When can we board the train?

[MrsC]

We are travelling on a 4pm sunday service Norwich-Liverpool street and was wondering if anyone could tell me how long before departure they usually let you board the train?

I just don't want to be rushing with suitcases and 3 year old...

 

[calc7]

I believe these train sets have about half an hour of scheduled turnaround time between arrival and then forming a service back to London. As a result, I would guess a miniumum of 15 minutes' boarding time, perhaps 20.

 

[MrsC]

Thank you will be there ready and waiting

 

[jopsuk]

There certainly shouldn't be any need to rush if you are there in good time; doubly so if you have reservations.

 

[O L Leigh]

Departures are normally announced 5 minutes before departure but will appear on the departure board with the platform number as soon as they are ready for boarding. However, the mainline Norwich sets usually get announced when ready for boarding as well as 5 minutes before departure. Provided you get there in good time you should have plenty of warning and won't need to be in a rush.

O L Leigh

 

[andykn]

We are travelling on a 4pm sunday service Norwich-Liverpool street and was wondering if anyone could tell me how long before departure they usually let you board the train?

I just don't want to be rushing with suitcases and 3 year old...

I use Norwich a lot during the week, they normally clean and get the train ready quite quickly so you should be able to get on 20 mins before.

Check for engineering works, though.

 

[Chapeltom]

Used Norwich once which was on 14th April and if I remember correctly I was on at least 5 minutes prior to departure. As long as your at the station 10-15 mins prior to departure you will be fine.

 

[dk1]

Usually try to board 10-15 minutes before departure at Norwich. They are quite strict on holding passengers back these days as since the watering has been done from under the platform edging when raised are a H&S trip/fall hazzard.

 

[Southern]

Service appears to be affected by engineering work on 3 out of 4 Sunday's this month:

6th May - Terminates Shenfield, bus running to Newbury Park for the Central Line.
13th May - Terminates Colchester, bus running to Chelmsford for connections to London.
27th May - Terminates Witham, bus running to Billericay for connections to London.

 

[dk1]

Service appears to be affected by engineering work on 3 out of 4 Sunday's this month:

6th May - Terminates Shenfield, bus running to Newbury Park for the Central Line.
13th May - Terminates Colchester, bus running to Chelmsford for connections to London.
27th May - Terminates Witham, bus running to Billericay for connections to London.

All in the name of an Olympic prepared railway

 

[calc7]

Service appears to be affected by engineering work on 3 out of 4 Sunday's this month:

6th May - Terminates Shenfield, bus running to Newbury Park for the Central Line.
13th May - Terminates Colchester, bus running to Chelmsford for connections to London.
27th May - Terminates Witham, bus running to Billericay for connections to London.

I've had all three of this diversionary routes whilst making weekend trips on the line. I can safely say the Witham to Billericay rail replacement bus was one of the worst experiences of my life. What's worse is it's timed to arrive at BIC 3 minutes after a half-hourly train!

 

[Southern]

OTT shows 4tph Billericay - Liverpool Street and Billericay - Southend Victoria for the 27th so hopefully no missed connections this time.

 

[MrsC]

We are travelling on 17th June,which from checking shows no engineering works

 

[lincolnshire]

Have departed on some trains when the train is stood in the platform all locked up and we have to all wait until the train crew turn up about 2 mins before departure, all pile on as quick as we can and doors closed 30 sec,s beforehand and away.
Why can,t we get on beforehand instead of standing in the cold waiting for the traincrew to come back from there PNB break as they have worked the set in beforehand, its not as if there are two trains in the same platform or anything else like that and the platform departure information is correct.
Another one of my gripes, it never used to be like this in the past?

 

[andykn]

Have departed on some trains when the train is stood in the platform all locked up and we have to all wait until the train crew turn up about 2 mins before departure, all pile on as quick as we can and doors closed 30 sec,s beforehand and away.
Why can,t we get on beforehand instead of standing in the cold waiting for the traincrew to come back from there PNB break as they have worked the set in beforehand, its not as if there are two trains in the same platform or anything else like that and the platform departure information is correct.
Another one of my gripes, it never used to be like this in the past?

I've not had this myself at Norwich. I've caught the 17.30 to London most Fridays for the past year and the odd weekday too and the only time I've not been able to get on over 15 mins before departure is if the inbound is late.

But they do usually hold you back until 20-25 minutes before departure, gives them 10-15 minutes from arrival of the inbound.

 

[dosxuk]

I've not had this myself at Norwich. I've caught the 17.30 to London most Fridays for the past year and the odd weekday too and the only time I've not been able to get on over 15 mins before departure is if the inbound is late.

I've had this on CT/EMT services from Norwich, but it's because the Cambridge train uses the same platform and sometimes there's nobody around to open up once that service departs until the crew arrive.

 

[Ivo]

OTT shows 4tph Billericay - Liverpool Street and Billericay - Southend Victoria for the 27th so hopefully no missed connections this time.

Anyone travelling on the 27th, beware that these services are likely to be heaving. The increased frequency will not be primarily for the benefit of those travelling from Chelmsford and beyond - it will be for people attending the Southend Airshow.

 

[O L Leigh]

Have departed on some trains when the train is stood in the platform all locked up and we have to all wait until the train crew turn up about 2 mins before departure, all pile on as quick as we can and doors closed 30 sec,s beforehand and away.
Why can,t we get on beforehand instead of standing in the cold waiting for the traincrew to come back from there PNB break as they have worked the set in beforehand, its not as if there are two trains in the same platform or anything else like that and the platform departure information is correct.
Another one of my gripes, it never used to be like this in the past?

Ah, nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

That's just exaggeration. For a start rolling stock gets more intensively used than traincrew, so any stock brought in by a crew due a PNB is almost certainly NOT going to be worked back by the same crew. Likewise trains don't get locked up unless there is some good reason for it, such as going empty to depot, being stabled on a platform line or because another train is going to be put "on top". Also, no traincrew I know is going to turn up to a train 2 minutes prior to departure. Even if what you say is true, the service will have been advertised and the passengers will already be on the platform waiting to board. There is never any last minute rush except from those who always leave it to the last minute.

O L Leigh

 

[34D]

Have departed on some trains when the train is stood in the platform all locked up and we have to all wait until the train crew turn up about 2 mins before departure, all pile on as quick as we can and doors closed 30 sec,s beforehand and away.
Why can,t we get on beforehand instead of standing in the cold waiting for the traincrew to come back from there PNB break as they have worked the set in beforehand, its not as if there are two trains in the same platform or anything else like that and the platform departure information is correct.
Another one of my gripes, it never used to be like this in the past?

Not that I'm defending it, but I don't believe that rules would allow an unattended train to be unlocked. Happy to be corrected though

 

[O L Leigh]

Yup. We have these differences highlighted on our diagrams. We can immoblise a train (IMM) on arrival at a terminus which means that the doors will be left open, even of the train is to be worked back by a different driver. If a train is to be left secured (e.g. stabled) then it will be berthed and secured (BRTS), which means that the driver will be required to check that the train is empty and close all the doors and turn off the lights.

What the Rules prohibit is leaving a train unattended on a running line. Therefore if you are booked to be relieved by another driver en route and the relieving driver is not there to take charge, you may not simply "screw down" the train and go to take your break. You have to wait with the train for your relief to take over or carry out any other instruction given to you by your controller.

O L Leigh

 

[JoeGJ1984]

I've discovered at Shrewsbury that the crew of the London Midland stopping services to Birmingham New Street seem to leave it late to release the doors to allow people to board. At first I thought this was because there was no driver there but I then saw that there was a driver in the cab for several minutes before he released the doors. It definitely wasn't the first service of the day, so why couldn't he have opened it up earlier.

At London Termini, they usually don't announce a platform number for a service until a few minutes before departure. I presume this is to allow for cleaning, etc. but the service may be terminating at a station with through platforms and then, of course, there is nowhere to keep passengers out of the way (the service will always have a number in the platform column of the CIS).