Engineering work this Saturday not in Journey Planner yet

[kentman]

You make plans for this Saturday, check the Journey Planner - all ok. Then you happen to see an engineering work notice:

Buses replace trains between Lewisham and Grove Park / Dartford via Sidcup on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July
Network Rail is carrying out engineering work between Hither Green and Grove Park / Dartford, closing the lines
...
For Saturday, these changes are not currently shown in the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner, please check back nearer to the time of travel
For Sunday, you can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries

It does not say this is Emergency late notice Engineering work, so how is the engineering work schedule not in the system yet?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

You make plans for this Saturday, check the Journey Planner - all ok. Then you happen to see an engineering work notice:




It does not say this is Emergency late notice Engineering work, so how is the engineering work schedule not in the system yet?

Just because something is very late in being agreed, it does not make it emergency work. There is a process for Network Rail requesting additional engineering access outside of the 12-week informed traveller deadlines and it involves additional levels of compensation to the TOCs and FOCs. Hence why customers are always told to check their journey times prior to travellling at weekends. It is up to the operators to plan such late timetable changes in a manner that minimises impact on the customers and ensure journeys are honoured despite ticket purchases for trains that no longer run etc. If they can't ensure that, they should not agree the late access.

 

[PHILIPE]

Just because something is very late in being agreed, it does not make it emergency work. There is a process for Network Rail requesting additional engineering access outside of the 12-week informed traveller deadlines and it involves additional levels of compensation to the TOCs and FOCs. Hence why customers are always told to check their journey times prior to travellling at weekends. It is up to the operators to plan such late timetable changes in a manner that minimises impact on the customers and ensure journeys are honoured despite ticket purchases for trains that no longer run etc. If they can't ensure that, they should not agree the late access.

They can't appear in Journey Planner or any other Open Data systems until any revised timings have been finalised.

 

[yorksrob]

You also have to bear in mind that NRE is the crappest website known to man which takes ages to load and keels over at the drop of a hat.

 

[N/100]

Thanks for alerting me to this. I booked an AP ticket on East Midlands Trains for early Saturday morning, having checked carefully on NRE that there were train connections into London to make the booked train.

Now no idea whether I'll be able to reach my booked train at St Pancras (marginally better than turning up on Saturday and finding I can't reach it... )

 

[kentman]

The times are now in http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk (other journey planners a available). I don't remember seeing the Engineering notice for Saturday before a week ago so it all looks quite last minute.

There might well be good reasons for an exception to the normal 12 weeks notice, but at such sort notice it does seem rather shambolic.