Route Direct

[gnolife]

Hi guys

Can anyone tell me, for a Off-peak day return route "Direct" for Stockport to Sheffield, if it means that I must take a through train (IE barring change of train at Chinley), or if it refers to the direct route via Hazel Grove.

 

[bb21]

I doubt you will encounter any issue either way. They both seem reasonable enough.

As you're probably aware, there is no formal definition of what Route Direct means.

 

[pemma]

It effectively means not via Manchester Piccadilly. You can catch a train from Stockport to Chinley and another train from Chinley to Sheffield if you want.

 

[wintonian]

As you're probably aware, there is no formal definition of what Route Direct means.

I dispute this.

I think the recognised definition is 'not indirect'

Other than that who knows what it actually means apart from the person who conjured it up just before going home time.

 

[tony_mac]

Anyone who has ever played Mornington Crescent knows exactly what 'Route Direct' means.
If you aren't sure, just grab yourself a copy of the rule book and look it up.

 

[yorkie]

Can anyone tell me, for a Off-peak day return route "Direct" for Stockport to Sheffield, if it means that I must take a through train (IE barring change of train at Chinley), or if it refers to the direct route via Hazel Grove.

Surely it refers to both direct trains, and also the shortest route. In this case, direct trains take the shortest route, so there is no difference.

It obviously doesn't just mean direct trains, ie it definitely includes the shortest route (though shortest route isn't defined, and Route Direct isn't defined either).

In this case there isn't any doubt as to what it means, but in other cases (e.g. Horsforth to Scarborough) it isn't clear (and, because it's not clear, the interpretation that is most favourable to consumers must prevail - by law - so via Harrogate and via Leeds would both have to be accepted legally by the rail industry).

 

[pemma]

In this case there isn't any doubt as to what it means, but in other cases (e.g. Horsforth to Scarborough) it isn't clear (and, because it's not clear, the interpretation that is most favourable to consumers must prevail - by law - so via Harrogate and via Leeds would both have to be accepted legally by the rail industry).

In a similar instance to the original post, there's tickets like Altrincham to Sheffield Routetockport and Altrincham to Sheffield Route:Manchester.

To get between Altrincham and Manchester you have to go via Stockport, unless you use Metrolink which isn't a valid route, so considering the Routetockport costs slightly more it would seem to make more sense to redefine it as Route:Any Permitted and to redefine the Route:Manchester as something like Route:New Mills Central.

 

[David]

That sounds like an anomoly left in from pre Metrolink days.

 

[pemma]

That sounds like an anomoly left in from pre Metrolink days.

I'm not sure about that. Pre-Metrolink the line between Altrincham and Stockport was freight only so any journey between the Mid Cheshire Line and Sheffield would have been via Manchester.

However, I was quoting from memory and Yorkie has pointed out to me that it no longer seems to be available. There is, however, a strange instance that may be related to this change whereby if you put something like Hale to Chinley in to a route planner it shows an Any Permitted route ticket but won't let you purchase it if you select a journey option not via Hazel Grove.

There is also a similar less ambiguous instance for Knutsford to Newcastle, where you can choose between Routeheffield and Route:Manchester. With the Route:Manchester option costing slightly more it would seem to make sense to make it Route:Any Permitted.