My Manchester to Wigan service ran non-stop direct to Preston!

shredder1 · 15 Sep 2019

Thought I`d go for a ride on the new 195`s today.

I was on Oxford Road Manchester when one pulled in going to Barrow, calling at Wigan, Preston, Lancaster et al. I only had my GM Bus Pass so I thought I`d have a ride up to Wigan and catch another one back.

No sooner had the train set off though, than the guard came up the train with a concerned look on his face, he apologised profusely and told everyone that the train would now be going directly to Preston and terminating there?

The train had a few people on it going to Wigan, so the guard said we needed to ask a train manager at Preston, who was going back to Wigan, could we travel for free back to Wigan, so I asked what if they say no!

The guard replied, well just pay for a single ticket and you can claim it back. A strange affair. We all boarded a Virgin Voyager and the train manager had no issues with us, but we were well over our 15 minutes late of course when we arrived at Wigan.

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DarloRich · 15 Sep 2019

Furthermore this seems a completely pontless post about something that must happen several times a day: essentially train missed a stop for operational reason and passengers had to get another train back!

lyndhurst25 · 15 Sep 2019

The suggestion that passengers needed to beg to be carried back to Wigan, or pay extra then claim it back, is preposterous.

6Gman · 15 Sep 2019

shredder1 said:
Thought I`d go for a ride on the new 195`s today. I was on Oxford Road Manchester when one pulled in going to Barrow, calling at Wigan, Preston, Lancaster et al. I only had my GM Bus Pass so I thought I`d have a ride up to Wigan and catch another one back. No sooner had the train set off though, than the guard came up the train with a concerned look on his face, he apologised profusely and told everyone that the train would now be going directly to Preston and terminating there? The train had a few people on it going to Wigan, so the guard said we needed to ask a train manager at Preston, who was going back to Wigan, could we travel for free back to Wigan, so I asked what if they say no! The guard replied, well just pay for a single ticket and you can claim it back. A strange affair. We all boarded a Virgin Voyager and the train manager had no issues with us, but we were well over our 15 minutes late of course when we arrived at Wigan.

Oh the humanity!

Did you get Delay Repay ?

AndrewE · 15 Sep 2019

DarloRich said:
Furthermore this seems a completely pontless post about something that must happen several times a day: essentially train missed a stop for operational reason and passengers had to get another train back!

lyndhurst25 said:
The suggestion that passengers needed to beg to be carried back to Wigan, or pay extra then claim it back, is preposterous.

I don't think so...
Given that we already have a thread about Carlisle Security behaving unacceptably (to put it mildly) across the NW and them and even some TOC barrier line staff not even understanding ticket validiities - and other threads about guards or ticket inspectors harrassing passengers who were only doing what they had been told to do by another member of railway staff - I would be most concerned if I was in the same position.
It's unfortunately yet another example of perfectly honest people being a) let down by the railway in the first place, then b) being put in a position where they have no physical evidence to back up their position, and have to pass the rest of their journey under stress wondering if they will have to justify what they are doing - and be believed if they are asked. Definitely not the way to treat "customers."

yorkie · 15 Sep 2019

Passengers are both entitled to be carried back on the next appropriate service and also entitled to claim Delay Repay, if applicable and if the delay is lengthy enough.

It is preposterous to suggest that passengers should beg and/or may be charged but it is not preposterous to suggest that some staff would actually refuse and/or attempt to charge people for this; see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/passenger-rights-when-following-staff-instructions.191854 for example to see how incredibly low a small minority of anti-passenger staff can, and do, stoop.

Of course most journeys go fine, but the fact that some people are mistreated by being overcharged and/or refused travel, means that it is understandable that people are concerned. The rail industry has a lot of work to do to address the source of these concerns.

Bovverboy · 15 Sep 2019

I am assuming it was the 0935 ex-Airport which was the train involved, running about half an hour late at the time. What isn't made clear in the OP is that not only did the train skip the Wigan stop, it was actually diverted off the usual route, going via Bolton instead of Wigan.
Whatever the reason for the diversion, someone clearly knew that it was going to take place - there's nothing in the tracking to suggest there were any last-minute decisions. The evidence indicates that the decision to divert was taken before the train reached Piccadilly, let alone Oxford Road. So there wouldn't appear to be any excuse for failing to inform passengers about it. Nor, having failed to do that, to fail to adequately cater for the diverted passengers, once they reached Preston.

yorkie · 15 Sep 2019

Bovverboy said:
So there wouldn't appear to be any excuse for failing to inform passengers about it.

Northern don't tend to do that.

Clearly in this case the Guard was keen to inform passengers so it seems likely that no-one informed the Guard.

I've been on a Northern train that was delayed and then terminated only a small part of the way into its booked journey, into a bay platform with not a word being spoken to passengers.

Bovverboy said:
Nor, having failed to do that, to fail to adequately cater for the diverted passengers, once they reached Preston.

Northern don't tend to do that either.

They not infrequently either say nothing or tell people there is acceptance when there isn't. See: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/northern-ticket-acceptance.192043 and https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ems-whats-going-on.189899/page-4#post-4193164

None of this is of any surprise to those of us who travel frequently on Northern!

Bovverboy · 15 Sep 2019

6Gman said:
Did you get Delay Repay ?

The OP made it clear that he was travelling on his Greater Manchester (Senior Citizens) pass, so delay repay presumably wouldn't have been appropriate, but in being carried to and from Preston he was effectively travelling without a ticket, so of course he was concerned.

shredder1 · 15 Sep 2019

DarloRich said:
Furthermore this seems a completely pontless post about something that must happen several times a day: essentially train missed a stop for operational reason and passengers had to get another train back!

I think you mean "Pointless" post, but really, I had no idea it happens regularly, several times a day you say, goodness, I obviously don`t get out enough, it didn't just miss a stop though, it missed the entire route, :lol:

shredder1 · 15 Sep 2019

Bovverboy said:
The OP made it clear that he was travelling on his Greater Manchester (Senior Citizens) pass, so delay repay presumably wouldn't have been appropriate, but in being carried to and from Preston he was effectively travelling without a ticket, so of course he was concerned.

6Gman said:
Oh the humanity!

Did you get Delay Repay ?

No, but I wouldn't have claimed anyway, I rarely do and it was an enjoyable ride on my first 195.

yorkie · 15 Sep 2019

I don't doubt the claim that several trains a day get diverted via a shorter route and run non-stop to make up time, but I do doubt that it happens without warning several times a day! Our railways aren't that bad, surely!?

shredder1 · 15 Sep 2019

Bovverboy said:
I am assuming it was the 0935 ex-Airport which was the train involved, running about half an hour late at the time. What isn't made clear in the OP is that not only did the train skip the Wigan stop, it was actually diverted off the usual route, going via Bolton instead of Wigan.
Whatever the reason for the diversion, someone clearly knew that it was going to take place - there's nothing in the tracking to suggest there were any last-minute decisions. The evidence indicates that the decision to divert was taken before the train reached Piccadilly, let alone Oxford Road. So there wouldn't appear to be any excuse for failing to inform passengers about it. Nor, having failed to do that, to fail to adequately cater for the diverted passengers, once they reached Preston.

Yes it could have been that one, Its final stop was the south bay platform at Preston.

My Manchester to Wigan service ran non-stop direct to Preston!

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