Worst rail replacement bus you've been on.

[50047]

What's the longest distance any of you have endured on a Rail Replacement Bus?

09/04/98
Distance was approx 20 miles but the time was 8 hours....................
I left home with info that 31110 was allocated to 1V96 09.10 Edinburgh-Reading from BNSt. It would then work back on 1M79 16.47 Reading-Liverpool. This was a common turn at the time for an usual loco or two. I set off from Paddington on 1S87, 14.18 Edinburgh with 47712. I was going to make V96 at Banbury but at Didcot S87 stood for an age. We were told that there was flooding at Fenny Compton and as such we were cancelled. After a while that turned into we would run to Oxford and be cancelled there instead with buses forward to Banbury. At Banbury we would join a restarted S87 which by that time was going be formed by 31110 and stock off of V96 which would terminate at Banbury. On arrival at Oxford I boarded the coach. We set off in a heavy rain storm and six hours later we were still on the coach, still in a heavy rain storm. The driver had tried every possible route and all were blocked by flood waters and abandoned vehicles. One road was even blocked by a canal boat! Two hours later the driver got us to Banbury police station. He was out of diesel anyway. What a shambles. Eventually Virgin agreed to pay for a taxi home and I arrived home at 05.00 the following morning. I received zero compensation from Virgin, despite letter after letter.

 

[DaveHarries]

Although nothing special in distance this does get silly.

One Saturday my job took me to Redditch. I got the train no problem from Bristol TM to Birmingham NS but there were no trains to / from Redditch due to engineering works. So it was onto the Rail Replacement Services that were provided instead. The vehicle I ended up on was a Travel West Midlands (TWM) Scania Omnicity single-decker. I don't remember the registration of it but it was a 12m 45-seat vehicle so quite large!

All went well until the driver took a left turn - as he had to do - but it was the wrong left turn. Not only that but the road we turned onto was a cul-de-sac. So we got to the end and the driver had no option but to do a multiple-point turn so that we could get back out of the cul-de-sac and back onto the correct route. I think it took the driver 8 goes in all.

Needless to say we attracted a good deal of attention in that cul-de-sac!

Dave

 

[aylesbury]

Only time I had to use a replacement bus was coming back from Glasgow on a saturday one Febuary .We got to Carslile and had to wait outside for our bus,eventualy I got on a smart coach and we then took ages to get to Preston and chaos,noone on the platforms to direct you to a suitable train.Will never go to Model Rail Scotland on a Surday always on a Fiday and in first class!!111

 

[Shimbleshanks]

On a more positive note, I do remember a few years ago a rail replacement bus from Antrim to Belfast that got to Belfast five minutes before the train's scheduled arrival time. And they took bikes as well!

 

[317666]

Worst rail replacement bus I went on was an Olympian (I think) from Royston to Cambridge. It was full up and there was prettymuch no legroom whatsoever, although in fairness it was on time and didn't get held up etc.

 

[Whistler40145]

I fondly remember in the days when the Windermere branch service only ran from Oxenholme & on this particular day the 3 Car old heap of a DMU had failed, eventually a Ribble Motors coach turned up for the run to Oxenholme, all went well till leaving Kendal & as many will know its uphill & we nearly didn't get there!

 

[Butts]

On some of Northern Rails services a bus would probably be an improvement - to some of the clapped out stock they are lumbered with.

Has anyone ever had a really deluxe coach ?

 

[MattRobinson]

Only had a replacement bus service once from Wakefield Westgate to Sandal and Agbrigg. Not particularly bad, but the driver got someone's car stuck in their wheel arch.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

 

[anthony263]

On some of Northern Rails services a bus would probably be an improvement - to some of the clapped out stock they are lumbered with.

Has anyone ever had a really deluxe coach ?

Yes me

One of Edwards really luxury coaches between Bridgend & Cardiff a while back
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Only had a replacement bus service once from Wakefield Westgate to Sandal and Agbrigg. Not particularly bad, but the driver got someone's car stuck in their wheel arch.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

I'm not gonna asked how they managed that.

 

[Mark_re]

I remember going from Durham to Alnmouth. There was disruption for whatever reason and nothing was running north of Newcastle. There were a fleet of replacement buses outside, but none were going to Alnmouth - they were all going Newcastle - Berwick.

I was pretty enraged by this, so I made quite a fuss. The EC co-ordinator finally capitulated and arranged for one of the buses to stop at Alnmouth. The driver had no clue how to get to the village, let alone the station. We went all the way to Alnwick, before turning back South to go down to Alnmouth. I had to direct the driver around the village to get to the bus stop. At least normal Arriva deckers serve the station approach, so there is a bus stop.

It took a good long while, but we got there and I was quite pleased. However, the whole bus stood up to get ready to get off too. One poor woman asked the driver 'so we take the train from here to Edinburgh?'. 'No, love - they're running from Berwick.' 'And is that far?' 'another 40 minutes.' Stunned silence. Particularly galling was, as I got off, the first Voyager through the disruption roared through the station at about 80mph, as the bus chugged on its merry way.

Mark

 

[Chapeltom]

On some of Northern Rails services a bus would probably be an improvement - to some of the clapped out stock they are lumbered with.

Has anyone ever had a really deluxe coach ?

A Bullocks coach on a rail replacement from Stockport to Chapel en le Frith (Buxton service) 10 days ago. Was a lovely coach, lot better than the 150 that I'd taken to Stockport from Manchester Picc. Driver kept missing stations and leaving others early, arrived in Chapel after 45 minutes as opposed to 33 by train. With the walk home from the bus stop 2-3 minutes as opposed to the walk from the station 16 mins+ I got home quicker by RRB than by train.

 

[michael769]

On some of Northern Rails services a bus would probably be an improvement - to some of the clapped out stock they are lumbered with.

Has anyone ever had a really deluxe coach ?

I have a sudden vision of them using Leyland Nationals!

 

[Metrailway]

What's the longest distance any of you have endured on a Rail Replacement Bus?

Banbury - West Ruislip (all stations bar Denham Golf Club and Saunderton) a couple of years ago. A cool 75 miles

 

[BestWestern]

09/04/98
Distance was approx 20 miles but the time was 8 hours....................

........

On arrival at Oxford I boarded the coach. We set off in a heavy rain storm and six hours later we were still on the coach, still in a heavy rain storm. The driver had tried every possible route and all were blocked by flood waters and abandoned vehicles. One road was even blocked by a canal boat! Two hours later the driver got us to Banbury police station. He was out of diesel anyway. What a shambles. Eventually Virgin agreed to pay for a taxi home and I arrived home at 05.00 the following morning. I received zero compensation from Virgin, despite letter after letter.

To be fair, the weather is outside of the control of the railway, and as such compensation for delay or disruption isn't generally offered. Virgin aren't responsible for the weather blocking the local roads as well as the railway, nor for the inevitable fact that a vehicle will eventually run out of fuel! They did their bit by providing you with a cab home, that's a fair gesture I would say.

 

[bgstrowger]

The one that I waited an hour and a half to board at Rainham because someone decided Sittingbourne didn't need any electricity.

Still, passed the time queuing by calculating how much my Delay/Repay application was worth.

 

[Chapeltom]

Banbury - West Ruislip (all stations bar Denham Golf Club and Saunderton) a couple of years ago. A cool 75 miles

Can top that. Kilmarnock to Dumfries - 58 miles, then Dumfries to Carlisle - 34 miles. In total 92 miles, same bus with a 2 hour gap in the night

 

[50047]

To be fair, the weather is outside of the control of the railway, and as such compensation for delay or disruption isn't generally offered. Virgin aren't responsible for the weather blocking the local roads as well as the railway, nor for the inevitable fact that a vehicle will eventually run out of fuel! They did their bit by providing you with a cab home, that's a fair gesture I would say.

What?! Are you for real? Much as the weather isn't the responsibility of the railway, it is their responsibility to treat people with some consideration and respect. For all of the endless phone calls made to their so called customer services, they promised time and time again to the driver and to all of the people on the coach, including parents with babies in arms that they would provide food, hotels etc... Reality was they did nothing, and that really is nothing at all. When the shift changed the next shift didn't even know we existed. It was the Police that forced the issue with Virgin and got people moving again, some times in Police cars! I am lucky that they got me home?! 12 hours a prisoner of Virgin and I am lucky?! Incredible............ I take great delight in complaining about every error the railway subjects me to nowadays, and collecting voucher after voucher off of them and then giving them away to anyone that wants them. Queue the patronising drivel but for the record, I am not even slightly interested.............. As for Virgin and First Group, who cares, it’s still nasty inadequate Pendildos

 

[MCR247]

Pendolinos are great

 

[Butts]

Pendolinos are great

- at emitting noxious fumes from the vicinity of the water closets. :roll:

 

[12CSVT]

Pendolinos are great

If you don't want to be able to see out of the train

For this reason I'd rather travel on a LM 350 or 321 if I'm travelling between Euston and Milton Keynes / Northampton / Birmingham despite the longer journey times.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

A ford transit minibus from Falmouth town to truro

 

[50047]

A ford transit minibus from Falmouth town to truro

No different than a 153 then really

 

[Tomonthetrain]

A scania Omnilump of NX West Midlands on the Stourbridge to Snow Hill service vice 150! Thank the lord we were going non stop down the Soho Road

 

[deltic1989]

Quite a few years ago, after a sudden problem with the line between Lincoln and Doncaster. Lincs Road Car laid on a couple of Leyland Nationals, not much conversation was had on that journey I can tell you.

 

[richw]

A ford transit minibus from Falmouth town to truro

Was this down to accessibility to Falmouth town with the low bridges on all possible routes to the station with all other stations getting a proper bus?
Or just all that was sent for the whole line?

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Well we were told that a bus provided by first was coming but after an hour this rusty transit came and had 'RAIL REPLACEMENT' on a piece cardboard on the dashboard. There were normal buses operating through Falmouth even under the low bridge outside town station so it would have been fine for a normal bus anyway. The driver said he was stopping at all stations but at penmere the minibus was full so the driver asked if anyone was getting off before Truro and nobody was so he went straight to Truro

 

[yorksrob]

It seems typical that the one and only occasion in thirty five long years on this planet when I've ever had the need to visit Gainsborough should coincide with the accursed replacement bus service !

To top it all, when I did actually get to the train, the toilet didn't work. (Whoever thought it was a good idea to remove one of the loos on some of the 158's )

 

[BestWestern]

What?! Are you for real? Much as the weather isn't the responsibility of the railway, it is their responsibility to treat people with some consideration and respect. For all of the endless phone calls made to their so called customer services, they promised time and time again to the driver and to all of the people on the coach, including parents with babies in arms that they would provide food, hotels etc... Reality was they did nothing, and that really is nothing at all. When the shift changed the next shift didn't even know we existed. It was the Police that forced the issue with Virgin and got people moving again, some times in Police cars! I am lucky that they got me home?! 12 hours a prisoner of Virgin and I am lucky?! Incredible............ I take great delight in complaining about every error the railway subjects me to nowadays, and collecting voucher after voucher off of them and then giving them away to anyone that wants them. Queue the patronising drivel but for the record, I am not even slightly interested.............. As for Virgin and First Group, who cares, it’s still nasty inadequate Pendildos

Your earlier post essentially implied that nobody could get you home because all the roads were blocked, and then Virgin wouldn't cough up afterwards; it didn't mention most of what you've said above!

Obviously, if you suffered a long drawn out delay as a result of Virgin's incompetence then things become slightly different.

 

[50047]

Your earlier post essentially implied that nobody could get you home because all the roads were blocked, and then Virgin wouldn't cough up afterwards; it didn't mention most of what you've said above!

Obviously, if you suffered a long drawn out delay as a result of Virgin's incompetence then things become slightly different.

They should have coughed up because we had train tickets, period

 

[BestWestern]

They should have coughed up because we had train tickets, period

Again, no. It is not the fault of the railway if the heavens open and crisp virgin snow blocks every road and railway line in and out of the area. As I said before, all that a TOC can do is request road transport, if it can't get through or the operators will not dispatch their vehicles there is not much else that can be done. There are sensible limits to what can be expected of an railway in such circumstances. Would you have complained to the Japanese railway if you'd been trying to make a journey over there when the tsunami hit?! Sometimes it just can't be helped; it's terribly inconvenient, but that's nature for you. If you received crap customer service in other respects then you might well have had reason to chase them, but not just because it snowed. Perhaps you should seek out the Billy Connolly film "The Man Who Sued God"!