National Rail Timetable

[onlinespotting]

I think people are generally aware of that, but are wondering why it hasn't been altered, as there's a number of other codes that have been changed; so there's no fundamental reason why it couldn't have been updated at any one of the previous occasions.

Well the said person who raised it came across that it was a fault. I was clearly stating that it isn't a fault. O

 

[zoneking]

I find the problem with the online journey planners is that they discount most connections less than 5 minutes. I know that, with adjacent platforms, connections as short as a minute can be realistically achieved, providing the first train is on time.

 

[duffield]

I find the problem with the online journey planners is that they discount most connections less than 5 minutes. I know that, with adjacent platforms, connections as short as a minute can be realistically achieved, providing the first train is on time.

For a multi-leg journey, typically I start with nationalrail.co.uk for an overview of the possibilities, but then I always plan the legs individually with realtimetrains.co.uk. This gives you platform numbers *and* WTT times (as well as 'passenger' times) so you know exactly how long you've got to change and whether you need to cross the bridge etc. (combined with the station layout diagrams from nationalrail.co.uk). A bit more faffing about admittedly but as it's something I enjoy I don't care!

I'm quite happy with a 2 minute connection if the trains are on adjacent platforms but want at least 4 mins if I have to go over the bridge and 10mins+ if I'm with my (disabled) wife.

 

[D6975]

I find it difficult to understand people wanting it in one huge, difficult to navigate file. The individual pdfs are much better, and you can rename each file with a suffix to indicate what it is (eg Table 041 Copy Pit). When it was only available as one file I used to have to go through the chore of extracting the tables I wanted manually using adobe reader. So much easier to just flick through a file of tens of pages rather than the thousands of the single file.
I used to buy the printed version of the bible many moons ago and am used to using it. Old habits die hard...
I did however make sure I had a Northern version of table 100 before venturing up to Cumbria.

ps when I visit an area, I only put the tables relevant for that area on my phone, again makes it quicker and simpler to find what I want.
In the case of big tables like 26, I even split it into weekday and weekend files, the multiple Sunday versions can often make even a single table file have loads of pages.

 

[Darren R]

Was it ever accurate? Even back in BR days they used to issue numerous supplements correcting errors in the original timetables.

That is true enough, and it became a running joke in the 1990s. The low-point was probably 1995 when a second, 250 page supplement had to be printed which even included corrections to the corrections printed in the first supplement.

However, back then it was an actual printed book. (For our younger forum members that's a sort of hard copy with the pages bound together!) Now it is electronic and easily corrected. Yet the accuracy is, if anything, worse. Not even the route diagrams can be trusted to be accurate, let alone the timetables.

 

[Taunton]

The low-point was probably 1995 when a second, 250 page supplement had to be printed which even included corrections to the corrections printed in the first supplement.

These were a regular feature of the "supplements". Particularly annoying was the plain text style where the original correction with amended times would be listed over multiple lines, which you slowly followed, then the words "now further amended" which meant starting all over again.

The WR 1965 timetable book got so way out of kilter as alterations were made that it was completely reissued and given away free if you surrendered the cover of the original at the enquiry office. It came, of course, on day one with a further supplement!

 

[Darren R]

These were a regular feature of the "supplements". Particularly annoying was the plain text style where the original correction with amended times would be listed over multiple lines, which you slowly followed, then the words "now further amended" which meant starting all over again.

The WR 1965 timetable book got so way out of kilter as alterations were made that it was completely reissued and given away free if you surrendered the cover of the original at the enquiry office. It came, of course, on day one with a further supplement!

plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose...