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How do you search for a journey and opt to increase the connection times?

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gray1404

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How do you search for a journey and opt to increase the connection times? Which sites offer this and indeed allow you to allow less time to change trains (although I doubt any would allow less then the official times allocated).
 
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CatfordCat

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How do you search for a journey and opt to increase the connection times? Which sites offer this and indeed allow you to allow less time to change trains (although I doubt any would allow less then the official times allocated).

With National Rail Enquiries, if you select 'more options, passengers and railcards' there are options including 'allow extra time to change trains' and 'allow less time to transfer through London'

Some of the regional Traveline databases, and TfL journey planner allow you to set slow / average / fast walking speeds - not sure if this will do anything for interchange times within the same station
 
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wellhouse

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On the VTEC site, once you enter your journey , the next window, showing fares and times , has a 'Text Only' button at the top.

Click this and it's slower, but there is an option as you go to select slower connection times. This can sometimes produce cheaper Advance Fares.
 

yorkie

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How do you search for a journey and opt to increase the connection times? Which sites offer this and indeed allow you to allow less time to change trains (although I doubt any would allow less then the official times allocated).
Are you wanting to book, or just plan a journey?

If the former, Trainsplit has a function to do that, but it's a bit limited at present.

If the latter, FastJP (and you can specify negative extra time values, to get less time)
 

gray1404

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Are you wanting to book, or just plan a journey?

If the former, Trainsplit has a function to do that, but it's a bit limited at present.

If the latter, FastJP (and you can specify negative extra time values, to get less time)

Wanting to book a journey rather then plan one. The idea being that it "might" being up advance fares which the usual search may not if the quota has sold out already. Not sure if this is possible though. Don't have a specific journey in mind at moment but in general.

Thanks for your help Yorkie and co!!
 

yorkie

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Trainsplit does that, but the amount specified applies to all changes. For multi-change journeys that can be a pain at times. It'll be more a lot more flexible in future!
 

All Line Rover

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It's a feature that should be available on all websites. First, why wouldn't train operators want passengers to travel on a quieter, slightly later, connecting train where they are happy to do so? Second, why should passengers wanting a longer connection to give them more time to change trains be forced to book at a ticket office (which is necessary if wanting to purchase directly from the train operator, such as for promotional fares)? Virgin Trains West Coast has long insisted that the lengthy minimum connection times at some of its stations are essential (to the inconvenience of commuters), but they still aren't lengthy enough for some mobility impaired passengers and yet VTWC won't give them the option of specifying a longer connection time!

The only other booking engine which offers a basic means of trying to specify a longer connection time is WebTIS (as used by VTEC, as mentioned by wellhouse above), but its (awful) new design (not used by VTEC - yet) has removed this useful feature.

I'd also agree - and I think part of your post is getting at this - that there should be the option of specifying a lower minimum connection time (down to 5 minutes) for stations where the stipulated minimum connection time is longer than this (except certain London terminals and possibly Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly and/or Leeds), to cater to regular passengers who are familiar with the layout of the stations where they change trains and would benefit from a lower overall journey time by using earlier connections.
 
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Paul Kelly

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The only other booking engine which offers a basic means of trying to specify a longer connection time is WebTIS (as used by VTEC, as mentioned by wellhouse above), but its (awful) new design (not used by VTEC - yet) has removed this useful feature.
I know it was speculated on here at the time this new booking website first appeared that it was a new version of WebTIS, but it turns out it is something different entirely: ORTIS, developed by a consortium of Govia themselves and Assertis (who operate Northern's website); see here: https://www.ontrackretail.co.uk/
 

Romilly

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Wanting to book a journey rather then plan one. The idea being that it "might" being up advance fares which the usual search may not if the quota has sold out already.

On something like the VTEC journey planner, once you have brought up the times and fares for your chosen journey, a "Select a route" option will appear (if there are different routes). In practice, many of the options under "Select a route" are options to select the train operating company (or main one) you wish to travel with: that is certainly another way of seeing if there are cheaper Advances.
 

All Line Rover

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I know it was speculated on here at the time this new booking website first appeared that it was a new version of WebTIS, but it turns out it is something different entirely: ORTIS, developed by a consortium of Govia themselves and Assertis (who operate Northern's website); see here: https://www.ontrackretail.co.uk/

It's good to know that it's a separate booking engine.
 

DaveB10780

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Its also worth noting that http://www.takethetrain.co.uk/ (the Frog site) is often good at offering alternative itineraries with longer connection times, with no prompting

This site seems to be the only one that gives all possible trains. My outbound journey is FUR-SPT-EUS to get the first off peak London train from SPT at 09:43 arriving at 11:43. I can catch this train starting at 0847 from FNV with a 20 minute extra wait at Stockport. Through Virgin it will only give you the 0947-12:24 itinerary on off peak. I need to get to London as early as possible and a booked seat because it is a busy train.
Even if I find a site that allows extra connection times then these are applied on both legs without you having a selection option so my return journey is wrong.
I realise this is irrelevant for most journeys but there must be quite a few like this where you use an infrequent feeder service. How come this feature cannot be implemented?
 

father_jack

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Its also worth noting that http://www.takethetrain.co.uk/ (the Frog site) is often good at offering alternative itineraries with longer connection times, with no prompting

I would not touch these with the longest bargepole available !!! They offer NO telephone contact at all (even 0901 £1 a minute like E*). No help sending an email when the train is in 10 minutes...................
 

Romilly

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This site seems to be the only one that gives all possible trains. My outbound journey is FUR-SPT-EUS to get the first off peak London train from SPT at 09:43 arriving at 11:43. I can catch this train starting at 0847 from FNV with a 20 minute extra wait at Stockport. Through Virgin it will only give you the 0947-12:24 itinerary on off peak. I need to get to London as early as possible and a booked seat because it is a busy train.
Even if I find a site that allows extra connection times then these are applied on both legs without you having a selection option so my return journey is wrong.
I realise this is irrelevant for most journeys but there must be quite a few like this where you use an infrequent feeder service. How come this feature cannot be implemented?

Using the Virgin Trains East Coast journey planner, and without doing anything special, I am offered the £82.40 offpeak return on:

Furness Vale 0847
Stockport 0913

Stockport 0923
Euston 0934

Still using the VTEC site and having already got to the mixing deck, and relying on the fact that the 0923 from Stockport to Euston calls at Milton Keynes Central but not Macclesfield whereas the 0943 calls at Macclesfield but not Milton Keynes, click on Amend Journey and then instead of clicking on "Find Trains" click on "Timetables Only", specify "calling at Macclesfield", click on Update and click on Buy tickets. That will sell you a ticket for the 0847 and 0943. But as you say, you have then limited your return journey to trains that call at Macclesfield.
 
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