Some questions about using two Advance Purchase tickets with a tight connection time at Crewe

[jednick]

I'm travelling from Worcester to Glasgow soon. I've found I can save lots of money if I split the journey at Crewe and buy two Advance Purchase tickets, namely Worcester to Crewe, and Crewe to Glasgow.

So, I'll travel on the first train of the day from Worcester Foregate Street to Birmingham New Street. After having a 16-minute wait at Birmingham, I'll board the Liverpool train and get off at Crewe. I'll wait just 12 minutes at Crewe and then I'll get my booked Virgin train to Glasgow. (I'll be doing the same thing in reverse, a few days later).

I've asked something similar before, but can somebody please confirm that this is currently fine and I'll have no problems in case any train is late or cancelled.

Will I absolutely be OK, despite leaving just a 12-minute connection time at Crewe?
Specifically, I would like to know exactly what I would do in each of these scenarios:

1.The train from Worcester to Birmingham is late or cancelled. I miss my connection at Birmingham, and have to get the next Liverpool service to Crewe. I get to Crewe half an hour late, and miss my booked Virgin train from Crewe to Glasgow.

2. I make the connection at Birmingham, get on my booked train to Crewe, but that train is delayed or breaks down and I arrive at Crewe late and I miss my booked train to Glasgow.

I'd like to know that if I have any problems, do I sort them out on the train, or at Birmingham New Street station or at Crewe station?

[I realise the Glasgow train will be following my Crewe train all the way from Birmingham to Crewe, so I suppose once I'm on the Crewe train and it departs on time, then the Glasgow train can't overtake it. But is it possible that the Crewe train is about ten minutes late and both trains reach Crewe at almost the same time (possibly on different platforms), and I can't make the connection at Crewe in time?]

Additionally, does it make a difference which TOC's website I use to buy these tickets?

Also, I might take my bicycle. Could this make a difference? (Say, if there's a really tight reduced connection time at Crewe of a few minutes and I don't havenenough time to walk the whole length of the platform in order to place my bike in the correct portion of the Vigin train).

 

[yorkie]

Contractually it makes no difference which site you use.

However if I was booking this, I would give serious consideration to booking on an accredited ticket splitting site (e.g. Loco2.com, Traintickets.com, Trainsplit.com) as this will give you a through itinerary which is clear evidence of your contractual rights and may make things easier for you to resolve any issues that occur.

If you think that you need extra time then it is a good idea to use a site that offers advanced options, and specify additional interchange time. If arriving on time is important to you, I would recommend you do this.

But if you are not particularly fussed about arriving on time, then you are still contracted to be conveyed all the way to your final ticketed destination, and bringing a bike does not change that.

[Note that a Birmingham to Crewe train can easily be overtaken by another Birmingham to Crewe train as there is provision for this to occur, particularly on the 4-track section between Stafford & Crewe; this is especially the case if the train behind you does not call at Stafford]