Bangor where it has couple of minutes built in. If it's still late at Llandudno Junction there is a couple of minutes allowance there also.

If the train doesn't stop at any of the request stops it will just sit at Bangor or / and Llandudno Junction until the correct departure time.

 

[ThomasI]

I don't think any stopping time is actually built in to the timetable for request stops but rather at Bangor and Llandudno Junction. If a train stops at all request stops it will be slightly late arriving at Bangor where it has couple of minutes built in. If it's still late at Llandudno Junction there is a couple of minutes allowance there also.

If the train doesn't stop at any of the request stops it will just sit at Bangor or / and Llandudno Junction until the correct departure time.

Perfect, thanks for confirming

 

[edwin_m]

Having analysed the timings of a trip on the Heart of Wales line a few years ago I can confirm the above applies there too. If it makes any request stops the train will run slightly late until the next non-request stop, where it has a long scheduled dwell time especially if it's passing another one.

 

[Esker-pades]

The public timetable also advertises trains 1-3 minutes earlier than the working timetable at request stops. Thus, even if the train is somehow running early, it will never be early to a passenger.