trainophile
Established Member
I've just picked up tickets for my usual Southport to Hereford via Manchester Picc journey, and the TOD machine has on this occasion printed on the all-in-one ticket a defined train from SOP to MAN, which means changing at Salford Crescent, and only having 12 minutes at Picc to catch my specified ATW train. I can't rush these days, and always have baggage to sort out. Getting from Platform 13 to maybe 3 in ~10~ minutes would be challenging, especially as the 13/14 lift is often out of action.
Rightly or wrongly, I have always caught the half hour earlier direct Northern train from SOP, which avoids the change at Salford and allows me plenty of time at MAN.
I just experimentally did a search for the same journey with extended connection times, and my usual one came up at the same price, so had I known what was going to happen this time I would obviously have booked it that way. It would therefore appear that there is no advantage or disadvantage to Northern whichever one I get, except that it renders my ticket reservation invalid.
Any Northern guards care to tell me how they would treat this scenario if I presented my ticket on an earlier train to the specified one? Is this a matter for discretion, or would they throw the book at me?
Rightly or wrongly, I have always caught the half hour earlier direct Northern train from SOP, which avoids the change at Salford and allows me plenty of time at MAN.
I just experimentally did a search for the same journey with extended connection times, and my usual one came up at the same price, so had I known what was going to happen this time I would obviously have booked it that way. It would therefore appear that there is no advantage or disadvantage to Northern whichever one I get, except that it renders my ticket reservation invalid.
Any Northern guards care to tell me how they would treat this scenario if I presented my ticket on an earlier train to the specified one? Is this a matter for discretion, or would they throw the book at me?