It takes only a minute to walk between these two stations, but what would happen if I went to the ticket office at Wigan Wallgate and asked for a train ticket to Wigan North Western? They would say walk it, but what if I insisted I wanted to go by train? Would they sell me a ticket under the "buy a ticket to any station on the rail network" premise or would they just say I'm daft and to walk it? I know this is an unusual question and it would never happen for real, but would like to know what would happen if I tried.
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Train from Wigan Wallgate to Wigan North Western
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gazthomas
Established Member
National Rail - 'computer says no':
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
Aren't tickets generally issued to 'Wigan Stns' rather than specifically to Wallgate/North Western? I imagine a similar anomaly exists with Wakefield, though there are trains between Westgate and Kirkgate. Likewise Exeter, although St. Davids to Central is a viable journey that someone might want to make, unlike the Wigan example.
Or on a related topic, when I travel from Worcester to Solihull, for example, I have to walk from Birmingham New Street to Moor Street station. Could I insist I'm paying to travel by train, and don't want a 6 minute walk between these two Birmingham stations?
High Dyke
Established Member
Asking via Ince (Manchester) flags up OP single £22.30 or OP Rtn £22.60. Anytime Day Single is £24.00
At that price it'll be cheaper to ask for the GM Day Rail Ranger ticket - £4.60
At that price it'll be cheaper to ask for the GM Day Rail Ranger ticket - £4.60
I think they might suggest you use one of the regular direct trains from Worcester to Moor Street?
One of our ticketing forum people can no doubt tell us what the permitted all-rail route is for the numerous West Midlands stations where the walk really is the easiest option. Via Smethwick Galton Bridge, I guess.
CarltonA
Member
The system will try to stop you doing these "irrational" journeys and clerks will advise against it. Example: North Camp to Ash Vale will come up with no fares available as it is less than 10 mins walk but would require three trains normally and many times the distance.
You can change at Smethwick Galton Bridge instead, using maps CE+WM.
Can I recommend Trainscanbecheaper fill out relevant via points (in this case Kidderminster and Smethwick Galton Bridge) and it will usually be accurate in revealing if it's valid or not.
I think they might suggest you use one of the direct trains?
Thanks, I forgot about the direct trains every hour via Kidderminster! I picked a bad example, should have said a weekday train from Worcester to Stratford upon Avon.
Just realised my mistake again! How about Redditch to Solihull, requiring a walk between New Street and Moor Street? That's probably a better example.Change at Moor Street...
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Cherry_Picker
Established Member
If you absolutely, positively insisted on doing the whole journey by train then I'd say you can either wait a couple of years until the Midland Metro link to New Street is complete, or buy a West Midlands Day Ranger and change at University and Worcester. Or at Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugby, Coventry & Leamington Spa.
lancastrian
Member
It was possible in the evening to catch a train from Wigan NW to Bolton. If you got off at Hindley and caught the next train back to Wallgate, to could travel by train between the two Wigan stations in about 25/30 minutes, Did it once just for a laugh and to see if it was possible.
As I used a Great Manchester weekly Saver Card, it didn't cost me any more than I had already spent.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
I have done the journey - on a railtour!!
If I recall correctly, I'm sure trains at some point over the weekend where running Southport - some key village stops - Wallgate - North Western - Manchester due to engineering works.
Would a ticket have come up in the system then as there was direct trains??
Would a ticket have come up in the system then as there was direct trains??
If you absolutely, positively insisted on doing the whole journey by train then I'd say you can either wait a couple of years until the Midland Metro link to New Street is complete, or buy a West Midlands Day Ranger and change at University and Worcester. Or at Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugby, Coventry & Leamington Spa.
Why bother with Lichfield, Rugby or Coventry, it would be change at New Street and either Leamington or Smethwick?
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
I was being irreverent.
During the Salford Crescent works over Easter on Sunday trains were running normal route to/from Southport from Wigan Wallgate but then via WCML to Parkside Junction then into Manchester via Chat Moss but weren't operating via Wigan Northwestern as theirs no facility for trains to do so without a reversal somewhere
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Indeed this was so. Had the passengers from the Southport direction wanting to access Wigan, this would have been done in the normal way by already disembarking at Wigan Wallgate station. There is no operational reason why such a reversal situation would then have been required to access Wigan North Western station, as the WCML had already been accessed on leaving Wigan Wallgate station to allow onward running from that junctional link to Parkside Junction.
Barton on Humber to Hull also gives a fare of £34.70 but lists the journey using the Stagecoach 350 Bus service from Barton Station to Hull Paragon Interchange (over the Humber Bridge) It would coat about £6 return to just get on the bus and buy a bus ticket.
There was a case reported in the Herald last year when a guy and his father arrived at Waverley and tried to get a taxi to Murrayfield for the Rugby match. The queues were really long so they decided to get a train to Haymarket and walk the rest of the way.
There is a £2 fare published but when they went to the ticket office ans asked for tickets for Haymarket the guy looked a askance at them and asked "Do you want to book a sleeper!" as if he had never been asked for a ticket to Haymarket before.
There is a £2 fare published but when they went to the ticket office ans asked for tickets for Haymarket the guy looked a askance at them and asked "Do you want to book a sleeper!" as if he had never been asked for a ticket to Haymarket before.
Cherry_Picker
Established Member
I find that surprising actually. I'd always presumed that people would travel between Waverley and Haymarket all the time given the frequency of the service and the number of tourists who visit Edinburgh.
Most find it more convenient to get a bus or walk. You would have to find your way down into Waverley Station and get through the barriers. By that time you would have walked half way there.
The bus costs £1:50 and is as frequent as the trains and is quick. Well it would be but for the tram works on Shandwick Place! Next year there will be a tram connection.
Some of the Hotels around Haymarket do advertise the rail link to central Edinburgh and Princes Street. Most (if not all?) tickets for Haymarket will work at the barriers at Waverley (and vice versa?).
If they had arrived at Waverley by Train, presumably the same ticket would have been valid to Haymarket anyway without the need to buy a new ticket.
It's not unusual for group stations on the same route to have a fare between them like Waverley and Haymarket if you can catch a train between the two. Worcester Shrub Hill and Foregate Street are an example - they bring up a £1.10 single. Exeter St. Thomas to Central is 90p single, which is the same as to St. Davids! Some don't - Canterbury East and Canterbury West don't have a fare, Neither does Gainsborough Central to Lea Road. Search for Paddington to King's Cross and it will bring up the Zone 1-2 Travelcard options.
Newark Northgate to Castle and v.v. are another example. The trains are few and far between but a fare is available at £2.30 single and £2.80 return!
They are about a 15 minute walk without any luggage between the stations, and in the summer quite a pleasant one at that along the riverbank!
They are about a 15 minute walk without any luggage between the stations, and in the summer quite a pleasant one at that along the riverbank!
Back in summer of 2001 (I think) I took the 0130hrs train from Manchester Piccadilly to Preston which stopped at Bolton then diverted through Wigan Wallgate and North Western before carrying on up the WCML. I'd travelled this route many many times but only ever via Chorley.
This wasn't a stopping service though so maybe many late night services do it. I assumed it was probably due to engineering works anyway.
D1009
Established Member
It wouldn't have gone via Wallgate, there is a junction just south of there to take you into North Western and the WCML.Back in summer of 2001 (I think) I took the 0130hrs train from Manchester Piccadilly to Preston which stopped at Bolton then diverted through Wigan Wallgate and North Western before carrying on up the WCML. I'd travelled this route many many times but only ever via Chorley.
This wasn't a stopping service though so maybe many late night services do it. I assumed it was probably due to engineering works anyway.
Apparently they were not aware that the queue for taxis would be stretching around the block when they left the station.
In any event I would be interested to know if a ticket from London or Newcastle would get you through the barriers to the platforms at Waverley where the trains to Haymarket leave from.
Ah! Makes sense having looked at a map now.
I was more than a little the worse for wear at the time though and was confused as to why I was going through North Western on this service!
Francis
Member
The Bolton - Westhoughton - Wigan NW - Euxton Jc route is quite often used if anything goes wrong between Lostock, Chorley and Euxton Jc.
In my experience it has been points trouble at Euxton Jc preventing Chorley line trains from accessing the WCML slow lines, or a Transpennine train being bricked between Lostock and Horwich. Chorley then loses all its services for an hour or so until the problem is cleared.
In my experience it has been points trouble at Euxton Jc preventing Chorley line trains from accessing the WCML slow lines, or a Transpennine train being bricked between Lostock and Horwich. Chorley then loses all its services for an hour or so until the problem is cleared.
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