Carlisle flooding - routing help!

[AaronP72]

Hi everyone,

I'm supposed to be travelling home to Scotland tonight but the tracks are flooded after Carlisle and so all trains are stopping at Preston (I believe for the rest of the day).

My current itinerary is the 18:39 from Liverpool Lime Street to Preston (Northern) and connecting with the 19:42 from Preston to Motherwell (Avanti). These are advance tickets but I was hoping I would be able to catch an earlier train to Preston so I can arrange for someone to pick me up. Is this allowed? I feel like it wouldn't be since the Northern train is likely to run fine.

The National Rail website has a large list of routes that are permitted with a valid ticket. Are these routes allowed to be used with any ticket? I thought maybe my best bet was to try and get a train from Liverpool to Leeds to then connect on to a train to Edinburgh. The National Rail advice says the service I can use is the "TransPennine Express on the following routes: between Liverpool Lime Street and York via Manchester Piccadilly" however I don't see such a service that goes via Piccadilly.

Apart from my questions, if anyone has any other advice it would be appreciated. I have a feeling I'm going to need to bite the bullet and beg for a lift from a relative!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Looks like the Tyne Valley line (Carlisle -> Newcastle) is the only one seeing any trains into / out of Carlisle just now. Any chance of travelling earlier and getting ticket acceptance via Manchester Victoria / York and Berwick?

 

[jfollows]

The National Rail website has a large list of routes that are permitted with a valid ticket. Are these routes allowed to be used with any ticket? I thought maybe my best bet was to try and get a train from Liverpool to Leeds to then connect on to a train to Edinburgh. The National Rail advice says the service I can use is the "TransPennine Express on the following routes: between Liverpool Lime Street and York via Manchester Piccadilly" however I don't see such a service that goes via Piccadilly.

You've got an advance ticket, but for the Avanti one you can use it as shown (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/carlisle-20240522/):

Avanti West Coast

Services may be revised to terminate at Preston.

Customers may use their tickets at no extra cost on the following services:

• CrossCountry between Birmingham New Street and Edinburgh via York
• LNER via any reasonable route
• Northern on the following routes:
  - between Preston and Carlisle via Barrow-in-Furness
  - between Preston and Oxenholme
  - between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham
• ScotRail on the following routes:
  - between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh via Carstairs / Shotts
  - between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh via Falkirk High / Bathgate
• TransPennine Express on the following routes:
  - between Liverpool Lime Street and York via Manchester Piccadilly
  - between Preston and Carlisle

Tickets between Preston and Edinburgh / Glasgow dated either Wednesday 22 or today, Thursday 23 May then these can be used for travel tomorrow, Friday 24 May, on any Avanti West Coast service via the same route.

I would not over-worry about "Manchester Piccadilly", I don't know why it's stated and seems to be a mistake to me, going on the service via Manchester Victoria should be fine.

 

[Ken H]

Looks like leeds - Settle - Carlisle trains may start soon. But that will leave you stuck at Carlisle.

Anyone know why Cumbrian Coast trains are cancelled? They are running south of Workington?

 

[AaronP72]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm actually flying from Guernsey to Liverpool in a few hours, so the earliest I could get to Lime Street is probably around 4/4.30pm. I've got a couple people willing to give me a lift from Preston so I think that might just be my easier bet. I've looked at the times and I wouldn't get into Edinburgh until around 10 or 11pm tonight anyways and that would still leave me needing to get to my final destination near Motherwell.

In saying that, I presume I can't get on an earlier service to Preston from Liverpool using my ticket?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

In saying that, I presume I can't get on an earlier service to Preston from Liverpool using my ticket?

In the circumstances, it's probably worth asking the guard at Liverpool. I foresee a fair chance of them agreeing for you to travel.

 

[glasgowniteowl]

There's a 1654 liverpool lime street with transpennine to newcastle, gets you to newcastle about 2015 and can change to edinburgh, I would maybe ask the the guard on that one but a lot can happen in a few hours so that route may have issues later as well

 

[Ken H]

I assume the WCML is closed just north of Carlisle Station where the railway runs next to the river Caldew.
The Caldew runs from near the Skidaw summit so is liable to flood pulses.
So the railway floods regularly.

This is an important part of national infrastructure. The railway needs raising for about a mile north of the station. Bridge St bridge may be interesting and may need raising. Dunno.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I assume the WCML is closed just north of Carlisle Station where the railway runs next to the river Caldew.

If that's near to the Castle car park, then yes. Link below is to the BBC's news article and includes some photos...

Carlisle flooding causes major travel disruption - BBC News

Trains are unable to move after Carlisle experienced the UK's worst rainfall in the last 24 hours.

www.bbc.co.uk

Extract...

The West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Lockerbie was blocked on Thursday morning.

Northern said services between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness were unable to run, while TransPennine Express warned people not to travel between Preston and Carlisle after flooding on the line.

P.S. Looks like Cumbrian Coast trains are operating between Barrow-in-Furness and Workington only.

 

[AaronP72]

In the circumstances, it's probably worth asking the guard at Liverpool. I foresee a fair chance of them agreeing for you to travel.

On the off chance anyone cares, the employees at both the ticket office and the gates were happy that I could use the next train to Preston.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

On the off chance anyone cares, the employees at both the ticket office and the gates were happy that I could use the next train to Preston.

Fair enough! Are you still getting a lift from Preston?

 

[800001]

Line open north of Carlisle I believe.

 

[AaronP72]

Fair enough! Are you still getting a lift from Preston?

On the motorway about an hour or so from home haha!

I see the line is open now, what does this mean for getting my ticket refunded? I can’t claim for a refund through trainline because as far as they’re concerned the train is running fine. Surely they can’t say the train is cancelled all day, I make alternate plans, then an hour before my journey say “no sorry it is actually running now and no refund”.

 

[30907]

On the motorway about an hour or so from home haha!

I see the line is open now, what does this mean for getting my ticket refunded? I can’t claim for a refund through trainline because as far as they’re concerned the train is running fine. Surely they can’t say the train is cancelled all day, I make alternate plans, then an hour before my journey say “no sorry it is actually running now and no refund”.

If you abandoned your journey at Preston, you can apply for a part refund.