Missing a Grand Central connection

[87electric]

Monday 5th August I'm travelling from Blackpool North to Peterborough with one change at Halifax. Tickets were booked via this forum with an itinerary so saves a little money.

Blackpool North 13:19 to arrive Halifax 14:53 (Northern service Blackpool to York) - Anytime Day Single.
Itinerary advises to catch the 13:19. This gives a +9 connection time, so that meets the minimum which is 5 mins at Halifax.

Halifax 15:02 to arrive Peterborough 17:12 (Grand Central service Bradford to Kings Cross) - Advance Single.

If the Northern service is delayed and I miss the GC connection what would be recommended to continue my journey? This is the last GC train of the day towards Peterborough from Halifax.
I contacted Trainsplit for advice, but was frustratingly told to catch Grand Central's next service. There isn't one.
Should I continue on the Northern service to Leeds and then take an LNER to Peterborough? Will I come up against problems doing this? Obviously I will be explaining this to all and sundry and seeking permissions.

I checked this itinerary for today and yes, the connection would not have been met with a late Northern service.
Thanks for any input provided.

 

[AF91]

The best s

Monday 5th August I'm travelling from Blackpool North to Peterborough with one change at Halifax. Tickets were booked via this forum with an itinerary so saves a little money.

Blackpool North 13:19 to arrive Halifax 14:53 (Northern service Blackpool to York) - Anytime Day Single.
Itinerary advises to catch the 13:19. This gives a +9 connection time, so that meets the minimum which is 5 mins at Halifax.

Halifax 15:02 to arrive Peterborough 17:12 (Grand Central service Bradford to Kings Cross) - Advance Single.

If the Northern service is delayed and I miss the GC connection what would be recommended to continue my journey? This is the last GC train of the day towards Peterborough from Halifax.
I contacted Trainsplit for advice, but was frustratingly told to catch Grand Central's next service. There isn't one.
Should I continue on the Northern service to Leeds and then take an LNER to Peterborough? Will I come up against problems doing this? Obviously I will be explaining this to all and sundry and seeking permissions.

I checked this itinerary for today and yes, the connection would not have been met with a late Northern service.
Thanks for any input provided.

The best solution in the first instance is to ask a member of staff if there is someone available. Letting the guard on the delayed train know may allow them to contact the station to sort out onward travel quicker once you get there, or it could be that they already have a plan for how to deal with people missing that particular connection.

Its best not to just do your own thing as that could potentially get quite expensive.

 

[87electric]

The best s

The best solution in the first instance is to ask a member of staff if there is someone available. Letting the guard on the delayed train know may allow them to contact the station to sort out onward travel quicker once you get there, or it could be that they already have a plan for how to deal with people missing that particular connection.

Its best not to just do your own thing as that could potentially get quite expensive.

That would indeed be my first point of contact for sure. I wouldn't go straight to doing my own thing. I read the threads here regularly.

 

[30907]

The problem is that (a) only this one GC train from Halifax serves Peterborough and (b) there isn't a later GC service going anywhere south.
It's possible that GC might be prepared to hold their service a few minutes, as the schedule is very slack, but you might need to ask the Northern conductor to reroute you via Leeds and LNER as there is no alternative from HFX.

However, if your other plans for the day permit, I would simply catch the previous train from BPN.

 

[Haywain]

It's possible that GC might be prepared to hold their service a few minutes, as the schedule is very slack,

That is very highly unlikely.

 

[87electric]

The problem is that (a) only this one GC train from Halifax serves Peterborough and (b) there isn't a later GC service going anywhere south.
It's possible that GC might be prepared to hold their service a few minutes, as the schedule is very slack, but you might need to ask the Northern conductor to reroute you via Leeds and LNER as there is no alternative from HFX.

However, if your other plans for the day permit, I would simply catch the previous train from BPN.

I think I will catch the earlier train from Blackpool as I have time on my side. I don't mind sucking up an extra hour wait. Problem solved, hopefully. Thanks.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I think I will catch the earlier train from Blackpool as I have time on my side. I don't mind sucking up an extra hour wait. Problem solved, hopefully. Thanks.

If you do this, and it runs on time, you’ll have just over an hour in Halifax. The Piece Hall is five minutes walk from Halifax station and would be a lovely place to pass the time

 

[Watershed]

As your ticket from Halifax is only valid on Grand Central, and there are no more southbound Grand Central services after the one you're booked on, you'd effectively be stranded if you stuck to your ticket's restrictions.

Accordingly condition 28.2 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel (NRCoT) requires any train company to assist you, if it reasonably can.

As LNER and Northern (amongst other companies) run later services that would easily still get you to Peterborough that day, condition 28.2 would require them to accept your ticket on their services. Any argument that this is "impossible" is disproven by the fact that they'd be happy to carry you if you buy an "Any Permitted" walk-up ticket!

Sadly there is always a chance of encountering a member of staff who is unfamiliar with the NRCoT and claims that you do need to buy such a new ticket. If this happens, I would suggest paying if it's necessary to avoid a dispute, but keeping the ticket and receipt so that you claim back the cost from the relevant train company afterwards.

In any event, if you're delayed by 15+ mins as a result of missing your GC connection, you'd be entitled to claim Delay Repay from Northern based on the combined cost of your split tickets.

If on the other hand the GC service were to be cancelled or similar then the compensation threshold would be much higher at 60 mins, as GC do not operate a Delay Repay scheme - only a stingy compensation scheme that offers barely more than the legal minimum amount of compensation.

 

[87electric]

If you do this, and it runs on time, you’ll have just over an hour in Halifax. The Piece Hall is five minutes walk from Halifax station and would be a lovely place to pass the time

Noted, thank you for that.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2024 ==

As your ticket from Halifax is only valid on Grand Central, and there are no more southbound Grand Central services after the one you're booked on, you'd effectively be stranded if you stuck to your ticket's restrictions.

Accordingly condition 28.2 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel (NRCoT) requires any train company to assist you, if it reasonably can.

As LNER and Northern (amongst other companies) run later services that would easily still get you to Peterborough that day, condition 28.2 would require them to accept your ticket on their services. Any argument that this is "impossible" is disproven by the fact that they'd be happy to carry you if you buy an "Any Permitted" walk-up ticket!

Sadly there is always a chance of encountering a member of staff who is unfamiliar with the NRCoT and claims that you do need to buy such a new ticket. If this happens, I would suggest paying if it's necessary to avoid a dispute, but keeping the ticket and receipt so that you claim back the cost from the relevant train company afterwards.

In any event, if you're delayed by 15+ mins as a result of missing your GC connection, you'd be entitled to claim Delay Repay from Northern based on the combined cost of your split tickets.

If on the other hand the GC service were to be cancelled or similar then the compensation threshold would be much higher at 60 mins, as GC do not operate a Delay Repay scheme - only a stingy compensation scheme that offers barely more than the legal minimum amount of compensation.

Thanks Watershed.
I know too well the disjointedness of the system and the pitfalls. The issue with GC/LNER over acceptance to carry each other’s passengers during rail disruption is well documented and this is what was at the back of my mind.
Probably for another thread but any verbal permissions from any rail staff on how to navigate through ones own delay always has a chance of deemed to be breaking the rules by another ticket inspection later on. This is my main gripe and no one it seems wants to fix this. As you say, the passenger is best advised to pay for another ticket, claim it back, or face a mini and costly legal wrangle.

I shall be taking the earlier Northern train to avoid all this. For my sake not the rail industry.

 

[mangyiscute]

It's possible that GC might be prepared to hold their service a few minutes, as the schedule is very slack, but you might need to ask the Northern conductor to reroute you via Leeds and LNER as there is no alternative from HFX.

Unfortunately, while the GC has time to spare since it sits in some stations for 5+ minutes, the pathing of it through West Yorkshire is quite tight, and even at Halifax, it leaves platform 1 3 mins before a train terminates there from Hull, which can't use the other platform as there is a train from Chester on the other platform at this time. So delaying this train has far too many potential knock-on delays to be worth it.