Most annoying delays

[trainophile]

Any tales of near misses due to delays?

Just for once I booked Hereford to Crewe and Crewe to Liverpool split tickets for today, cost me £3 extra but thinking I could save time by getting the 11:33 at Crewe, instead of waiting for the 11:57 which a through ticket always puts me on. This in turn means I get to Southport half an hour before the once an hour bus to my flat, which means I can drop my luggage off and get the next bus back into town for my shopping.

Of course the Arriva from Hereford came in two minutes late, lost more time en route, and arrived at Crewe at 11:35 :roll: .

You try to do the right thing...

Edit: Nearly missed the 11:57 too, as only realised at 11:56 that it had changed from Platform 11 to 12. Phew!

 

[Techniquest]

My sister had the same sort of problem yesterday, although she was on an Advance from Hereford to Wilmslow as it was only 50p more. Last second Virgin took priority and got swapped from platform 12 to platform 11, with the LM to Liverpool swapped to platform 6 with hardly any warning. Then when she got to Winsford her intended bus didn't produce, so she wasn't happy with Arriva's buses operation!

I nearly missed my Holyhead boat train from Crewe once thanks to a 20-odd minute delay with ATW in 2015 out of Hereford. I had expected the LM connection from Ledbury (don't ask...) to be the issue! Thankfully as we rolled in on platform 6 the Voyager was just about to arrive on platform 11, but that was a bit of a stressy moment. The rest of the trip got worse mind, but that's ancient history which I could forget. Thankfully I'm out on the town tonight so that'll hopefully help flood those brain cells out!

Those are the only two examples I can immediately think of, without a doubt I've come close to missing plenty of trains due to random delays before now!

 

[trainophile]

Oh dear, funny how it's only Arriva that figures in this thread so far :roll: .

Also funny on looking back that my post is timed 11:51 but I was already on board the departing 11:57 when I wrote it! It looks like the clock times on this forum are a couple of minutes adrift, but not as many as that. Weird .

 

[Crossover]

I had an annoying one the other week - was waiting for the train from Yeovil Junction to Exeter and through a bit of research could tell it was going to leave late due to a train in the single line ahead, heading towards Yeovil/Salisbury. I think we left about 10-15L but subsequently got held in the loop at Axminster for the single line ahead which out us booked to be around 20L into Exeter.

My plan was to go up to, and scratch, Tiverton Parkway then catch 1V60 (Aberdeen to Penzance Voyager) for the shortish hop to Newton Abbot - the connection at Exeter was 20 minutes!

In the event, we arrived with the HST connection sat there on an opposite island, but I managed to alight near the steps at St Davids - gave one heck of a run up and along and managed to get on the HST just before it went - could have done without it though!

P.S. Forum times are spot on for me!

 

[185143]

I missed my connection at Sheffield a couple of weeks back due to a 29 minute delay on an XC (oh, that Arriva again!) HST. Had to wait nearly 90 minutes for the next Manchester service...

 

[Blindtraveler]

The trent valley stoppers give a loveley plus 5 at Lichfield into the X City service, in both directions!

If on time then its ok but if late as is often the case thenyou really get a reminder of how much heavier you are compared to what you should be as you pelt up the steap stairs to sometimes hear the unit pulling out! Thankfuly most guards seam aware of the many connecting pax so hold on for a minute, knowing the accelleration of the 323s will have the time back again by Shenstone.