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Travelling during EMT strike

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muug1982

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Hi all, I'm scheduled to travel from Market Harborough to Luton Airport Parkway next week on the EMT strike days. According to the emergency timetable there will be a few services that are set-down / pick-up only for Bedford and Luton...but nothing during the peaks.

On the assumption that the information is correct and not an omission any ideas as to what will be considered reasonable? I'm thinking either via leicester & Nuneaton and the Marston Vale or St. Albans Abbey...or perhaps the bus from Milton Keynes.

I have a season for the above journey. The only permitted route is via the MML. I can't find any information on the EMT website.

Anyone know if EMT will be running 9 / 10 cars all day?
 
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Skymonster

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I can't answer your specific question - there seems to be a gap in the service from Market Harborough for three hours in the early evening - but IMHO EMT are being about as unhelpful as possible in respect of next weeks' strikes.

In my own case, I have booked travel to London but the train I was booked on isn't operating - they won't provide reservations on any of the alternative London services, their website says passengers can travel with other operators (in my case Nottingham to London I'd be happy with East Coast), but the staff at Nottingham told me I can't travel via the East Coast because there are [some] EMT trains from Nottingham to London even though I can't reserve on them.

In your case, I suspect that EMT would recommend you to go to Bedford and then FCC to Luton, but with that gap in services I don't think that's reasonable. Of course, in their usual unhelpful way, they're not actually specifying what reasonable is for all circumstances...

I suspect that the next service "improvement" they'll put in place for next Tuesday and Thursday is to take off all the catering - on the basis that they expect the trains to be too busy for the trolley to move around the train!

Andy
 
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muug1982

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I'm interpreting the advice as needing to take a EMT to london and then back out to Luton on FCC...this will add over an hour to my journey in each direction. The latest EMT guidance implies that I won't be entitled o any refund for the delays, although the fact that my season was purchased before the strike dates were announced surely should mean that I'm entitled to 5 void days if all the strikes go ahead?

Did anyone travel yesterday, we're the services that did run packed to the rafters?
 

Max

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In my own case, I have booked travel to London but the train I was booked on isn't operating - they won't provide reservations on any of the alternative London services, their website says passengers can travel with other operators (in my case Nottingham to London I'd be happy with East Coast), but the staff at Nottingham told me I can't travel via the East Coast because there are [some] EMT trains from Nottingham to London even though I can't reserve on them.

I doubt that is even remotely enforceable. NRE states:

East Coast will accept passengers between Doncaster and London Kings Cross (use First TransPennine Express or Northern Rail services between Sheffield and Doncaster for connections).

There are services to Sheffield too, so what you have been told is illogical.
 

sonic2009

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If travelling at the right times you could do :

Market Harborough - Northampton X7 (Stagecoach)
Northampton - Milton Keynes X4 (Stagecoach)
Milton Keynes - Luton Airport (Stagecoach)
 

dvboy

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Assuming they run the same timetable as planned tomorrow, there is an 0558 service from MHR that stops at Bedford where you can change onto FCC to arrive LTN at 0706. After that you have to go into London St Pancras and back out again. On the return there is LTN 1421 - 1449 BDM 1508 - 1536 MHR, and after that it's via London again.

I have tried planning on Transport Direct to include bus journeys but the suggestions are by rail so assume any combination involving buses is going to be slower than travelling via London.
 

muug1982

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XC and Virgin are both accepting on 'reasonable' routes. FCC are accepting when there is no EMT service.

I'm thinking of begging a lift to Rugby and taking a train from there to Euston, walk to st pancras and FCC from there. Would TM's / guards deem this reasonable in the circumstances on a market Harborough - Luton airport parkway season.
 

M60lad

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Out of interest I know East Midlands Trains are running some Rail Replacement Buses/Coaches during the strikes and was wondering whether a ticket check is being made on these services prior to the services leaving the relevant stations, I know First Rail Support Services don't usually bother with ticket checks on their rail replacement operations but I was wondering what the situation is with East Midlands Trains replacements
 

Skymonster

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I ended up travelling on the EMT Nottingham-London "strike busting" service... It was busy, but not packed. No issues with time of travel being different to booked, and the girl at the barrier at NOT said i could go on EC if i wished although she said overall things were quiet and she didnt think there would be overcrowding problems. So i used EMT services. They didn't check tickets on the train at all, not even when offering first class service did they check I had a first class ticket. YMMV!

Andy
 

David Sinnett

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I have an EMT First class Stockport Bedford via Nottingham ticket for travel on Tuesday. Looking at the new timetable posted my best option with EMT would be to get into Sheffield for the 16.27 which is going to lead to an earlier departure from Stockport than I really wanted. EMT say tickets are being accepted by other TOCs so can I go 19.04 Virgin via MKC, BLY and London Midland to Bedford? Is it up to individual RPI/Train Managers? What happens if all the Virgin seats are taken.... I've never seen standing pax on Virgin.
 

dvboy

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I have an EMT First class Stockport Bedford via Nottingham ticket for travel on Tuesday. Looking at the new timetable posted my best option with EMT would be to get into Sheffield for the 16.27 which is going to lead to an earlier departure from Stockport than I really wanted. EMT say tickets are being accepted by other TOCs so can I go 19.04 Virgin via MKC, BLY and London Midland to Bedford? Is it up to individual RPI/Train Managers? What happens if all the Virgin seats are taken.... I've never seen standing pax on Virgin.

Virgin may accept you but LM have been pretty clear in what they will accept. You would be fine going into Euston then to Bedford on FCC for example.

Unlikely you'd be standing on a Virgin service, especially since your ticket is First Class.


edit: 1904 gets you to Bedford at 2145 via MK or 2239 via Euston/St Pancras.
According to timetables on EMT website you can do the following:
dep Stockport 1828 change at Sheffield onto 1927, change at Leicester onto 2036, arr Bedford 2121.
 
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David Sinnett

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Thanks for the timings... checked myself with the revised timetable and seen that, rather than Leicester, its a change at Derby. 19.23 out of SHF, 19.52 at DBY, leave at 20.01, 21.22 Bedford. 14 minutes spare at SHF, only 9 at DBY, a station I've never visited.
 

calc7

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Thanks for the timings... checked myself with the revised timetable and seen that, rather than Leicester, its a change at Derby. 19.23 out of SHF, 19.52 at DBY, leave at 20.01, 21.22 Bedford. 14 minutes spare at SHF, only 9 at DBY, a station I've never visited.

And the fact that a Virgin evening meal service is more appealing? :p
 

Bellwater

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Thanks for the timings... checked myself with the revised timetable and seen that, rather than Leicester, its a change at Derby. 19.23 out of SHF, 19.52 at DBY, leave at 20.01, 21.22 Bedford. 14 minutes spare at SHF, only 9 at DBY, a station I've never visited.

Almost all London Trains go off Platform 6 at Derby so you won't have to change platforms. Sheffield(in theory)your inbound train arrives on 2.

1952 ex Shf sounds like a XC Service, are they accepting EMT tickets?
 

GadgetMan

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Almost all London Trains go off Platform 6 at Derby so you won't have to change platforms. Sheffield(in theory)your inbound train arrives on 2.

1952 ex Shf sounds like a XC Service, are they accepting EMT tickets?

XC were accepting EMT tickets on all reasonable routes this week. So I would guess it will be the same next week.
 

muug1982

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Shuttle buses from Wellingborough for FCC connections at Bedford this time by the look of things.
 
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