Minimum connection times at Darlington

[yorksrob]

Hi all.

I'm trying to get an itinerary from Middlesbrough to Doncaster via Darlington.

There's a train from Middlesbrough getting to Darlington at 22:22 and a connecting train to Doncaster at 22:29, which gives seven minutes, yet both NRE and Trainsplit only give itineraries via Thirsk. Is there a reason for this ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Presumably to do with Darlington having a minimum connection time of eight minutes? Whereas the MCT at Thirsk is five minutes.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Presumably to do with Darlington having a minimum connection time of eight minutes? Whereas the MCT at Thirsk is five minutes.

We went there in the school holidays travelled to Whitby / Middlesborough off the bay platform and there was restricted access past the WH Smith as you go through the entry barriers.

You had to walk right
down to the end (where the bay platforms are) and back round again in order to access the York platform if i remember right. That would explain the 8 minutes. But I might be completely mistaken, if its no longer undergoing building works at Darlington. Sorry I cant remember the platform numbers. Just going off memory

 

[yorksrob]

Thanks for the info.

@Pinus contorta was it still the old bay platform in the trainshed you went into ?

I'm guessing the new platforms are open now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Believe the 21:52 Northern service from Middlesbrough arrives Darlington (platform 6) at 22:22. The onward 22:29 LNER service, to York, Doncaster and beyond, departs Darlington (platform 5). So, whilst, all things being equal, it *should* be a straightforward adjacent platform interchange from platform 6 to platform 5, officially, timings fail the eight minute minimum connection time.

 

[yorksrob]

Believe the 21:52 Northern service from Middlesbrough arrives Darlington (platform 6) at 22:22. The onward 22:29 LNER service, to York, Doncaster and beyond, departs Darlington (platform 5). So, whilst, all things being equal, it *should* be a straightforward adjacent platform interchange from platform 6 to platform 5, officially, timings fail the eight minute minimum connection time.

Thanks for this.

It does seem a very unfortunate timing in relation to the connection time. Is there any chance of either the timing or the connection time being amended to form a connection ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

It does seem a very unfortunate timing in relation to the connection time. Is there any chance of either the timing or the connection time being amended to form a connection ?

Can only suggest travelling on the earlier 21:26 Northern departure from Middlesbrough which arrives Darlington at 21:55.

 

[yorksrob]

Can only suggest travelling on the earlier 21:26 Northern departure from Middlesbrough which arrives Darlington at 21:55.

Unfortunately that one is just missed by a previous connection.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Unfortunately that one is just missed by a previous connection.

If you're travelling onwards to Doncaster, you'll then have a 34 minute wait at Darlington for the 22:29 LNER, isn't that the plan?

 

[yorksrob]

If you're travelling onwards to Doncaster, you'll then have a 34 minute wait at Darlington for the 22:29 LNER, isn't that the plan?

Unfortunately the previous connection means that I won't be in Middlesbrough for 21:26.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@yorksrob. Isn't there one last LNER service from Darlington to Doncaster, after the 22:29, just in case your unofficial connection doesn't quite work? This is at 23:14. Arrives Doncaster 00:30.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Thanks for the info.

@Pinus contorta was it still the old bay platform in the trainshed you went into ?

I'm guessing the new platforms are open now.

Yea I think they are. However I dont live there / go to Darlington Station often so I cant confirm that. We didnt use the bay in the evening.

On our way back from Whitby & changing at Boro we had a tight connection at Darlington onto the local bus service from Yarm Road, ( I think it is called) so I was paying attention to the connection times (even though they aren't really relevant to a bus service). What I noted was the trains from Boro / Saltburn going up the North Road Line have their stop board way down the platform right at the south end of the station. Where as all the other services would be longer units and using the full length of the platform. So the minimum connection time would be different based on this factor. That is why the OP is being routed via Thirsk one would assume.

 

[yorksrob]

@yorksrob. Isn't there one last LNER service from Darlington to Doncaster, after the 22:29, just in case your unofficial connection doesn't quite work? This is at 23:14. Arrives Doncaster 00:30.

Good point, there is that, however the service under discussion would be more useful for me.

 

[yorksrob]

Yea I think they are. However I dont live there / go to Darlington Station often so I cant confirm that. We didnt use the bay in the evening.

On our way back from Whitby & changing at Boro we had a tight connection at Darlington onto the local bus service from Yarm Road, ( I think it is called) so I was paying attention to the connection times (even though they aren't really relevant to a bus service). What I noted was the trains from Boro / Saltburn going up the North Road Line have their stop board way down the platform right at the south end of the station. Where as all the other services would be longer units and using the full length of the platform. So the minimum connection time would be different based on this factor. That is why the OP is being routed via Thirsk one would assume.

Yes, tight/non-existant connections are very much a theme of the Whitby line.

 

[harz99]

Yea I think they are. However I dont live there / go to Darlington Station often so I cant confirm that. We didnt use the bay in the evening.

On our way back from Whitby & changing at Boro we had a tight connection at Darlington onto the local bus service from Yarm Road, ( I think it is called) so I was paying attention to the connection times (even though they aren't really relevant to a bus service). What I noted was the trains from Boro / Saltburn going up the North Road Line have their stop board way down the platform right at the south end of the station. Where as all the other services would be longer units and using the full length of the platform. So the minimum connection time would be different based on this factor. That is why the OP is being routed via Thirsk one would assume.

Quite, the set minimum connection time will be for an arrival at platform 4b to a connection from platform 5/6, unfortunately that minimum doesn't vary even if you are going from say platforms 5 to 6, hence perfectly possible connections will not show on journey planners as on paper they are invalid.

 

[Hadders]

What sort of ticket are you using?

If it's a flexible one then you can risk it, on the basis that there's a later train which would get you to Doncaster, albeit it with a long wait and delay repay wouldn't apply.

Longer term it might be worth asking LNER or Northern if the public facing timetable can be eased. A few years back I managed to get this done by London Midland (as was) at Rugby. After Project 110 came in on London Midland Northampton lost its services to Crewe but there was a commitment that a connection at Rugby wold be maintained. This happened at first but then after a couple of years the connection became only four minutes forcing an hour wait. I contacted London Midland about this and the timetable was eased by a minute. I think they did this by showing the train from Northampton to Rugby arriving a minute earlier.