Ridiculous Train Travel Mistakes

[island]

thats impossible. Newport (Gwent) was renamed Newport (South Wales) at least 2 years ago

Some TISes still print it as Newport Gwent. I have tickets with both names from the same weekend (some bought by FGW websales, others collected at random SET stations).

 

[CallySleeperKid]

A couple of years back I boarded a ScotRail Aberdeen - Inverness service, we were just pulling out of Aberdeen when a woman jumped up and pulled the emergency stop, bringing the train to a quick stop at the very end of the platform, she was quite distressed at the fact that her train to London was going the wrong way out of the station. She had got on a ScotRail 158 instead of an East Coast HST, but as we were just still on the platform the guard let her off, reset the alarm and we were on our way.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Pacers are the only thing my wife can pick out and distinguish from other British trains

I got her better than that bless her She knows HST's as close the door your self trains. And 158's cos they look like heptagons. Thats about it though i think....

 

[Statto]

I wonder how many times passengers have been caught out by 2 stations with the same or similar sounding names such as Moreton Mersey/Moreton Dorset or Sheffield/Shenfield & end up going on the train towards the wrong station?

 

[LE Greys]

I wonder how many times passengers have been caught out by 2 stations with the same or similar sounding names such as Moreton Mersey/Moreton Dorset or Sheffield/Shenfield & end up going on the train towards the wrong station?

Who was it told the story of the two tourists going to Turkey from Reading who ended up on a train to Torquay?

 

[Flamingo]

I wonder how many times passengers have been caught out by 2 stations with the same or similar sounding names such as Moreton Mersey/Moreton Dorset or Sheffield/Shenfield & end up going on the train towards the wrong station?

A friend tells a story about when he worked for a company in Cambridgeshire. One day a rep who was visiting rang him to say "I'm in St Neots, I can't find your address". Further questioning established that the rep was in deepest Cornwall.

 

[voyagerdude220]

One mistake a TM told me about: a few teenage girls joining my Preston to Glasgow Central Super Voyager, wishing to go to Lancaster. The problem? We were the first Virgin service in 2010 to be diverted via the S&C! Normal journey time for them: 15 minutes. Actual- 5 ish hours! The TM even announced 2-3 times before departure pax for LAN, OXN, PNR must get a bus.

 

[Flamingo]

I once had a chap at Reading run up as I was closing my local door, pull it open, shoulder-barge me out of the way (knocking me over), jump on, and run down the carriage. I picked myself up, dispatched the train, and walked down to the buffet counter, where the guy was buying his Stella.

He says "What time do we get to Didcot, mate", to which I replied "Wrong train, MATE, first stop Exeter, two hours time!". I then spent the next 10 minutes behind the bar listening to the guy in the phone to his Mrs, who was obviously not happy, and planning on being the next "contestant" on Jeremy Kyle with him. She also spelt doubt on his parents marriage, his performance in bed and general physical prowess and endowment.

His face was an even bigger picture when we arrived into Didcot, which was our next stop. He called me several names, but they were nothing to what his Mrs had called him!

 

[PaulLothian]

I remember reading somewhere of an American businessman touring his British factory sites who thought that Southampton and Northampton were stations in the same town - he went to the wrong one!

 

[Flamingo]

That's the old Kenny Everett sketch...
I was stopped by the police last week
"Where are you going to?"
"Northall"
"Where are you coming from?"
"Southall"
What's in the bag?"
"Nuffink"

 

[LE Greys]

I remember reading somewhere of an American businessman touring his British factory sites who thought that Southampton and Northampton were stations in the same town - he went to the wrong one!

Possibly because I posted it recently, only I thought it was someone coming to visit his relatives.

 

[PaulLothian]

Possibly because I posted it recently, only I thought it was someone coming to visit his relatives.

Missed that post. My wife tells me I read it in an old Readers' Digest, so there's obviously a lot of it about

 

[Oliver]

Who was it told the story of the two tourists going to Turkey from Reading who ended up on a train to Torquay?

Yes, two Japanese ladies arrived at Reading wanting the bus for Heathrow so they could fly to Turkey. The station staff thought they wanted to go to Torquay and put them on the train. Funniest bit is that apparently they thought they had arrived in Turkey, having gone through the Chunnel on a train.

 

[LE Greys]

Yes, two Japanese ladies arrived at Reading wanting the bus for Heathrow so they could fly to Turkey. The station staff thought they wanted to go to Torquay and put them on the train. Funniest bit is that apparently they thought they had arrived in Turkey, having gone through the Chunnel on a train.

"Oh Mr Porter, what shall I do...?"

 

[HST Power]

I was a Potters Bar a few months ago, and the 1545 to Welwyn Garden City came and left. Just as the 1551 was rolling in, a Spanish lady races up onto the Platform and takes a look at the screen. She asks me in broken English if this train was to Welwyn. I said it stopped at Welwyn, but went to Peterborough. I don't do Spanish, I do French and German, but it took me a while to get that conveyed. I felt a bit sorry for her, she seemed rather lost.

 

[Hullboy]

I recently tried to board a train from Birmingham International to Euston - ended up at Birmingham New Street oblivious of the fact I had gone the wrong way! Felt pretty silly!!

 

[Scotty]

A friend tells a story about when he worked for a company in Cambridgeshire. One day a rep who was visiting rang him to say "I'm in St Neots, I can't find your address". Further questioning established that the rep was in deepest Cornwall.

Do you mean St Ives?

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Re confusing the guards as to where you're actually going: that would work best with two really generic-sounding but nearby shacks. Upton to Moreton is probably the best one, and it's a £1.80 single. I wonder how long a journey you could get away with on that...

Nah, you'd want a good price, some £20 or so, no chance you could be on an Intercity service with a £1.80 ticket.

If you had a good generic named place of course you could doubtless find a few different places around the country with appropriately similar names and protest that you meant to buy a ticket to there should you ever get caught out (I have spent way too long thinking this through!)

 

[Wyvern]

Do you mean St Ives?

There is a St Neot in Cornwall though it doesnt have a station

 

[ReverendFozz]

I used to be a master of falling asleep on trains, even for a short from Newcastle to Durham...coming back from Bolton to Durham, I fell asleep near Leeds, missed York and woke up near Hull, the onboard staff were nice enough and took me back to York

One of the sillier mistakes I made was getting on a train one morning at Newcastle, intending to go home to Durham, i had not realised the ECML was closed there was a diversion down the Durham Coast, the train was sat on Platform 3, I jumped on it, wasnt too worried when it headed out over the high level bridge, i have known southbound trains head out that way, started to panic when they announcement said next stop Northallerton, i ended up on a bus to Darlington, then the rail replacement bus to durham

 

[Flamingo]

Do you mean St Ives?

Might have been St Ives, it was a while ago he told me the story, and I'm not too familiar with either part of the country. The rep hadn't travelled by train!

 

[ileikcaek]

I think once my uncle and I were going home from London or somewhere and quite often the train splits at Ashford International, the front 4 coaches to Ramsgate via Canterbury and the rear 4 to Ramsgate via Folkestone and Dover which we wanted. This was an old slam door if I remember, so no information system telling us what carriage we are in.

Us fools ended up on the Canterbury/Ramsgate train, not so bad though as all we had to do was hop on the next Ramsgate to Dover train.

 

[Crossover]

Reminds me of the Great British Railway Jouneys episode down Whitstable way where Portillo nearly got on the wrong part of the train at Faversham

 

[mappman1000]

I've made a mistake at Ely before, was on an anglia rover ticket, and ran for an EMT 158, which for some reason I assumed was norwich bound (the trains reverse there so go the same direction for either destination), then when the annoucements started I realised I was heading to peterborough. But I was bemused as I'd shown my anglia rover ticket to the guard before this, assuming I was going the right way, and he said it was fine, even though it's clearly not valid.

 

[Scotrail84]

Ive had a few people on North Berwicks wanting to go to Berwick Upon Tweed.
DOH!

 

[Flamingo]

A colleague had somebody today who bought a ticket from Didcot Parkway to "Liverpool Lime Street London". He meant Liverpool Street, London, he bought a ticket to Liverpool via London!

He said he thought it was a bit expensive - £70 as opposed to £20 odd!

 

[krus_aragon]

A young work colleague of mine arranged to meet up with a friend that he knew/met online. He bought a ticket at Cardiff, and made his way all the way north to Aberdeen. Having arrived, he called his friend, asking where to find him. It transpired that this friend actually lives in Aberdare!

Pacers are the only thing my wife can pick out and distinguish from other British trains

My other half is still in training, but she's doing well. She's very accomplished at distinguishing Pacers (bus on rails) from Sprinters on the Valley Lines, and can recognise a 175, too. Intercitys (125) are a favourite of hers, but she preferred them in the white swallow livery she saw as a youngster in Derby.

 

[LE Greys]

My other half is still in training, but she's doing well. She's very accomplished at distinguishing Pacers (bus on rails) from Sprinters on the Valley Lines, and can recognise a 175, too. Intercitys (125) are a favourite of hers, but she preferred them in the white swallow livery she saw as a youngster in Derby.

Then she has good taste.

 

[jaigee]

Mine has only just been able to disinguish a train from a bus!

Mind you, a Pacer sometimes has her confused!

 

[150222]

once I got on a northern 158 from todmorden to littlebrough and ended up in rochdale not so bad but cue panic getting a train back from rochdale as it was early evening and wasn't sure when the frequency on the calder valley went to hourly