Short connections on advance tickets at Birmingham New Street

[maxbarnish]

I am relatively new on here - read quite a lot but only my second post. I am interested in whether anyone on here has personally experienced issues with missing connections on advance tickets at Birmingham New Street - even when there is no widespread disruption - and in particular the last train of the night. I have never missed one yet but felt concerned about doing so twice, and on one occasion decided on family advice to pay an extra couple of pounds to get a day single from Coventry to avoid the tight connection. These tight connections seem to be happening onto the 20.12 Cross Country service to Plymouth, which I use as far as Exeter St Davids - and is the last train past Bristol on that route. I seem to be seeing connections between 12 and 14 minutes off trains from Coventry and Manchester onto this last train of the night quite regularly on route planners. I know 12 minutes is the minimum but seems tight for the last of the night. So, wanting any views/experiences that anyone has on connections of this nature at Birmingham especially involving the last train of the night.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I am relatively new on here - read quite a lot but only my second post. I am interested in whether anyone on here has personally experienced issues with missing connections on advance tickets at Birmingham New Street - even when there is no widespread disruption - and in particular the last train of the night. I have never missed one yet but felt concerned about doing so twice, and on one occasion decided on family advice to pay an extra couple of pounds to get a day single from Coventry to avoid the tight connection. These tight connections seem to be happening onto the 20.12 Cross Country service to Plymouth, which I use as far as Exeter St Davids - and is the last train past Bristol on that route. I seem to be seeing connections between 12 and 14 minutes off trains from Coventry and Manchester onto this last train of the night quite regularly on route planners. I know 12 minutes is the minimum but seems tight for the last of the night. So, wanting any views/experiences that anyone has on connections of this nature at Birmingham especially involving the last train of the night.

What advice in particular are you after?

If you hold a ticket to your intended destination and you miss the last train of the day through a delayed or cancelled train, then you must be conveyed there or provided with overnight accommodation, by any train company that is in a position to do so (i.e. exceptions may apply if several feet of snow have fallen, say!).

 

[DanTrain]

I’ve nearly missed a connection at Birmingham New Street due to the barriers not working. We got off, decided we had time for lunch and decided to head down to the platform about 10 mins before departure. However, we hadn’t realised that we had to get through two sets of ticket barriers to do so, neither of which accepted our e-ticket advances so we had to try and flag down Virgin’s gatline staff (who were far from apologetic!). I agree that it’s a very confusing station, I always think ‘I just want to get over there’ and can never work out how to do so! Not helped by useless ticket barriers either. You should however be ok on a 12 min connection, at least the station will be quieter that time of night!

 

[Bletchleyite]

You don't have to go through two sets of ticket barriers to go from the concourse to any platform at New St. But that may just highlight how confusing it can be.

 

[DanTrain]

You don't have to go through two sets of ticket barriers to go from the concourse to any platform at New St. But that may just highlight how confusing it can be.

No but you do if you stop at the food bar where you got off without realising that isn’t where you need to be .

 

[yorkie]

I am relatively new on here - read quite a lot but only my second post. I am interested in whether anyone on here has personally experienced issues with missing connections on advance tickets at Birmingham New Street - even when there is no widespread disruption - and in particular the last train of the night. I have never missed one yet but felt concerned about doing so twice, and on one occasion decided on family advice to pay an extra couple of pounds to get a day single from Coventry to avoid the tight connection. These tight connections seem to be happening onto the 20.12 Cross Country service to Plymouth, which I use as far as Exeter St Davids - and is the last train past Bristol on that route. I seem to be seeing connections between 12 and 14 minutes off trains from Coventry and Manchester onto this last train of the night quite regularly on route planners. I know 12 minutes is the minimum but seems tight for the last of the night. So, wanting any views/experiences that anyone has on connections of this nature at Birmingham especially involving the last train of the night.

It's a valid connection.

If you want more time, use a website that allows you to specify extra time e.g trainsplit.com (advanced mode -> changing at: BHM and add the additional minutes you require)

No need to pay any extra!

No need to use barriers at the 'b' end (west side):
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/images/content/SME/BHM_Map_2.jpg

 

[paddington]

No but you do if you stop at the food bar where you got off without realising that isn’t where you need to be .

If I undersatnd what you did correctly, then you should have just gone back down to the platforms and you could have gone where you needed to be without going through any sets of barriers.

 

[boxy321]

Is the tight connection time because the journey is from Coventry on XC only (my sympathies)? I would just buy an any time ticket and use one of the revolving door services that go to New St. I did this to Cardiff once.

If you want booze you have to go through the barriers at New St, but not twice. They should put huge signs on the glass panels revealing where to go, such as those dividing platform areas 4 and 5 for example, as this is what throws people.

 

[DanTrain]

If I undersatnd what you did correctly, then you should have just gone back down to the platforms and you could have gone where you needed to be without going through any sets of barriers.

No beacuase the platforms are split into zones and you can't get from one end to the other without going through two sets of barriers (unless there's a way round that I missed?)

 

[OwlMan]

No beacuase the platforms are split into zones and you can't get from one end to the other without going through two sets of barriers (unless there's a way round that I missed?)

You can just walk along the platform instead of going through two sets of barriers

 

[DanTrain]

You can just walk along the platform instead of going through two sets of barriers

No I mean from one side of the station to the other, sorry!

 

[OwlMan]

If you use the bridge at the Western end (B platforms) there is no need to pass through any barriers when changing platforms

 

[DanTrain]

If you use the bridge at the Western end (B platforms) there is no need to pass through any barriers when changing platforms

Ah ok thanks - thought there might be something like that to save some time but didn't know where it was!

 

[boxy321]

Ah ok thanks - thought there might be something like that to save some time but didn't know where it was!

However, the standard class platform end stairwells get so busy it's probably quicker to go up, out, back in and down.

 

[DanTrain]

However, the standard class platform end stairwells get so busy it's probably quicker to go up, out, back in and down.

...if the ticket barriers are working!