Faulty Advice

[LesS]

For this visit I made my rail bookings through the Forum's RailSplit arrangements, with some interesting results.

From several years reading postings on this thread sbout passengers being advised by station staff or train conductors which advice cannot be proved when confronted by R.P.O.s. I received a good example of this with one of my journeys.

The RailSplit journey from York to Glasgow required 2 changes of trains, one in Leeds and the other in Lancaster. The conductor on the first leg in a throwaway line said to change in Preston. The train I was on was destined for Blackpool. The train from Leeds was to Morecombe. I felt uncomfortable with the advice and made the scheduled change in Leeds. The Blackpool train travelled via Bradford and Bolton while the Morecombe train was by Skipton, Hellifield and Carnforth. Had I followed the advice I would have found nyself in Preston and without a valid ticket. My final leg was on TPE and the station public advice was to only board if holding a reservation; which I had from Lancaster to Glasgow not from Preston.

The overall message I received from all of this is to ensure all advice is held in writing and to religiously observe any RailSplit instructions.

 

[Haywain]

For this visit I made my rail bookings through the Forum's RailSplit arrangements, with some interesting results.

From several years reading postings on this thread sbout passengers being advised by station staff or train conductors which advice cannot be proved when confronted by R.P.O.s. I received a good example of this with one of my journeys.

The RailSplit journey from York to Glasgow required 2 changes of trains, one in Leeds and the other in Lancaster. The conductor on the first leg in a throwaway line said to change in Preston. The train I was on was destined for Blackpool. The train from Leeds was to Morecombe. I felt uncomfortable with the advice and made the scheduled change in Leeds. The Blackpool train travelled via Bradford and Bolton while the Morecombe train was by Skipton, Hellifield and Carnforth. Had I followed the advice I would have found nyself in Preston and without a valid ticket. My final leg was on TPE and the station public advice was to only board if holding a reservation; which I had from Lancaster to Glasgow not from Preston.

The overall message I received from all of this is to ensure all advice is held in writing and to religiously observe any RailSplit instructions.

Without knowing what ticket(s) you actually held it isn't really possible to comment on the advice. However, it is safe to say that nobody would have prevented you boarding the service at at Preston, no matter what the announcement might have suggested.

 

[Western Gaffer]

If it was a throwaway remark along the lines of Preston being an obvious place to make a single change from the train you were on if ultimately heading to Glasgow then not sure it constitutes 'advice', but if it was a considered recommendation with full sight of all of your tickets then that would obviously be less appropriate if following it would have missed one or more of the splitting locations.

 

[LesS]

Here are the details of the split in question. This information comes directly from the tickets issued.

1. York to Lancaster. Advance Single. Valid on specified Northern Trains only.

2. Lancaster to Oxenholme. Of Peak Day Single. Via Trans Penine Express only. Restriction 11.


I firmly believe that I could have been stranded in Preston withou a valid ticket.
At no time on this vist have I found train conductors to be more than casually interested in ticket details. The above conductor barely looked at the ticket.

 

[mmh]

At no time on this vist have I found train conductors to be more than casually interested in ticket details. The above conductor barely looked at the ticket.

I imagine some of them may be a bit weary from the advent of split ticketing and being pro-actively given multiple tickets and take a "whatever" approach. I suspect that's probably how I'd be.

 

[iamraymond]

I imagine some of them may be a bit weary from the advent of split ticketing and being pro-actively given multiple tickets and take a "whatever" approach. I suspect that's probably how I'd be.

They get paid per scan of e-tickets, but not paper tickets I understand. So tend to glance at paper tickets.

 

[Haywain]

So tend to glance at paper tickets.

And in doing so they noted a ticket from York to Lancaster and said "change at Preston", which would be entirely logical when on a train that was going directly to Preston.

I firmly believe that I could have been stranded in Preston withou a valid ticket.

Lots of things could have happened, but they didn't.