Barmouth to Reading, Berkshire

[Tallguy]

OK route and ticketing experts, I need some help please. Need to get a 16 year old dragging a suitcase from Barmouth to Reading, Berkshire. Usual sources are suggesting Barmouth to Wolverhampton then change to a Cross Country to Reading. This is 1 change only. Journey is quite long and there is a decent connection time at Wolverhampton to allow for the train from Barmouth running a bit late.

Option 2 is Barmouth to Birmingham New Street, taxi to Moor Street then Chiltern to High Wycombe where I can pick the passenger up and drive them to Reading. Some very cheap split tickets available on this route. Some days this route can be purchased for sub £35.

So, if travelling on Option 1 can the passenger exit the station at Wolverhampton to buy food etc? Not a problem on Option 2 due to the change of stations.

Also, does the train from Barmouth to Wolverhampton have toilets?

Travel would be a weekday leaving Barmouth on the 10.59. The passenger isn’t stupid but hasn’t undertaken a solo train journey of this magnitude before so I want to keep it simple for them.

Any other routing suggestions or ideas please?

TIA.

 

[JonathanH]

Birmingham New Street, taxi to Moor Street

Even with luggage, no one would actually get a taxi from New Street to Moor Street. It is a fairly short walk. I appreciate that the passenger is inexperienced with travel but you can basically see Moor Street Station from the eastern exit of New Street station.

A passenger looking to avoid this walk would change at Smethwick Galton Bridge for a train to Birmingham Moor Street, but would have to use a lift at both stations.

Also, does the train from Barmouth to Wolverhampton have toilets?

Yes. It will be a class 158 with a toilet in each carriage

 

[yorkie]

... if travelling on Option 1 can the passenger exit the station at Wolverhampton to buy food etc?

This depends on the tickets that are purchased.

By the way, you can request additional interchange time at any station of your choosing.

 

[Tallguy]

This depends on the tickets that are purchased.

By the way, you can request additional interchange time at any station of your choosing.

Ticket would be an Advance Single, booked via The Train Line and collected from the machine at Barmouth prior to travel.

Would it be possible to collect the ticket from any TVM?

the passenger is going to Barmouth by car, but needs to return via train, hence the enquiry.

 

[yorkie]

Ticket would be an Advance Single, booked via The Train Line and collected from the machine at Barmouth prior to travel.

In that case, officially speaking, no, she can't leave the station.

Would it be possible to collect the ticket from any TVM?

Yes, but some retailers enforce same-card collection. We don't, LNER do, but I am unsure about Trainline.

I found this:

How do I collect tickets from a self-service ticket machine?

Your tickets will be available to collect from a self-service ticket machine or station ticket office within 15 minutes of making your booking. They can be collected at any time, but you’ll need to make sure you have them with you before you trav...

support.thetrainline.com

For some bookings you'll need to use the card you paid with to collect your tickets.

Does it have to be bought from Trainline?

It's likely to cost more than from us, and they don't offer seat selection either.

 

[Watershed]

In that case, officially speaking, no, she can't leave the station.

Using station facilities is not a break of journey; most of the shops at Wolverhampton are on the public side of the barriers. Therefore there would be no basis for denying the passenger egress and access through the barriers.

In any event the barriers at Wolverhampton seem to very rarely be in operation!

 

[MrJeeves]

I appreciate that the passenger is inexperienced with travel but you can basically see Moor Street Station from the eastern exit of New Street station.

I will say that it's not very well signed from inside the station. With the new signage, combined with unfamiliarity, it's quite easy to think you're following the signs and then end up trapped in the Bullring instead! There's a decent amount of Network Rail staff and contractors hanging about though who will generally be happy to point you in the right direction.

I will also note that the tunnel between New and Moor Street isn't always a particularly enjoyable walk.

 

[fandroid]

I will say that it's not very well signed from inside the station. With the new signage, combined with unfamiliarity, it's quite easy to think you're following the signs and then end up trapped in the Bullring instead! There's a decent amount of Network Rail staff and contractors hanging about though who will generally be happy to point you in the right direction.

I will also note that the tunnel between New and Moor Street isn't always a particularly enjoyable walk.

That "tunnel" will be fine in daylight in summer. It's a wide road with footway, well lit from both ends and isn't threatening. The sign at the Bullring entrance shows both alternatives to Moor Street and even indicates that going through the shopping centre will take longer!

I tested this route, for the first time in years, only early last month.

 

[30907]

To get to High Wycombe but avoid a change in Birmingham you could request changes at Wolverhampton onto the XC Bournemouth service and again at Leamington or Banbury. I suspectvthis is less cost effective.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I suspectvthis is less cost effective.

With split tickets, an Advance on the Cross Country leg can be cheap. It isn't always time effective though. But if heading for Reading and on a Cross Country Train, you may as well stay on it.

 

[Oxfordblues]

A warning that Wolverhampton-Reading CrossCountry trains can turn-up with just three standard-class carriages already full and with passengers standing in the aisles and vestibules. Even with a reserved seat it might be impossible to board.

 

[Belperpete]

I would not advise the foot transfer between New St and Moor St for anyone carrying heavy luggage and who is unfamiliar with New St. For a start, there are multiple exits from New St - take any of the wrong ones and you will probably end up hopelessly lost. It should take less than 10 minutes walk if unencumbered with luggage, but only if you are confident in where you are going. It is not particularly well signed within New St, and hardly signed at all once you leave the station.

And I agree that the road tunnel does not feel particularly safe for pedestrians, several times I have been accosted by beggars in there. It really does not feel like an interchange between two major rail interchanges should, more like you are heading off into the unloved back end of nowhere. To say that Moor St is basically visible from New St is very misleading - no way is Moor St visible from New St., and it doesn't become visible until you have walked through the road tunnel.

Unfortunately the trains from Barmouth to Birmingham no longer stop at Galton Bridge for an interchange there.

There is a co-op and a coffee shop in Wolverhampton station outside the barriers, but nothing else immediately outside the station. It is a good walk into the town centre, which I wouldn't want to do with luggage. There should be a snack trolley passing through the train after Machynlleth.

The Cross Country trains can be very busy, and I would certainly recommend a seat reservation. However, there is usually considerable churn of passengers once the train gets to New Street, so someone without a reservation who has already joined the train at Wolverhampton should be able to get first pick of the freed up seats at New St.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

A couple of thoughts as a semi-regular user of this route (albeit Cambrian Coast to Banbury rather than Reading).

You can make the change from the TfW train from Barmouth to a CrossCountry train to Reading at Wolverhampton, Birmingham New St or Birmingham International.

Wolverhampton or Birmingham International are the easier changes, however New St gives you a greater choice of options if CrossCountry are having a bad day. I've seen multiple Brum-Reading XCs cancelled in a row, especially on weekend evenings, though hopefully late afternoon on a weekday shouldn't be too bad.
If you've got a flexible ticket, it's certainly worth checking the XC services after leaving Shrewsbury and having a backup plan if they're disrupted from Wolverhampton.

New St at least gives you backup options of the walk to Moor St (and buying a Banbury-High Wycombe ticket on the day), or catching one of the fairly infrequent Newcastle-Reading XC trains (which don't stop at Wolverhampton or Birmingham International, and can be a bit quieter as a result of not having all the Wolves-Brum-Coventry commuters packing themselves onboard).

I've often found cheap flexible fares by splitting at Leamington Spa and/or Shrewsbury.

One other thing to be aware of is that TfW had a nasty habit of doing set-swaps at Shrewsbury; switching passengers between an ERTMS-fitted 158 and non-fitted 158s/150s to keep the former on the Cambrian.
I don't know how common this is these days with TfW's new fleets coming onstream but worth being aware of the risk.
The staff were good at making sure everyone makes the change, but it does mean finding new seats and re-stowing luggage.

Hope this is useful.

 

[Belperpete]

TfW new fleets haven't reached the Cambrian yet (other than test runs). It is still not uncommon for them to do a train swap at Shrewsbury, usually because one of the trains is short-formed of only two coaches, and sometimes with little notice. Best to take your ear phones out, listen carefully to announcements and keep an eye on the destination displays while at or approaching Shrewsbury.

If going for the XC option, my recommendation would be to change at Wolverhampton. Much less crowded, lifts between the platforms, and usually plenty of staff about to ask. And if something does go wrong with the reservation, you have the advantage of already being on the train when people vacate their seats at New St. (In the reverse direction, I would recommend changing at International, before the hoardes get on at New St). And in the last resort, there are plenty of trains to get you from Wolves to New St should you need to.

 

[Oxfordblues]

If your 4-car XC train arrives at Wolverhampton so crowded it's impossible to board I suggest heading for the First Class carriage, at least as far as New Street, and explain to the train manager that you have a medical condition that precludes standing (it worked for me once!)

 

[david1212]

Thinking about avoiding both Birmingham New Street and all XC trains both for reliability and lack of capacity over the cheapest ticket combination a thought was to change to a service running to Birmingham Moor Street then change again to a Chiltern service to High Wycombe. However as I see using the forum journey planner to do this requires leaving the train from Barmouth at Sandwell & Dudley, taking the next train to Smethwick Galton Bridge then the next to Birmingham Moor Street.

Only the OP and the passenger can decide if easier / better than changing to XC at Wolverhampton trusting they can squeeze on then get to their seat at New Street be that through to Reading or just to Leamington Spa for a same platform change to a Chiltern service to High Wycombe.

 

[nwales58]

Taking account of all this fear of Birmingham, how about Shrewsbury-Newport. Cross-platform at each, probably.

Are all modern 16 year olds really this fragile?

 

[FenMan]

Taking account of all this fear of Birmingham, how about Shrewsbury-Newport. Cross-platform at each, probably.

The Severn Tunnel is closed until 19 July, entailing a lengthy diversion between Newport and Reading and a reduced service frequency.

 

[JonathanH]

Taking account of all this fear of Birmingham, how about Shrewsbury-Newport. Cross-platform at each, probably.

The Severn Tunnel is closed until 19 July, entailing a lengthy diversion between Newport and Reading and a reduced service frequency.

Shrewsbury and Hereford is another option in that case.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

It's a sad indictment of CrossCountry's that all sort of convoluted alternative routes are being suggested just to avoid their trains on what should be a simple, one-change, journey.

In practice, it'll probably be absolutely fine, but it's just worth having the backup options to hand if it does go wrong!