passenger confusion over trains going to similar sounding destinations

[Terry Tait]

Having read threads on here about services from Liverpool Street to Norwich and Liverpool to Norwich I can't help but wonder if some passengers have got their journeys catastrophically wrong and ended up about two hundred miles the wrong way.

 

[JonathanH]

Having read threads on here about services from Liverpool Street to Norwich and Liverpool to Norwich I can't help but wonder if some passengers have got their journeys catastrophically wrong and ended up about two hundred miles the wrong way.

Yes, although I suspect they realise before they have travelled 200 miles in the wrong direction.

Trains are advertised for Lime Street Liverpool at Norwich rather than Liverpool Lime Street.

 

[dk1]

It very rare to get Liverpool passengers on a London service but they would get off at Stowmarket & travel to Peterborough via Ely/Cambridge.

Those & there are several who don't listen or read who end up on the EMR service for London simply get off at Ely & travel to Liverpool St that way or if on an open ticket just catch the fast GN service to Kings Cross.

 

[yorkie]

...but wonder if some passengers have got their journeys catastrophically wrong and ended up about two hundred miles the wrong way.

Unlikely.


You'd have the opportunity to correct the mistake long before that!

 

[driver_m]

Is the service not advertised as London Liverpool Street? It should be when you consider Euston always gets advertised on our stations (VTWC) as London Euston

 

[dk1]

Is the service not advertised as London Liverpool Street? It should be when you consider Euston always gets advertised on our stations (VTWC) as London Euston

It is advertised as London Liverpool Street.

 

[philjo]

There used to be some confusion by tourists at Cambridge - the fast train from London divided at Cambridge and then the front unit was going on to Kings Lynn and the rear unit was forming the next fast service non-stop to Kings Cross from the same platform. So they just heard the announcement for "Kings..." and the platform number without realising there were 2 separate services going in different directions. The detached unit now goes empty into the yard and returns to platform 7 to await the arrival of the portion from Kings Lynn so most services now leave from separate platforms.

 

[Oxfordblues]

When the overnight ship from Hook Of Holland arrived at Harwich Parkeston Quay in the 1970s bleary-eyed passengers, many of them first-time visitors to Britain, were confronted with a choice of trains to continue their journeys: the boat train to London or the North Country Continental to Liverpool. The platform indicator showed the two options:

1. Liverpool Street
2. Liverpool Lime Street

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[MS805]

It is advertised as London Liverpool Street.

On the summary screens it's even safer with "London Liv St" and "Lime St Liv", so the dangerous "Liverpool" word doesn't appear in full on either.

 

[driver_m]

Good job Manchester Picc was changed from Manchester London Road then, can you imagine the panic in some of the people who can’t understand a simple map? I’d love to know why the railway seems to bring out the terrors in people who can otherwise make perfectly rational decisions such as colour coordinating clothing, organising a takeaway or buying the correct white goods needed for a job.

 

[Steamysandy]

The 15-30 from Edinburgh Waverley used to be formed Front 3 Berwick on Tweed ,Back 4 North Berwick!!

 

[crosscity]

The last time I travelled from Stansted Airport to Birmingham was in Central Trains days. I distinctly remember the PIS advertising trains to Liv LSt and Lon LivSt or something similar. They were those big tele's with destinations in yellow, and times and platforms in white as I recall. It wasn't a problem for me, but was a problem for some who were politely turfed off at Cambridge to head back to London.

 

[Statto]

At Norwich should be easy to spot the difference, Norwich-Liverpool Lime Street trains are normally 2 carriage trains Norwich to Nottingham, were as Norwich -London Liverpool Street trains are normally longer sets.

 

[LowLevel]

It happens frequently enough and not always where you might think. Tourists landing at Stansted sometimes get it into their head that Liverpool St is the only London terminal and thus end up getting on Lime St trains in places like Manchester when they want London.

The boards at Norwich were adjusted to show Lime St Liverpool for good reason.

Depending on how diligent or not the conductor is they usually end up being booted at Thetford or Ely depending on the ticket they have, but some have made it the full journey without twigging that there was a problem.

 

[Stampy]

I've seen it happen myself a few years back...

Was on a train from Norwich back to Peterborough, and 3 times before departure there was an announcement to the effect of:-

"This is the xxxx train to LIVERPOOL LIME STREET, the train to LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET is on the next platform"

However, just after leaving Norwich, a "snooty" elderly couple stood up and asked "Does this train go to London??"

Somebody said, "NO, Liverpool Lime Street - it was announced 3 times"

Then then collared the guard (who was on his/her way down the train checking tickets) - and DEMANDED that the train reverse so they could get off....

They were advised to get off at Thetford, cross the road and catch the Cambridge-Norwich train BACK into Norwich and get on the RIGHT train!!!

 

[ollyrogers]

Good job Manchester Picc was changed from Manchester London Road then, can you imagine the panic in some of the people who can’t understand a simple map? I’d love to know why the railway seems to bring out the terrors in people who can otherwise make perfectly rational decisions such as colour coordinating clothing, organising a takeaway or buying the correct white goods needed for a job.

Incorrectly colour coordinating clothing, ordering a takeaway or buying white goods doesn't generally come with the threat of a £20/£80 fine, court action and even in some cases a criminal record.

When the very minimum for an honest mistake is a financial penalty*, people have every right to take a degree of extra caution in their approach.

* Use of discretion aside

 

[Tomnick]

Unlikely.


You'd have the opportunity to correct the mistake long before that!

You have to identify the mistake before you can correct it, though!

My favourite example is probably the chap who got on the wrong train at Manchester Piccadilly to go to the Airport, and was still blissfully unaware of his error when he was booted off at Nottingham nearly two hours later (thankfully he was in the portion that was to be detached, otherwise he’d probably have gone further!). It transpired, apparently, that his journey to the Airport had started - of all places - in Nottingham!

 

[Ianno87]

At Norwich should be easy to spot the difference, Norwich-Liverpool Lime Street trains are normally 2 carriage trains Norwich to Nottingham, were as Norwich -London Liverpool Street trains are normally longer sets.

Don't expect "normals" to have any idea of what type/length of train is to be expected.

Indeed, many tourists from other countries may be somewhat perturbed/put off the correct train by only 2 carriages being at Norwich for a 5-odd hour cross-country journey to Liverpool!

 

[Puppetfinger]

Very long time since I've made the journey, but is the manual sign with arrow saying 'London Train' not still used on the two platforms that always used to have the London services on?

 

[Parham Wood]

Many years ago I was on a Paddington to Oxford train (remember the Inter City DMUs?), first stop Reading. When the ticket collector came around he had to point out to a couple of American tourists that they had a LU ticket Padd to Oxford Circus not Oxford! He very kindly told them to get off a Reading and get a train back without charging them. Those were the days!

 

[dk1]

At Norwich should be easy to spot the difference, Norwich-Liverpool Lime Street trains are normally 2 carriage trains Norwich to Nottingham, were as Norwich -London Liverpool Street trains are normally longer sets.

That means nothing to some of our passengers. It's as if the second they walk onto a railways station all common sense flies out the window

Very long time since I've made the journey, but is the manual sign with arrow saying 'London Train' not still used on the two platforms that always used to have the London services on?

No not seen that for donkeys. London trains are often 3/4 now & not limited to 1/2.

 

[driver_m]

NR should sell the naming rights to Liverpool St, make a few quid, outrage the traditionalists and solve this particular problem.

 

[swt_passenger]

NR should sell the naming rights to Liverpool St, make a few quid, outrage the traditionalists and solve this particular problem.

Or just rename it London Broad St and score points with traditionalists, or how about London Bishopsgate...

 

[TheGrew]

With talk of dividing the service at Nottingham this won't be a problem for much longer!

 

[martin2345uk]

You'd like to think people wouldn't be this dumb, but in my 20s a friend and I travelled from Manchester to a birthday celebration in Brough, Cumbria, and boarded a train to Brough, near Hull, only realising our mistake when we arrived. Bad times.

 

[Tracked]

A couple of times about 3 years ago I'd been down to London Village and got the Grand Central service. First stop Doncaster, as shown on the station boards and announced multiple times onboard in the 10 minutes before departure. People on board for Peterborough and Stevenage? Yes, more than one on both occasions ...

 

[Gareth]

How about...

London L St
Liverpool L St

 

[edwin_m]

NR should sell the naming rights to Liverpool St, make a few quid, outrage the traditionalists and solve this particular problem.

They'd probably get bought up by Liverpool Victoria insurance, creating even more confusion.

 

[Bovverboy]

You'd like to think people wouldn't be this dumb, but in my 20s a friend and I travelled from Manchester to a birthday celebration in Brough, Cumbria, and boarded a train to Brough, near Hull, only realising our mistake when we arrived. Bad times.

Sounds like a case of not so much catching the wrong train, but of not realising there were two places called Brough. Lots of people make that mistake.

 

[duncanp]

I wonder if anyone has ended up at Hampden Park station near Eastbourne when they really wanted to go to the football stadium in Glasgow.

Plausible because there are direct trains from Gatwick Airport to Hampden Park, and someone who is unfamiliar with the geography of Britain might not realise how far it is from Glasgow to London.

I have also been at Glasgow Central (in GNER days) when the Scotrail service to North Berwick via Shotts and West Calder was cancelled. A customer who wanted to go to Berwick Upon Tweed asked station staff when the next train would be. It was only after a short conversation that they realised which Berwick he wanted to go to, and they directed him to the GNER service to London which was about to leave.

In London, it has been known for people to mistake Tottenham Hale with Tottenham Court Road, and Blackhorse Lane (Croydon Tramlink) with Blackhorse Road (Victoria Line)