Possible to Change Departure Time?

[TheJRB]

Hi all,

I was wondering if I could ask for a little help regarding ticketing for a booked train.

What with NXEA's offer on tickets, my grandfather and I have decided to take a trip to Ipswich (from Ashford) next month on Wednesday 16th November.

We've booked tickets (first class with seat reservations) but now I'm a little concerned at the connecting times. The 09:43 Southeastern service from Ashford to Stratford International is the first off peak train we can get which get's us to Stratford Int'l for 10:14. That leave's a good 24 minutes until the booked departure of the Norwich bound train at 10:48. However, the DLR departures are scheduled for every ten minutes with the first being at 10:18 (giving us only four minutes to get up the escalators, get across to the DLR station and get DLR tickets) with arrival at Stratford at 10:20 allowing a good 28 minute slot to get to the right platform.

Seeing as we're not superhuman, I'd imagine in reality we'd get the 10:28 out of SFA getting to SRA for 10:30 with 18 minutes spare.

The thing that concerns me most about the whole thing is that when we caught the 09:43 out of Ashford on HS1 before, it waited about 7 minutes outside the station for a Dover Priory/Canterbury West train to divide and make room before we could even get on the train.

We've purchased tickets online (Saturday evening) and have the first class postage order on the tickets. Is it possible to alter the outbound departure time by an hour by phone and if so, will that involve some sort of fee? We could at least then get the 09:43 out with a load of spare time.

Sorry for the big question but I'm a little nervous and I'm guessing now's the time to act if we can at all with a good few weeks before the day of travel!

 

[mappman1000]

8 minutes is plenty of time to get from the DLR platforms to Platform 10 at Stratford. You have nothing to worry about!

 

[yorkie]

Unfortunately I can't figure out the ticket held, therefore I am unable to answer your question specifically, sorry. We always need to know full details of the ticket held to be able to answer queries (e.g. origin, destination, ticket type, any Railcards etc)

However if an Ashford Intl to Ipswich Off Peak Return (SVR) was bought, this is valid "by any train to London, to connect with trains from London", and I do not see why changing at Stratford (London) would change that. From Stratford, the first train you can take is any train departing Stratford (London) "at or after 0938".

If you are delayed while travelling, you may be eligible for compensation under Delay Repay. If you missed the connection, due to SET delaying you, causing you to be delayed by 30 minutes or more, you would be entitled to 50% of the value of the portion of the journey affected by the delay. If SET delays you, claim off them. The same applies on the return journey, but if NXEA is late causing you to miss your SET connection, claim from NXEA instead. Always claim from the company whose train was delayed and only make one claim per journey (obviously!), if both trains were late I would either claim from the one that caused the initial delay or claim from the one that caused the most delay, as appropriate to the particular situation.

 

[Bungle73]

Why do you need DLR tickets? Surely the journey should be covered by the tickets you hold if they're through tickets?

 

[yorkie]

Why do you need DLR tickets? Surely the journey should be covered by the tickets you hold if they're through tickets?

I'm guessing he may have separate tickets, hence the difficulty in providing advice. An NXEA offer was mentioned.

My reply regarding through tickets was very much on an "if" basis, and to illustrate that a through Off Peak ticket is only restricted between Stratford & Ipswich (due to the following conditions being met: the origin is inside the Network Area, the destination is outside the Network Area, the journey is via London), and as you say a cross-London transfer would be included, and as far as I can determine this certainly should include transfer on the DLR between the Stratford Group stations, Stratford Intl and Stratford (London).

What I don't know is the official interchange time between the stations.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Ignoring the bit about the NXEA offer which I'm not sure about either, the OP mentioned first class with reservations; I'd hazard a guess they have a couple of the advance 1st tickets from AFK to IPS routed "+AP NXEA PLUS HS1". These take restriction code OC, which includes the text

N.B. Restrictions apply on
connecting trains from Kent
into london St Pancras and
vice versa via line High Speed
1 (HS1) on Mondays to Fridays
as follows:
Not valid on HS1 trains
timed to arrive in London
St Pancras 09.58 or earlier:
and Not valid on HS1 trains
timed to depart London
St Pancras between 16.00 and
18.59 inclusive.

So it looks like they can't take an earlier connecting train from Ashford, and the NXEA leg from Stratford to Ipswich will be booked train only, so I don't think any change to the travel plans is possible.

Some quite interesting stuff hidden away in the restriction codes used for advance fares if you take a look at them. This seems to be how all the restrictions on using advances on HS1 are implemented (I used to wonder how that was done...)

 

[TheJRB]

Thank you all for you help. Let me clarify as I'm sorry I didn't provide enough detail initially regarding the tickets.

Wednesday 16th November
Ashford Int'l - Stratford Int'l Dep: 09:43 Arr: 10:14 Off Peak Day Return which we'll buy on the day £28.80 + £1 (Kids for a Quid)
Stratford Int'l - Stratford Dep: 10:28 Arr: 10:30 This isn't covered by anything else as far as I know.
Stratford - Ipswich Dep: 10:38 Arr: 11:43 "Promo First Advance Single (Outward)" £10 adult + £5 child
Ipswich - Stratford Dep: 14:43 Arr: 15:45 "Promo First Advance Single (Return)" £10 adult + £5 child
Stratford - Stratford Int'l Dep: 15:54 Arr: 15:56 As above DLR not covered by other tickets.
Stratford Int'l - Ashford Int'l Dep: 16:17 Arr: 16:48 Covered by the Off Peak Day Return from above.

 

[EM2]

To be honest, I'd be more inclined to blank the DLR completely and just walk through the Westfield shopping centre

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Based on that information, and assuming the promo advance is just an advance fare at a lower price (it may not be), I would say, if you change the departure time of the NXEA service you will incur a fee of £10 per ticket you change (you would need to check the conditions of the ticket to be sure).

National Rail Enquiries suggests that for a through journey you can use those trains, so you will be covered in the event of delays whilst travelling and be allowed on a later NXEA service if you miss the booked one (assuming the conditions for the Promo ticket are that of a normal Advance fare).

 

[TheJRB]

To be honest, I'd be more inclined to blank the DLR completely and just walk through the Westfield shopping centre

How long a walk is that? I know my grandfather's probably not going to want to walk too far but if it's a short walk it sounds like a good idea.

Based on that information, and assuming the promo advance is just an advance fare at a lower price (it may not be), I would say, if you change the departure time of the NXEA service you will incur a fee of £10 per ticket you change (you would need to check the conditions of the ticket to be sure).

National Rail Enquiries suggests that for a through journey you can use those trains, so you will be covered in the event of delays whilst travelling and be allowed on a later NXEA service if you miss the booked one (assuming the conditions for the Promo ticket are that of a normal Advance fare).

I had a feeling the £10 fee might crop up. I'll have to check on the conditions of the tickets.

Either way, I think the tickets will stay as they are as it doesn't seem too short a time to get from the International to the Regional station. We've done the journey before (SFA - SRA) just without the time constraint.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I've had a look at the booking sheet and this is what it says:

• This ticket is only valid when travelling on the specified National Express East Anglia services
• Non-refundable ticket, only valid for the date, time and trains specified.

 

[S N Barnes]

IIRC its 400 metres between International and Regional stations.

Moderate walk allow 50 metres/minute, use mini scooter and probably halve transit time.

One thing which is missing from vast walk-about shopping cathedrals is a circulating assisted transport options - could be pedicabs, sponsored by retailers with riders providing promotional info and moving less able around on request for free. This would further provide a key evacuation resource for less mobile public, which is managed and controlled (as well as being low carbon). Far safer than unregulated riders of mobility scooters - especially if they permit Class 3 in to pedestrian areas (these are prohibited from travelling at top speeds - 8mph - on footways).

Isn't there a moving pavement in the pipeline for 2012?

 

[EM2]

How long a walk is that? I know my grandfather's probably not going to want to walk too far but if it's a short walk it sounds like a good idea.

Well, my wife walks with a stick and isn't the quickest, and I reckon ten-twelve minutes would do it easily.
At that time of day, the centre won't have been open for very long, so should be quiet and as long as you don't get distracted by any of the shops or stopping for coffee, you should be fine!

 

[TheJRB]

IIRC its 400 metres between International and Regional stations.

Moderate walk allow 50 metres/minute, use mini scooter and probably halve transit time.

One thing which is missing from vast walk-about shopping cathedrals is a circulating assisted transport options - could be pedicabs, sponsored by retailers with riders providing promotional info and moving less able around on request for free. This would further provide a key evacuation resource for less mobile public, which is managed and controlled (as well as being low carbon). Far safer than unregulated riders of mobility scooters - especially if they permit Class 3 in to pedestrian areas (these are prohibited from travelling at top speeds - 8mph - on footways).

He's fine walking (we walked from Liverpool Street to Fenchurch Street the other month which was slightly longer than I thought it would be) it's just that I want to avoid a long walk.

Isn't there a moving pavement in the pipeline for 2012?

Sounds like one of those things they say they'll do but because of budgeting constraints will never happen!

Well, my wife walks with a stick and isn't the quickest, and I reckon ten-twelve minutes would do it easily.
At that time of day, the centre won't have been open for very long, so should be quiet and as long as you don't get distracted by any of the shops or stopping for coffee, you should be fine!

Looks like we're in better order than I thought after all, so long as the HS1 train isn't delayed.

 

[district]

Hope you enjoy your journey!

I've done the walk SFA to SRA and I did it in about 7 minutes, but I walk fast!

 

[island]

If you do end up wanting to change the tickets, you will need to post them back or take them to a station (operated by whoever sold you the tickets) in order to get them changed.

Don't forget there is no first class on Southeastern High Speed services.

 

[TheJRB]

Hope you enjoy your journey!

I've done the walk SFA to SRA and I did it in about 7 minutes, but I walk fast!

Thank you. Last time we were there, it was the opening day of the DLR extension and Westfield hadn't opened yet.

If you do end up wanting to change the tickets, you will need to post them back or take them to a station (operated by whoever sold you the tickets) in order to get them changed.

Don't forget there is no first class on Southeastern High Speed services.

OK. If we do have to change them, it'd be by post then as I don't think there's a NXEA station nearby!