Dore & Totley Minimum Connection Time

Hadders · 6 May 2019

The minimum connection time at Dore & Totley is 9 minutes which seems rather excessive for a station with one platform. Sheffield is only 7 minutes.

I'm planning a journey from Bamford to Doncaster on a Saturday in June. If I depart BAM at 17:42 this arrives Sheffield at 18:06 which is not an official connection into the 18:11 TPE service to Doncaster.

As it happens the 17:42 from BAM calls at DOR at 17:58, the TPE service calls DOR at 18:04 so it would be better to change at DOR and I expected it to be an official connection, but it's not.

Does anyone know why the minimum connection time at Dore & Totley is so long.

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talltim · 6 May 2019

It takes that long to order from the Indian restaurant?

Bovverboy · 7 May 2019

Won't the TPE be stuck behind the stopper all the way from New Mills South Junction? If it is, you can't possibly miss it by changing at Dore & Totley.

Hadders · 7 May 2019

Bovverboy said:
Won't the TPE be stuck behind the stopper all the way from New Mills South Junction? If it is, you can't possibly miss it by changing at Dore & Totley.

That was my thinking, and given that a change at DOR would be much more straightforward than at SHF it makes sense to change there. In reality I'd make it unless there was a meltdown but as I'll likely be using Advance tickets from SHF to DOncaster and beyond it'd be good to have an itinerary satisfying minimum connection times.

Killingworth · 7 May 2019

It's a long time since Dore was a junction station with connections south to Derby, fully staffed, a branch of W H Smiths, waiting rooms and toilets, but it could be a better option for some Hope Valley users than going to Sheffield with a long walk from Platform 2C to anywhere!

Some Hope Valley users have sussed out ways to come in to Dore to catch a fast towards Manchester, or return that way in an evening. Not advertised, of course, but regular users of the skip stopping Northern services have to look sharp to travel to best advantage.

Until last week Dore offered very little cover so wasn't an attractive place to wait on a rainy day. It now has a canopy covering the ticket machine and part of the platform. More train spotters expected! The Indian restaurant is open evenings only but there's an English restaurant at the bottom of the car park open from 8.30 until late. Buy a coffee to use the loo!!

JN114 · 7 May 2019

Is it fudged to stop an influx of people changing at a station that can’t really handle massive numbers?

Killingworth · 7 May 2019

JN114 said:
Is it fudged to stop an influx of people changing at a station that can’t really handle massive numbers?

Changing at random wayside stations isn't normally part of transport planning - until enough people like those who contribute to this forum suss out a good option and it may eventually get accepted into the official planning.

If I want to go to Dore after a morning meeting in Sheffield and miss the 12.14 I need to wait until 14.14. It's quicker to walk.I can get the 13.14 to Grindleford, have a light bite and cuppa at the station cafe and get the train back before the same train forms that 14.14. Not an official connection, of course!

bunnahabhain · 8 May 2019

Killingworth said:
Some Hope Valley users have sussed out ways to come in to Dore to catch a fast towards Manchester, or return that way in an evening. Not advertised, of course, but regular users of the skip stopping Northern services have to look sharp to travel to best advantage.

Doubling back isn't permitted for any Hope Valley stations via Dore & Totley however. It is only permitted to double back via Sheffield if travelling to or from Dore & Totley.

Killingworth · 8 May 2019

bunnahabhain said:
Doubling back isn't permitted for any Hope Valley stations via Dore & Totley however. It is only permitted to double back via Sheffield if travelling to or from Dore & Totley.

But paying for the various components of any journey is now an art form - or is it a science? How the statistics cope with it is anyones's guess. From Dore to Manchester after 8.15 only Northern trains run direct, but doubling back is permitted to use TPE or East Midlands fast trains from Sheffield. However a better fare to the Manchester area after 9.30 can be a return to Grindleford, then Manchester Wayfarer. The fact that many do not use the ticket machines and guards often don't patrol the trains to sell any tickets is another story.

Meole · 8 May 2019

Killingworth said:
Changing at random wayside stations isn't normally part of transport planning - until enough people like those who contribute to this forum suss out a good option and it may eventually get accepted into the official planning.

If I want to go to Dore after a morning meeting in Sheffield and miss the 12.14 I need to wait until 14.14. It's quicker to walk.I can get the 13.14 to Grindleford, have a light bite and cuppa at the station cafe and get the train back before the same train forms that 14.14. Not an official connection, of course!

Galton Bridge is a timetabled change instead of New St by National Rail.

Starmill · 9 May 2019

bunnahabhain said:
Doubling back isn't permitted for any Hope Valley stations via Dore & Totley however. It is only permitted to double back via Sheffield if travelling to or from Dore & Totley.

Careful! While that is often true, it depends on exactly which ticket the customer has bought / asks to buy.

As a random example, the £151.30 Single from Grindleford to Carmarthen on route Not Via London is valid via Sheffield and Stockport. This includes passing non-stop through Grindleford after having left there a while earlier. Indeed, if you are at Grindleford for, say, the 0949 departure, to change at Sheffield and Stockport is the quickest way to get to Carmarthen.

This will be true for any ticket where the origin is Grindleford or another station where Sheffield passes the fares check and travel from Sheffield is mapped to the destination in question via Stockport or Manchester.

bunnahabhain · 9 May 2019

Starmill said:
Careful! While that is often true, it depends on exactly which ticket the customer has bought / asks to buy.

As a random example, the £151.30 Single from Grindleford to Carmarthen on route Not Via London is valid via Sheffield and Stockport. This includes passing non-stop through Grindleford after having left there a while earlier. Indeed, if you are at Grindleford for, say, the 0949 departure, to change at Sheffield and Stockport is the quickest way to get to Carmarthen.

This will be true for any ticket where the origin is Grindleford or another station where Sheffield passes the fares check and travel from Sheffield is mapped to the destination in question via Stockport or Manchester.

But that involves doubling back, which isn't permitted.

Starmill · 9 May 2019

bunnahabhain said:
But that involves doubling back, which isn't permitted.

It is permitted because it is a permitted route. There is no general prohibition on doubling back.

robbeech · 9 May 2019

Exactly. This latest example passes the fares check and as such this makes it ok. Additionally if you can get an itinerary then it becomes valid. Unlike the opinion of certain TOCs (but we won’t go off topic here)

Dore & Totley Minimum Connection Time

Hadders

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talltim

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