Minimum Connection Times

[ScottishIain]

Sorry mods not sure I've put this in the right forum.

Is there anywhere I can find the minimum connection times for an interchange station?

 

[tractakid]

Unofficial website www.brtimes.com has all the information! Just type in the station you want and it'll be at the top.

 

[ScottishIain]

Thank you.

 

[High Dyke]

Taken from Page 7 of the National Rail Timetable (NRT)

Minimum Interchange Times at Stations
Unless a connection is shown by times printed in light type, you should generally allow a minimum of five minutes
between arrival and departure.
The exceptions to this rule are indicated by minimum interchange times (e.g. 15 ) alongside the station name in the
tables. In certain cases the minimum interchange time is different according to the Train Operators involved.

If you know the respective interchange station and its timetable you should find the information there, as mentioned above.

Also discussed here: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1439670

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The National Rail Timetable index (.pdf file) lists all stations, with the connection times (within the station) show in white on a black background after the station name. Any that don't have a connection time listed are five minutes.

 

[yorkie]

I'm sure this used to be on the National Rail Enquiries website on the page for each station, but is no longer there.

I recall Chapeltom had an incident at Preston involving a missed connection, but where the BRT and NRE gave different answers, the more favourable connection time validated his itinerary but the less favourable one invalidated it.

 

[SickyNicky]

There's also a full list at http://trainscanbecheaper.info/StationChangeTimes.aspx

 

[Z12XE]

What an odd list, seems to say everything is 5 unless told otherwise.

Even stations which you'd never need to interchange at, for example Berney Arms, 5 minutes

??!

 

[yorkie]

What an odd list, seems to say everything is 5 unless told otherwise.

Even stations which you'd never need to interchange at, for example Berney Arms, 5 minutes

??!

I suppose someone could take the time and effort to decide which stations are not applicable and produce a separate list to over-ride "5 minutes" to "Not Applicable", but I can't think of any advantages of doing so.

 

[Goatboy]

Why is Glasgow Central 15 minutes?

 

[IanD]

Why is Glasgow Central 15 minutes?

Maybe to allow for someone arriving on the back of a packed pendo at platform 1 or 2 to get to platform 15.

 

[davetheguard]

I'm not sure that the 7 minutes allowed at Reading is enough now that the station is so much larger than before.

A walk from, say, platform 13 to platform 4 involves going up an escalator, right along the new transfer deck (large long footbridge), down another escalator, walk almost the whole length of platform 7, round the corner, and then probably a dash to throw yourself on the connecting train just before the doors shut.

And that's assuming you know your platform and know your route in the first place.....

And anyone with a pushchair or luggage that needs to use the lifts (naturally slower than the escalators) has no chance.

 

[All Line Rover]

What is needed is for there to be two minimum connection times - one for regular passengers and one for infrequent passengers - with passengers given the ability to select which connection time they prefer.

The current situation is not acceptable whereby at a variety of medium and large stations, it is possible to arrive on one train, watch a suitable connecting train depart a couple of minutes later, yet be 'forced' to wait 30 minutes or 1 hour for the following connecting train simply to satisfy a vacuous minimum connection time. Of course, whilst one could attempt to travel on the more suitable connecting train, there is no recourse in the event of delays - no Delay Repay nor, in the case of the final connecting train of the day, any obligation to be transported to your destination - and this never works in the case of Advance tickets.

Although having two minimum connection times would not solve the problem of trying to separate adjacent-platforms connections from connections between platforms at opposite ends of a large station, it would go some way to shortening journey times for regular, hard-pressed commuters.

 

[Eagle]

I suppose someone could take the time and effort to decide which stations are not applicable and produce a separate list to over-ride "5 minutes" to "Not Applicable", but I can't think of any advantages of doing so.

If the station never has trains within five minutes of each other, it's not worth it even if the station is an interchange.

 

[kieron]

Although having two minimum connection times would not solve the problem of trying to separate adjacent-platforms connections from connections between platforms at opposite ends of a large station, it would go some way to shortening journey times for regular, hard-pressed commuters.

While it would be nice to be able to ask for a longer connection time at a busy station, there can only be one minimum as that's when you're supposed to gain protection from Delay Repay and the like.

I do think more route-specific connection times would be useful, though. Thinking of Liverpool Lime Street, a connection could mean going from a train on one surface platform to another, between a surface platform and the underground platform, from a surface platform to the station exit, or, if you got on the wrong train, even from one train on the underground platform to another.

As no passenger trains can use the "wrong" bit of the station, you can always tell which type of connection you hope to make before you arrive. But you need to allow 10 minutes for any of them in order to be covered.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

You can't please everyone, the connection times are as much for 'experts' as they are 'first time' travelers. The system isn't broken, I don't see why it needs fixing.

 

[IanD]

While it would be nice to be able to ask for a longer connection time at a busy station, there can only be one minimum as that's when you're supposed to gain protection from Delay Repay and the like.

I do think more route-specific connection times would be useful, though. Thinking of Liverpool Lime Street, a connection could mean going from a train on one surface platform to another, between a surface platform and the underground platform, from a surface platform to the station exit, or, if you got on the wrong train, even from one train on the underground platform to another.

As no passenger trains can use the "wrong" bit of the station, you can always tell which type of connection you hope to make before you arrive. But you need to allow 10 minutes for any of them in order to be covered.

It is possible to have different minimum connection times.

Some stations have different minimum connection times depending on which operators you are connecting between (ge Barnham). King's Cross used to have different connection times depending on whether you or not you were using the Thameslink station - can't see why they can't do this for Liverpool Lime Street, Glasgow Central/Queen Street or any other places where you are transferring between high and low levels.

 

[SickyNicky]

IanD is correct. I will have a look to see if I can include it in the TrainsCanBeCheaper.info link above.

Edit: http://trainscanbecheaper.info/StationChangeTimes.aspx now contains all the overridden times as well.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

..... King's Cross used to have different connection times depending on whether you or not you were using the Thameslink station.....

Kings Cross Thameslink was a different station entirely from Kings Cross. ISTR Kings Cross to Kings Cross Thameslink was a 'cross London connection', in much the same way as Kings Cross to St Pancras is currently.

 

[Eagle]

http://trainscanbecheaper.info/StationChangeTimes.aspx now contains all the overridden times as well.

What is "Southampton Down Bay" (the unused ex-platform 5 to you and me) doing in there?

 

[SickyNicky]

What is "Southampton Down Bay" (the unused ex-platform 5 to you and me) doing in there?

Because I obviously can't write proper SQL queries after a day's work

Fixed now.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There's also a full list at http://trainscanbecheaper.info/StationChangeTimes.aspx

Must be up to date as Energlyn & Churchill Park is shown.

 

[SickyNicky]

Must be up to date as Energlyn & Churchill Park is shown.

So it is - it only opened a couple of days ago, I think. Nice to know the site's working, anyway.

 

[IanD]

Kings Cross Thameslink was a different station entirely from Kings Cross. ISTR Kings Cross to Kings Cross Thameslink was a 'cross London connection', in much the same way as Kings Cross to St Pancras is currently.

In my NRT from 2006 Table 26 shows the connection time at Kings Cross as 15 minutes plus reference to a footnote which states "20 minutes should be allowed for connection between Kings Cross and Kings Cross Thameslink". In the Cross London transfers section passengers are advised that "An additional 10 minutes should be allowed for Kings Cross Thameslink".