Worst train/bus connections

[tsr]

There is a route which I remember... that's it, the 202 from Ashwell and Morden station. The timetable says the buses wait for the trains if they are late!

https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/21485.1/

Wow, I didn't even know the place even had a bus service. That's impressive!

 

[endecotp]

Without checking I'm pretty certain that a bus only runs from Dent station to Dent on a Sunday. Given that its such an attractive little village you'd think that there would be a better bus service between the station and the village, at least in the summer.

When I lived in Glossop there was no Sunday train service.

But Sunday was the only day that a bus ran on a circular "hikers'" route between Glossop and the Hope Valley.

 

[bb21]

Are there any actual rail bus "connections"? A connection in my book is where the bus waits for the train and vice versa. Obviously there has to be a cut off limit and it should not apply to places with frequent bus services or trains to the same place where getting a 10 minute earlier service or just missing a 10 minute frequency service is not a big deal. It is also impracticable for trains to wait for every bus all along their route. However this country should do more to have more joined up bus/train operation particularly in areas not served frequently by bus or train. In practice you have to take an earlier bus than needed to have a better chance of catching a train and to allow for a late bus or one not turning up at all. In my view there should be integrated bus /train tickets for any journey (other than for urban journeys) so if the bus fails to make a connection and you have bought an advance ticket you can get the next train without penalty. I think we are a fair way off achieving this. It would certainly speed up any journey I make from my home town when I have to build in allowances for busses not running to time.

Some do exist in this country, just not in great numbers.

I don't travel by bus much nowadays but I have certainly seen them all over the country, from Cumbria to Dorset and Devon.

It reminds me of an occasion over 10 years ago now, when the hourly 31 (no idea whatever fancy name it is known as these days) between Weymouth and Axminster would wait at Dorchester South for up to 10 minutes for the hourly service from London. I got to Poole station, and within a couple of minutes, boarded what I thought was the train I planned to catch to Dorchester. At Dorchester South I got on the bus, which was the last one of the day, 1905 I think it was, and the driver asked me if it were the train from London. I replied "yeah" and we departed promptly. Bear in mind there were no modern CIS boards in those days and the departure screen was inside the, by then locked, booking office.

As we just about left Dorchester onto country roads, the bus controller came through on the radio, and the driver was asked where the hell he was because there were 10 people waiting at the station. As it turned out, the train I caught was the one from two hours earlier, and we obviously left all the connecting passengers behind.

Cue another U-turn to get back to the station to pick up the angry punters.

 

[AndrewE]

Are there any actual rail bus "connections"? A connection in my book is where the bus waits for the train and vice versa.

Come on, be realistic! There aren't even any rail connections nowadays that I know of! (Just minimum connection times in the national timetable, at least that's better than nothing.)

Obviously where a semi-fast train overtakes a stopper on a double-track line it would be difficult for the railway not to maintain the connection. I can still imagine circumstances where the faster train might be sent on before passengers off the stopper had got over a footbridge to connect into it.

 

[embers25]

There is a route which I remember... that's it, the 202 from Ashwell and Morden station. The timetable says the buses wait for the trains if they are late!

https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/21485.1/

I like the 1845 from Ashwell with it's 1 minute connection onto the Cambridge train. Given it could be up to 6 minutes late waiting for the earlier London train, the chances of making that 1 minute connection must be remote.

I also like the Petersfield-Waterlooville connection which, a few years back, was a dedicated bus that never waited for the train. Now it is just the regular 37 which "conveniently" is scheduled to leave Petersfield just as the London trains arrive for most of the day and never waits, despite it getting waiting time in town and very long running time en route.

The other one that comes to mind is the 47 at Brookwood which is a dedicated rail bus but connections are not guaranteed and it doesn't wait if the train is late!!

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/10639/47-010915.pdf

 

[Hartington]

Isn't Exeter/Bude a connecting bus? It certainly pops up if you use National Rail enquiries.

 

[goblinuser]

The worst train bus connection is a modified BR freight wagon and a Leyland National bus. I'll get my coat.

 

[duesselmartin]

Dyce - Now has no bus link to Aberdeen Airport despite being the advertised railway stop. Only a £12 taxi or a 45 minute walk to the terminal!

Too be honest, I took the Dyce ABZ bus a couple of times and was always the only passenger. Last time I had to take a bus from ABZ to Union Square and then a train to Dyce. I guess one should remove the sign " for Aberdeen Airport"

 

[PYROOGOBBO]

okay i know this is not really that bad, but the Falkirk grahamston to glasgow queen street, on the 158 that has no toilet is pretty awful... specially if you get caught short

i nearly knew by experience. :'D

 

[Norther Monkey]

Too be honest, I took the Dyce ABZ bus a couple of times and was always the only passenger. Last time I had to take a bus from ABZ to Union Square and then a train to Dyce. I guess one should remove the sign " for Aberdeen Airport"

Unfortunately travelling to the city and back out by bus doesn't allow those of us travelling from the north west to make the early flights. It is immensely frustrating to have a station yards from the airport perimeter with no link to the somewhat distant passenger terminal.

But yes, with the current service (except for some of the helicopter terminals) advertising Dyce as being 'for the airport' is at best debatable.

 

[rectoryroad]

The worst bus service is the 509 as the buses never actually turn up and always miss out slots and when they do turn up they break down!

 

[fgwrich]

One of the more frustrating Train / Bus connections out there has to be at Wareham whereby - certainly for Saturday's, the Bus departs at XX:24 while the train arrives at XX:27.

 

[fgwrich]

Repeat post. Ignore.

 

[lejog]

Wow, I didn't even know the place even had a bus service. That's impressive!

Ashwell and Morden station is also served by the 91 bus to Letchworth (and occasionally Royston).

https://www.intalink.org.uk/download/30521.4/

 

[Thebaz]

Canberra, Australia. The station is about two miles out from the city centre but despite buses serving the station they never correspond with arrival times (4 trains a day from Sydney). Making this bus service totally pointless.

Mind you, you have to really like trains to do that journey as it takes 4.5 hours which is one hour longer than if you get the coach.

 

[Mag_seven]

No matter how late or on time my train is it always seems to pull into my home station just as my bus home is pulling out

 

[Taunton]

The worst train-bus connections are those where the bus station has been put at the opposite end of the town to the rail station.

Alas, Taunton falls into this category. It is the best part of a 30 minute walk, and although town buses were frequent once upon a time, they no longer are.

 

[Matt_pool]

Trains to Winsford from Crewe/Birmingham arrive at xxx7, and trains to Winsford from Liverpool/Runcorn arrive at xxx6/7/8/9/10 (not very consistent at all!)

The town of Winsford is just under 2 miles from the station and is served by a bus at xxx3.

You can wait 25 or so mins for the next bus at xx33 or walk; but if you start walking the xx33 bus will pass you as you walk through the town centre and will get there before you!

 

[Mag_seven]

The worst train-bus connections are those where the bus station has been put at the opposite end of the town to the rail station.

Alas, Taunton falls into this category. It is the best part of a 30 minute walk, and although town buses were frequent once upon a time, they no longer are.

Which goes to show how totally clueless this country is re train/bus integration. Political ideology has played a part in this over the years.

 

[AndrewE]

Which goes to show how totally clueless this country is re train/bus integration. Political ideology has played a part in this over the years.

Just a part? I would say right wing/neo-"liberal" (i.e. conservative) dogma has driven all of this loony experiment for decades, apart from in London, of course!

The Poll tax was tried out in Scotland, the rest of the UK is currently suffering from the free-market transport experiment, but of course London is insulated from all this grief...

 

[johnnychips]

Whenever I buy a First bus day ticket to Doncaster Interchange for a day out on the trains, the first bus back to where I live is invariably a Stagecoach Yorkshire ('Tracky' as we still call them).

I blame the Conservatives and Global Warming.

 

[thenorthern]

The bus connections to Alton Towers has got appalling in recent years so much so I don't think there is a direct link from either Stoke-on-Trent or Uttoxeter stations anymore. Nevertheless East Midlands Trains still insist on having the "Alight here for Alton Towers" sign at Uttoxeter station which makes confused theme park visitors rather red faced when they find out they have to pay £20 to get a taxi to Alton Towers.

Given the distance though from Uttoxeter station to Alton Towers and not having a one does wonder why East Midlands Trains still insist on having the reduced fares for taking the train to the theme park.

 

[me123]

Too be honest, I took the Dyce ABZ bus a couple of times and was always the only passenger. Last time I had to take a bus from ABZ to Union Square and then a train to Dyce. I guess one should remove the sign " for Aberdeen Airport"

I only ever got that bus once, when I came from Elgin. The bus was full and standing at 7 in the morning (it connected from the very busy first train of the day from Inverness, which was in itself full and standing when it left Huntly at 6am!). Of course, return on Saturday and no service operating. :-x

Unfortunately travelling to the city and back out by bus doesn't allow those of us travelling from the north west to make the early flights. It is immensely frustrating to have a station yards from the airport perimeter with no link to the somewhat distant passenger terminal.

But yes, with the current service (except for some of the helicopter terminals) advertising Dyce as being 'for the airport' is at best debatable.

Agree, it's completely useless for the airport because it's unfortunately on the wrong side of the runway. At Aberdeen taxi fares, it's £10 to get to the station (money better spent going into the city - albeit that's very frustrating when you're trying to get home).

 

[Requeststop]

A couple of years back, travelling from Derby to Manchester, I took the bus from Matlock to Buxton. All credit to the bus driver who bombed it along the roads and through the passes in the small villages along the route. Arrived in Buxton with about two minutes to spare but the driver could not stop outside the station for a quick drop off. Passengers wanting to connect to the train had to run through a car park, with baggage, prams etc. to get to the train. The likelihood being that most transferring would miss the connection.

The lady train manager/guard/conductor/whatever was good enough to hold back the train for the more elderly struggling to get the train and we all made it.

Bonus points to the public spirited lady.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Gainsborough Lea Road is well out of town and is only served by the hourly 100 Scunthorpe - Gainsborough - Lincoln bus service. This does not run in the evenings or on Sundays.

There seems to be little attempt to connect with trains in either the Lincoln or Sheffield direction, possibly because they are running in competition.

Annoyingly there isn't a southbound bus stop near Gainsborough Trinity football ground at the Northolme meaning visiting supporters have to rush to the bus station to catch the 1710, the last bus of the day.

Gainsborough Central is much better situated but has no convenient train back to Retford & Sheffield late on Saturday afternoons.

 

[johntea]

The bus connections to Alton Towers has got appalling in recent years so much so I don't think there is a direct link from either Stoke-on-Trent or Uttoxeter stations anymore. Nevertheless East Midlands Trains still insist on having the "Alight here for Alton Towers" sign at Uttoxeter station which makes confused theme park visitors rather red faced when they find out they have to pay £20 to get a taxi to Alton Towers.

Given the distance though from Uttoxeter station to Alton Towers and not having a one does wonder why East Midlands Trains still insist on having the reduced fares for taking the train to the theme park.

I remember a good (good!) few years ago you could get an Alton Towers bus service from right outside Derby station which got you to the park for around opening time and was there around closing time to take you back to Derby, was an excellent service and not even that expensive from what I remember either, does that no longer exist?

 

[Taunton]

There seems to be little attempt to connect with trains in either the Lincoln or Sheffield direction, possibly because they are running in competition.

This is possibly the root issue. Even for the many years when both were nationalised, both were set targets that, at minimum, they had to break even.

Taunton has always been a centre for rural country routes. Nowadays much reduced from what they once were, a good number did not even run every day, and pretty certainly were never profitable. The only ones which did so were, surprise surprise, those which competed directly with rail, to adjacent towns, and the longer-distance coach routes. So why, given their targets, should either mode make an effort to hand their customers over to the other?

 

[Firesprite]

The bus connections to Alton Towers has got appalling in recent years so much so I don't think there is a direct link from either Stoke-on-Trent or Uttoxeter stations anymore. Nevertheless East Midlands Trains still insist on having the "Alight here for Alton Towers" sign at Uttoxeter station which makes confused theme park visitors rather red faced when they find out they have to pay £20 to get a taxi to Alton Towers.

Given the distance though from Uttoxeter station to Alton Towers and not having a one does wonder why East Midlands Trains still insist on having the reduced fares for taking the train to the theme park.

The X32 still runs on Saturdays from Stoke Station (9.30am dep) to Alton Towers and return dep 5.20pm. To get to Alton Towers from Uttoxeter you now have to go via Ashbourne and change.

 

[Andyh82]

I remember a good (good!) few years ago you could get an Alton Towers bus service from right outside Derby station which got you to the park for around opening time and was there around closing time to take you back to Derby, was an excellent service and not even that expensive from what I remember either, does that no longer exist?

Yes that does still exist. X52 run by Notts & Derby, one bus each way every day during the season.

http://www.derbysbus.info/times/timetables/X52N-170327.pdf

 

[Scotty]

Gainsborough Lea Road is well out of town and is only served by the hourly 100 Scunthorpe - Gainsborough - Lincoln bus service. This does not run in the evenings or on Sundays.

There seems to be little attempt to connect with trains in either the Lincoln or Sheffield direction, possibly because they are running in competition.

Annoyingly there isn't a southbound bus stop near Gainsborough Trinity football ground at the Northolme meaning visiting supporters have to rush to the bus station to catch the 1710, the last bus of the day.

Gainsborough Central is much better situated but has no convenient train back to Retford & Sheffield late on Saturday afternoons.

It's not a bad walk back to the station to be honest, not like you have to meander around the town. There's food and shops on the way back too.