CC 72100
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jan 2012
- Messages
- 3,777
BNP for Barnstaple does always tickle me - I wonder which came first - the political 'party' or the station code?
YAT - Yatton
BTH - Bath
AVN - Avonmouth
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
How easy is it to get on the wrong train?
- Thread starter PeterY
- Start date
- Status
BNP for Barnstaple does always tickle me - I wonder which came first - the political 'party' or the station code?
YAT - Yatton
BTH - Bath
AVN - Avonmouth
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
moogal
Member
Don't think I've ever managed it on a mainline train, but I used to get the DLR into Bank and change for the northbound Northern Line to Angel. One morning, while not particularly awake, I boarded the Northern Line train and the next thing I heard was "The next station is London Bridge". I'd forgotten that the Northern Line platforms at Bank run the opposite way round to normal, so accidentally went southbound.
Recently I've encountered a surprising number of people who don't notice that the DLR service from Stratford mostly goes to Canary Wharf rather than Lewisham. The look on their faces as the train reverses and heads off back towards Poplar is interesting to say the least.
Recently I've encountered a surprising number of people who don't notice that the DLR service from Stratford mostly goes to Canary Wharf rather than Lewisham. The look on their faces as the train reverses and heads off back towards Poplar is interesting to say the least.
I did it last week.
I was at Moorfields Station (in Liverpool) waiting for a train home to Southport, when a 6 car train arrived at the right time and was the right length so I got on and sat down.
2 Stops down the line the train was pulling into Kirkdale Station (which is on the line to Kirkby) when I realized I was on the wrong train !.
So off I got, crossed to the opposite platform and caught a train which stopped at Sandhills and then got the right train home !.
I was at Moorfields Station (in Liverpool) waiting for a train home to Southport, when a 6 car train arrived at the right time and was the right length so I got on and sat down.
2 Stops down the line the train was pulling into Kirkdale Station (which is on the line to Kirkby) when I realized I was on the wrong train !.
So off I got, crossed to the opposite platform and caught a train which stopped at Sandhills and then got the right train home !.
Not quite the wrong train but nearly there... 
I must have been about 11-12 years old when my mother first trusted me to get the train to my dad's house unattended (Wallasey Village - Conway Park, 4tph, straightforward). However, one Sunday, there were engineering works taking place which meant Arriva buses replaced trains on that line.
Waiting at the bus stop opposite the station, an Arriva bus turned up at the right time with the destination Birkenhead. Showed my train ticket and got waved on so, being the careless youngster I was, seemingly no issues. It wasn't until we reached Leasowe that me and the bus driver realised I was wrongly on the (commercially run) 413 service, which takes 50 minutes to Birkenhead rather than 15. He burst out laughing when I showed my ticket and told me to go sit back down
I must have been about 11-12 years old when my mother first trusted me to get the train to my dad's house unattended (Wallasey Village - Conway Park, 4tph, straightforward). However, one Sunday, there were engineering works taking place which meant Arriva buses replaced trains on that line.
Waiting at the bus stop opposite the station, an Arriva bus turned up at the right time with the destination Birkenhead. Showed my train ticket and got waved on so, being the careless youngster I was, seemingly no issues. It wasn't until we reached Leasowe that me and the bus driver realised I was wrongly on the (commercially run) 413 service, which takes 50 minutes to Birkenhead rather than 15. He burst out laughing when I showed my ticket and told me to go sit back down
It's even easier at Sandhills as the train to Southport is timetabled to arrive at the same time at the one from Ormskirk, so most people change without checking. Not happened to me yet but a similar delay could easily result in going back to Kirkdale.
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
I had to laugh the other day when a Grand Central service to London was slightly delayed and an East Coast service was sent through York just ahead of it and both on the same platform.
Several pax with dedicated Grand Central tickets boarded the wrong train. The guard at first urged them to change at Doncaster but when the signallers put the EC on the slows to let the GC pass, he had to change strategy.
But the humour was in two passengers who boarded at York speaking loudly in a thick foreign accent. They claimed not to have understood the announcements (including repeated 'Grand Central tickets are not valid on this train', but whose understanding of UK rail was good enough to convince 2 office workers who were sitting in unreserved seats on a table of four that they had to move, the 2 'loud' GC pax arguing persuasively that those table seats were theirs!
Several pax with dedicated Grand Central tickets boarded the wrong train. The guard at first urged them to change at Doncaster but when the signallers put the EC on the slows to let the GC pass, he had to change strategy.
But the humour was in two passengers who boarded at York speaking loudly in a thick foreign accent. They claimed not to have understood the announcements (including repeated 'Grand Central tickets are not valid on this train', but whose understanding of UK rail was good enough to convince 2 office workers who were sitting in unreserved seats on a table of four that they had to move, the 2 'loud' GC pax arguing persuasively that those table seats were theirs!
ASharpe
Member
Dave's post reminds me of a GC journey I made last year from Eaglescliff to Kings Cross.
At York a couple with minimal English boarded and sat at the table next to me. A short while later the guard came to check tickets and it turned out that they had tickets to Manchester.
He made a few phone calls and they ended up having to go to London and then get a train to MAN from Euston.
Virgin had agreed to take them back but the guard was trying to explain to them that they would need to buy tickets for the TUBE between KGX and EUS but they didn't understand. As they had no bags I told them how to walk there instead and showed the chap a map and gave him some simple written instructions. Once of at KGX I made sure they went the right way down Euston Road.
At York a couple with minimal English boarded and sat at the table next to me. A short while later the guard came to check tickets and it turned out that they had tickets to Manchester.
He made a few phone calls and they ended up having to go to London and then get a train to MAN from Euston.
Virgin had agreed to take them back but the guard was trying to explain to them that they would need to buy tickets for the TUBE between KGX and EUS but they didn't understand. As they had no bags I told them how to walk there instead and showed the chap a map and gave him some simple written instructions. Once of at KGX I made sure they went the right way down Euston Road.
Recently going from Victoria to Preston Park, the quickest way was fast to Brighton then slow to Preston Park,
Realtimetrains said that the arrival platform at Brighton was the departure platform for my slow train, and it was the next departure, so I stayed on the train and waited.
I'd like to say a special thank you to the guard who announced Tuesdays's 17:19 to East Croydon, Clapham J & Victoria a minute before it left. That gave me the chance to leap off and find the train I was supposed to be on
Realtimetrains said that the arrival platform at Brighton was the departure platform for my slow train, and it was the next departure, so I stayed on the train and waited.
I'd like to say a special thank you to the guard who announced Tuesdays's 17:19 to East Croydon, Clapham J & Victoria a minute before it left. That gave me the chance to leap off and find the train I was supposed to be on
dvboy
Established Member
At least one person did that, the other way round to the previous example, at New Street yesterday. The 1615 Edinburgh is platform 4 followed by the 1625 Aberystwyth platform 4B. I'd gone down to 4B for the latter only to find the former. The Edinburgh was late departing and a fellow passenger asked at the shop if the train was calling at Shrewsbury. At least they had the opportunity to change at Wolves. An easy mistake to make as there are only two CIS on 4, neither of which you'll see from the end of the escalators, and it also didn't help that there wasn't an on board announcement on departing New Street or Sandwell and Dudley.
A mistake I've made is boarding the one XC to Manchester that doesn't call at Stafford.
Last edited:
backontrack
Established Member
Via the Highland Mainline?
I speak as one who has never boarded the wrong train, but I think I've missed my stop before...
In simple,
You shouldn't have to pay more if it was a genuine mistake.
If you pass your station, or board the wrong train. Immidiately seek out the on-train ticket inspector and explain your problem, ask their advice and produce the tickets you have. Give a sincere apology and they should direct you to a train home and mark the back of your ticket to let the next inspector know (most TI's will do this, if you're genuine).
Once you get on the second train, seek out the TI again, explain what's happened, produce your tickets.
You should be okay. Worse comes to worse, you get a £20 PF or have to pay a return fare, just turns out to be a costly mistake.
Yours,
Sparky-
You shouldn't have to pay more if it was a genuine mistake.
If you pass your station, or board the wrong train. Immidiately seek out the on-train ticket inspector and explain your problem, ask their advice and produce the tickets you have. Give a sincere apology and they should direct you to a train home and mark the back of your ticket to let the next inspector know (most TI's will do this, if you're genuine).
Once you get on the second train, seek out the TI again, explain what's happened, produce your tickets.
You should be okay. Worse comes to worse, you get a £20 PF or have to pay a return fare, just turns out to be a costly mistake.
Yours,
Sparky-
- Status