Wigan to Manchester via Warrington

[Lighteight123]

Hi,

I have a Manchester County Card which I use for commuting to Manchester. Due to Wigan-Bolton electrification, the Bolton and Atherton lines are closed on weekends. With my county card would I be able to go from Wigan-Warrington, Warrington-Manchester. Being that Warrington is not in GM, is this still allowed?

Thanks.

 

[Djgr]

Hi,

I have a Manchester County Card which I use for commuting to Manchester. Due to Wigan-Bolton electrification, the Bolton and Atherton lines are closed on weekends. With my county card would I be able to go from Wigan-Warrington, Warrington-Manchester. Being that Warrington is not in GM, is this still allowed?

Thanks.

Aren't there rail replacement buses in operation for your use?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Hi,

I have a Manchester County Card which I use for commuting to Manchester. Due to Wigan-Bolton electrification, the Bolton and Atherton lines are closed on weekends. With my county card would I be able to go from Wigan-Warrington, Warrington-Manchester. Being that Warrington is not in GM, is this still allowed?

Thanks.

If you're going from Wigan the Southport-Blackburns (the closures are only on Sundays now) are diverting via Chat Moss, so you can use those.

 

[yorksrob]

Aren't there rail replacement buses in operation for your use?

The OP might not want to use a replacement bus.

That said, last weekend the Southport service was still running between Wigan NW and Manchester.

 

[Lighteight123]

Aren't there rail replacement buses in operation for your use?

There are, but to be honest, they take far too long to get to Manchester.

If you're going from Wigan the Southport-Blackburns (the closures are only on Sundays now) are diverting via Chat Moss, so you can use those.

I didn’t mention, but it was a Sunday I am goi NR. My final destination is Nottingham, but I only bought the ticket from Manchester as I had my county card, so no point paying for the journey into Manchester twice (when I bought the ticket, I didn‘t realise the Blackpool N - Airport service was no longer running through Wigan NW & Chat Moss, going through Bolton instead). If I went via Warrington, I could get straight on the train to Nottingham.

The OP might not want to use a replacement bus.

That said, last weekend the Southport service was still running between Wigan NW and Manchester.

I can’t see any direct services from Wigan to Manchester at all tomorrow.

 

[185143]

There are, but to be honest, they take far too long to get to Manchester.

I didn’t mention, but it was a Sunday I am goi NR. My final destination is Nottingham, but I only bought the ticket from Manchester as I had my county card, so no point paying for the journey into Manchester twice (when I bought the ticket, I didn‘t realise the Blackpool N - Airport service was no longer running through Wigan NW & Chat Moss, going through Bolton instead). If I went via Warrington, I could get straight on the train to Nottingham.


I can’t see any direct services from Wigan to Manchester at all tomorrow.

Looking at tomorrow, there seems to be an xx:18 from Wallgate each hour.

 

[JonathanH]

The OP might not want to use a replacement bus.

That desire doesn't automatically entitle someone to make a "do-it-yourself" diversion without having a valid ticket.

 

[yorksrob]

That desire doesn't automatically entitle someone to make a "do-it-yourself" diversion without having a valid ticket.

The industry should automatically make reasonable routes available in such circumstances. Not to do so is the railway operating for its own convenience, not the passengers.

 

[Lighteight123]

That desire doesn't automatically entitle someone to make a "do-it-yourself" diversion without having a valid ticket.

Customers don’t buy bus tickets. They buy train tickets. If I wanted to go by bus, I could pay £2 and it would be quicker than rail replacement. It should be on the TOCs To offer reasonable alternatives to services they cannot run by train. Clearly the route isn’t a permitted route, as this thread has told me, but in times of engineering works, there needs to be more done to help passengers.

Looking at tomorrow, there seems to be an xx:18 from Wallgate each hour.

Ah, I hadn’t spotted that one. I’ll hop on that - cheers

 

[Haywain]

It should be on the TOCs To offer reasonable alternatives to services they cannot run by train.

They are offering what they consider to be a reasonable alternative.

 

[Watershed]

Customers don’t buy bus tickets. They buy train tickets. If I wanted to go by bus, I could pay £2 and it would be quicker than rail replacement. It should be on the TOCs To offer reasonable alternatives to services they cannot run by train. Clearly the route isn’t a permitted route, as this thread has told me, but in times of engineering works, there needs to be more done to help passengers.

I completely agree. Unfortunately the rail industry doesn't see it the same way; at a corporate level it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that if you're going to inconvenience people, you should do your level best to minimise the inconvenience - not exacerbate it based on arcane rules.

They are offering what they consider to be a reasonable alternative.

The railway's view of what is reasonable is rather different to what most people would consider reasonable...

 

[JBuchananGB]

I guess you are saving money going via Manchester to Nottingham, as you have a county card, but if you wanted to save time from Wigan to Nottingham, the quick way seems to be via Crewe and Tamworth.

 

[Haywain]

The railway's view of what is reasonable is rather different to what most people would consider reasonable...

I don't disagree, but who should have the final say on that?

 

[Watershed]

I don't disagree, but who should have the final say on that?

On a practical, day-to-day level, it's obviously the railway. But if a passenger is sufficiently aggrieved they could take the matter to Court, which would have the final say.