Ridiculous routes suggested by journey planners

[infobleep]

There was disruption on the Waterloo Mainline today and large gaps between Guildford to Woking.

When it suggested an alternative for Guildford to Woking, g it suggested a train to Farnborough North, 17 minute walk to Farnborough Main and then a train to Woking.

I'd have though a train to Aldershot and then train to Woking would have been better but clearly not.

Guildford to Woking is 7 to 10 minutes. This journey was over an hour!

I appreciate that was faster than waiting for a train but a bus would be faster, abet a rail ticket wouldn't be valid.l on it.

 

[infobleep]

Obviously there are journeys like Lewes to Uckfield, which will always be much longer than a bus, as lines that use to connect them closed. I don't think that is what this thread is about though.

There is of course the insistence that people travelling on journeys that require them to pass through West Croydon and East Croydon must use the tram between the two. Of course that stops point to point tickets from showing up in journey planners. A walk option would resolve this but it seems TOCs don't want to promote the health benefits of walking, except when there aren't trams involved.

 

[_toommm_]

Denby Dale to Sheffield used to be offered via Leeds or Manchester on a Sunday evening. What is normally a 40 minute journey turns into a 2.5/3 hour journey.

 

[vlad]

I was looking recently for times from Derby to Loughborough. I know there is a direct train every hour but I wondered if there were any viable connections at Beeston onto a service from Nottingham to Loughborough.

I was surprised when the results suggested getting the non stop train from Derby to Leicester and then another one back from Leicester to Loughborough. I don't think it would have gone down well with a ticket examination!

I was quoted to change at Derby and Beeston for a journey between Stoke and Loughborough a few years back as it was quicker than waiting at Derby for the direct train.

I've just checked if this is still the case but isn't: the Derby resignalling has meant a quicker change at Derby is now possible.

(Having said that, I've checked on the EMT website for Derby to Loughborough trains on 4th May and found they suggest to change at Nottingham if you miss the direct train....)

 

[apinnard]

Only a little bit related: I was on a DLR replacement bus around the Limehouse area on Saturday afternoon. We were stopped at a crossroads for around 20 to 30 minutes while the engineers moved huge sections of old bridge (complete with track and ballast still in situ) across the road on what I can only describe as giant low loaders.

 

[FlippyFF]

I just fired up the Southeastern app to check train times for tomorrow morning. Its set up for my regular journeys between Ashford and St Pancras but its throwing up some oddities tonight...

 

[800001]

Reading - Twyford yesterday suggested:-

Reading - Kings Cross - Newark - Stevenage - Finsbury Park - Victoria - Clapham Jn- Windsor Eton - Windsor Central - Slough - Twyford a journey of 8 hours.

Similar came up looking for Reading - Twyford.

Now both times these were by searching on National Rail app, when I used national rail ln a normal web browser, it came up with correct searches.