What happens if you get on the wrong train?

[Bedpan]

I was on the walkway at Clapham Junction recently, I looked for the destination required - Wimbledon - the screen said next train platform X. I rushed down, got on the train, sat down & looked at the stopping pattern & it said 1st stop Woking! I (and 2 other men) got up to leave, but train pulled away.
So I sat down and awaited my fate from someone asking for my ticket. No-one did, so I got off at Woking, bought a single and made my way back into London, my ticket wasn't checked on the way back either.

Judging by the fact that 3 if us did the same thing on 1 train, presumably it's a regular occurrence?

Isn't that the difference between "The next train to Wimbledon leaves from platform X" and "The next train from Platform X stops at Wimbledon"?

 

[LexyBoy]

What happens if there is an incorrect station announcement, the train is showing the wrong destination on it's blind or a platform alteration is not announced? Does the operator/station management breach any rules in those circumstances?

Problem is, it's quite difficult to prove one way or the other, unless the announcement system was known to be having problems. Such a situation has cropped up here recently.

Couldn't that equally have said

Let the TM/guard know asap; generally they will give permission to travel back on the next train. You could legitimately be charged under the Railway Byelaws and end up having to pay a few hundred pounds to settle out of court.

Yes, it could, but it's very unlikely unless staff suspect it wasn't so accidental. Of course your chances depend on the attitudes of the TOC, which I couldn't possibly comment on

 

[pemma]

But Stockport is before Stoke or Crewe, so you could have got off there.

There are Manchester-Crewe services not via Stockport though while there aren't any Stockport-Crewe services that don't originate at Manchester.

 

[142094]

Did this once on a Rover and got on a HST at Newcastle for Darlington, only first stop was York. Had to buy a York - Darlington ticket at the other end.

 

[Deerfold]

Had a work colleague who was fond of a drink on a Friday night. He lived in Watford, worked in London.

every Monday we'd ask him where he'd ended up as he'd invariably have fallen asleep on the train.

I don't think he was ever charged extra but often had to wait until the first train on Saturday morning.

Places he ended up included Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Northampton, and (once) Birmingham.

If I were him I think I'd have stood for my journeys home - I usually do that if I'm very tired and not going to the final destination of the train.

I've only gone past my intended destination 4 times since starting to travel regularly by rail in 1986. Twice (on consecutive days...) in 1989 when I accidentally got a train which didn't stop at my local station. I was allowed to catch the next stopper back. In 1998 I overslept on a journey from Bradford to Sowerby Bridge and awoke at Littleborough - and just missed the last train in the opposite direction - I ended up walking over the Pennines. In 2006 I was on a late service from London - Letchworth, wanting Hitchin and overslept. The last Southbound had been some time earlier. I'd forgotten my cashcard and had only enough with me for the taxi ride home from Hitchin on that occasion so walked home (by the time I was passing Hitchin station I'd walked about 80% of the way so decided I might as well go all the way).

 

[GodAtum]

I've seen someone get on a London bridge train that was late. The Victoria one is only 2-3 mins later so i guess they thought it was that one!

 

[Roylang]

What happens if there is an incorrect station announcement, the train is showing the wrong destination on it's blind or a platform alteration is not announced? Does the operator/station management breach any rules in those circumstances?

I once got on a train at Reading (albeit a few years ago now) that was displayed on the platform as stopping at Didcot which I confirmed with platform staff. Around came the gaurd who notified me that the first stop was Swindon and demanded I buy a new ticket. I was not the only one on board that had intended to get off at Didcot, however, he would not have it that the platform displays had been incorrect.

As always, how you are handled will depend on the guard in question.

Roy

 

[M60lad]

I know the other week Virgin Trains were having problems I think it was in Stoke-on-trent area so some of their services were running Piccadilly-Stockport-London Euston, I wonder whether anybody ever got on the train at Stockport thinking it went to Stoke and ended up in London and if so what would have happened

 

[kar3emosman]

I was on a train from London Victoria to East Croydon.

Train was held outside of Clapham Junction for about 20 minutes. By the time we got to Clapham Junction I had fell asleep. I awoke at East Croydon after doors closed. I asked the guard could I get off but the train was already moving.

Next station.....Brighton.

Luckily he endorsed my travel back!

 

[Flamingo]

I once got on a train at Reading (albeit a few years ago now) that was displayed on the platform as stopping at Didcot which I confirmed with platform staff. Around came the gaurd who notified me that the first stop was Swindon and demanded I buy a new ticket. I was not the only one on board that had intended to get off at Didcot, however, he would not have it that the platform displays had been incorrect.

As always, how you are handled will depend on the guard in question.

Roy

A few years ago, this was a common scam with passengers going to Swindon. Since barriers have been in place, it has become less common.

As always, telling the genuine from the con is the problem, sounds like you got caught in the crossfire!

 

[Mutant Lemming]

What if you catch the wrong train with a valid ticket ? Say you have an anytime single to Runcorn and you want to break your journey at Stafford but inadvertently jump on a first stop Crewe service by mistake.

 

[yorkie]

What if you catch the wrong train with a valid ticket ? Say you have an anytime single to Runcorn and you want to break your journey at Stafford but inadvertently jump on a first stop Crewe service by mistake.

Then good luck asking for the guard back from Crewe to Stafford to show discretion! There's clearly no entitlement, so it's a case of guessing what the guard may say... which is anything covering the whole range of possibilities.

 

[FenMan]

Last year I caught a X Country from Reading to Basingstoke. As we departed, from one of the bi-directional platforms, a couple opposite me started to look agitated. I asked where they were travelling to. They said Paddington, then to Wembley for a christening. Oops!

I told them to seek out the guard and explain the situation, saying they should ask to be allowed to return to Reading or take a train from Basingstoke to Waterloo.

They came back looking hugely relieved - the guard had marked their tickets as good to go to Waterloo, which meant they wouldn't miss the christening.

Good for the guard. A prime example of using discretion sensibly.

 

[londonbridge]

Luckily I've never fallen asleep and been overcarried on a train,though I have done so on a bus more than once.

Was on the way home from football one Saturday night,at York two Scottish lads got on and joined my carriage,in conversation it transpired they were going to Dundee! They got off at Doncaster but the farthest north they could get from there was Newcastle.

Also don't remember exactly how it happened but,again coming home on a Saturday night,there was a lady who missed her stop and started arguing when the guard tried to charge her a single to the next station,saying that she'd been prevented from getting to her luggage and getting off the train at her stop because "the bloke with the drinks trolley was blocking the aisle".

 

[button_boxer]

I had one a couple of weeks back, travelling Sheffield to Birmingham on the 18:23 (whose only intermediate stop is Derby). Passenger across from me was going to Derby but fell asleep and missed his stop. TM endorsed his ticket to travel back from Birmingham.

Checked my phone to discover there was a three minute connection to the next fast train back (miss that and you lose another 40 mins), which I explained to the bloke and we worked out the logistics, platform numbers etc. and made sure he was first in the queue to get off.

I hope he made it.

 

[6Gman]

Also don't remember exactly how it happened but,again coming home on a Saturday night,there was a lady who missed her stop and started arguing when the guard tried to charge her a single to the next station,saying that she'd been prevented from getting to her luggage and getting off the train at her stop because "the bloke with the drinks trolley was blocking the aisle".

I can imagine that being an issue on certain XC services where it can take the trolley an age to get through a single carriage.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Then good luck asking for the guard back from Crewe to Stafford to show discretion! There's clearly no entitlement, so it's a case of guessing what the guard may say... which is anything covering the whole range of possibilities.

It does seem though, that in this instance, you are more likley to be shown discretion travelling on the train with an invalid ticket as opposed to getting the guard to mark your valid ticket to allow you to go back.

 

[yorkie]

Also don't remember exactly how it happened but,again coming home on a Saturday night,there was a lady who missed her stop and started arguing when the guard tried to charge her a single to the next station,saying that she'd been prevented from getting to her luggage and getting off the train at her stop because "the bloke with the drinks trolley was blocking the aisle".

Unless this was on a HST in the TGS, it doesn't make sense, as if the trolley is blocking one way, you'd just go the other way.

 

[p123]

I once saw someone accidentally go to Berwick instead of Motherwell - easily done!

Back in the days when East Coast ran to Glasgow 8 or 9 times-ish a day (feel free to correct me as I forget how often it was!), at Edinburgh the same platform was used for the London-bound and Glasgow-bound trains.

So I saw someone looking confused reading the station listings on the train door (yes, on a bit of paper, like EC do on their trains!), and only as the train was leaving and her friends/relatives noticed it going the 'wrong' way... they realised that despite Motherwell being on the station list - the train had already been there and was next going to Berwick.

I'm not sure what the person would have done here, as this was at around 9.30pm at night!

 

[yorkie]

I'm not sure what the person would have done here, as this was at around 9.30pm at night!

That would be the 2100 from Edinburgh, now runs Aberdeen - Leeds, but used to be from Glasgow until relatively recently.

The answer is: nearly an hour wait at Berwick (or less if it was 2130 and half an hour late!) for the last train back, which arrives Edinburgh 2334 but has 10 minutes slack, so they may have just made the 2330 Edinburgh - Glasgow Queen St, and had to make alternative arrangements from there (perhaps there is a night bus?). Alternatively, if they missed that, the closest they could get is Bathgate (20 miles from Motherwell)!

 

[Michael.Y]

Unless this was on a HST in the TGS, it doesn't make sense, as if the trolley is blocking one way, you'd just go the other way.

Not if the trolley is between you and the luggage.

I usually find that if one is trapped in this situation, actually speaking to the trolley person will usually make every effort to move somewhere more suitable.

Of course, there are some people that just stand there tutting away until it's too late and then expect recompense.

 

[jbb]

I almost had a horrible disaster last year...

I commute from rugby to euston.

A year or so ago the 18:33 was cancelled and they announced that the 18:40 (I think) to manchester would additionally stop at rugby which seems to be quite common if the 18:33 is cancelled.

So I got on it and just before it was about to leave they made the announcement and didn't mention rugby. So went to find the guard. He told me no it's not stopping at rugby and I managed to get off the train literally 2 seconds before the doors closed.

Otherwise I would have ended up in Crewe I think.

To this day I swear they announced that it would stop at rugby. However as I did appear to be the only person on the train thinking this, and usually when this happens the train is packed with people going to rugby I admit I'm very likely wrong.

Could have been an expensive mistake though.

 

[Marton]

What happens if there is an incorrect station announcement, the train is showing the wrong destination on it's blind or a platform alteration is not announced? Does the operator/station management breach any rules in those circumstances?

Try Middlesbrough. Much of the time the announcements and dispays are out of time with the trains.

Not unusual to see confusion between the Newcastle and Whitby trains on P1 or Saltburn and Nunthorpe on P2.

Also announcements for trains that have already left on time.