Wrongly Assumed Facts by Passengers

[30907]

in Germany you can print out or see on the DB app the scheduled platform. Maybe an electronic notification is a more reasonable expectation rather than the pretty low-tech tickets that are widely used.

Platform alterations happen in Germany too. They are less common, though, because most stations are very generously supplied with platforms, owing to the combined efforts of the post-1871 regime and the RAF. Köln Hbf is the only exception I can think of, and so it is worth providing printed information (e.g. the Reiseplan on IC/ICEs).

 

[F Great Eastern]

I think this is probably one of the top misconceptions. It is literally never ever the cheapest place to buy from and it is always more expensive than buying from the TOC directly.

Indeed, I also have family relatives who will swear on buying from them as they are the cheapest - I cannot get them to purchase any other way because they believe all the marketing spin and come up to me and tell me that they saved "x amount" by booking with them.

 

[thenorthern]

That train operating companies have complete control over what stock they use on a franchise so if Serco-Abellio had been awarded more franchises the trains used to operate would be Pacers and had Virgin Rail Group bid and won the Northern franchise they would use Pendolinos and Voyagers on the services.

Also the only reason that Northern Rail didn't buy new trains is because they hate their customers and all the profits were going to the Netherlands.

 

[Bayum]

I find it strange that some passengers:

• Expect to have the platform of their train printed on their ticket.
  
• Ask what platform a train will depart from at an interchange station somewhere on their route, and expect it to stick to that platform.

There are way more but these are the only two I can think of right now.

I don't understand why some passengers think a platform will be printed on the ticket. My airline ticket doesn't always have the gate printed on it. That's the only connection I can think.

I half understand the latter but when passengers understand the platforms may change en-route, it's easy to see why things aren't always as easy as they want.

Any more?

Surely the former changes based on where you are around the country? Leeds seems to have a pretty rigid set up of TPE leaving from the far platforms, Wharfe, Aire Valley and London bound trains from the closer gates and XC from 9ish? Granted it changes based on the day, but more often than not I’d hold the above to be true.

 

[Alan2603]

That Northern only have rickety old trains and cast-offs from other companies.

Oh, sorry that is not a wrongly assumed fact.

 

[route:oxford]

"You can't travel on the Highland Chieftain when you hold a Scotrail Season ticket."

Seriously. For years a colleague watched the 16:39 depart Haymarket and waited for the 16:42, just because she didn't know she was allowed to use a non-Scotrail train with her season ticket. It was only one night I left at the same time as she did and I went to board it that she discovered that she was allowed to use it. Even then she was seeking reassurance from the guard when he came to check the tickets that she wasn't doing anything illegal.

 

[mrcheek]

Viewing this through a slightly different lens ....perhaps these passengers are acting on the assumption that they have a contract with the train operating company ...and no relationship whatsoever with Network Rail. It may be network rail's fault but it's GWR that have a responsibility to their passengers.

so GWR presumably should ignore all signals and tell the trains to keep on going?

 

[Bwlch y Groes]

That train operating companies have complete control over what stock they use on a franchise so if Serco-Abellio had been awarded more franchises the trains used to operate would be Pacers and had Virgin Rail Group bid and won the Northern franchise they would use Pendolinos and Voyagers on the services.

Further to this, that TOCs who run stopping services choose to run slower services even though they're supposed to be "competing" with TOCs who run faster services

Prime example in my mind is one of my best friends who thought London Midland were rubbish because they chose to run a slow London-Birmingham train, as opposed to Virgin who didn't and therefore were great

 

[Spartacus]

That "any permitted" on a ticket means that they can go any roundabout route they fancy.

I've always thought that Any Permitted is rather a poor phrase to use as it changes it's meaning completely depending on which word you emphasise.
'ANY permitted' is totally different to 'any PERMITTED'

Back to wrong facts: that every member of staff gets free travel, this is something even some members of staff have trouble with, not realising that not everyone gets boxes etc.

 

[Caleb2010]

- That

The toilet door will automatically lock behind them when they enter! This, despite the flashing button that says press to lock!

Pressing the Door Open button several hundred times before the train has stopped will somehow make it happen so much quicker.

They wrongly assume that the operator has an infinite supply of spare trains.

That it's perfectly acceptible to arrive 30 seconds after the train has departed and fume at the dispatch staff that it wasn't their fault the no 6 bus was late and the train should have been held, never thinking for one moment about getting the bus before!

 

[Bromley boy]

That TOCs have hundreds of “spare” carriages strategically placed around the network to substitute at a moment’s noticed for failed or short formed trains.

Incidentally, shouldn’t the title of this thread be “passengers’ common misconceptions”, or similar, as “wrongly assumed facts” aren’t actually facts at all!?

 

[Minilad]

That I work for British Rail

 

[weastebusdepot]

That the Trainline website/app is a reliable source of timetable information and that anything a member of staff tells them is automatically wrong because "That's not what it says on the Trainline".

After asking what time the next service to a particular place is, and being told the answer, saying "Isn't there one before that?" will reveal some secret extra service that they weren't meant to know about.

After being told what time the service arrives at their chosen destination, believing that this is somehow negotiable and it will arrive earlier if they complain enough.

Believing that an illuminated OFF indicator means the next advertised train on that platform has been cancelled. (yes really!)

 

[F Great Eastern]

That the Trainline website/app is a reliable source of timetable information and that anything a member of staff tells them is automatically wrong because "That's not what it says on the Trainline".

After asking what time the next service to a particular place is, and being told the answer, saying "Isn't there one before that?" will reveal some secret extra service that they weren't meant to know about.

After being told what time the service arrives at their chosen destination, believing that this is somehow negotiable and it will arrive earlier if they complain enough.

Seen all of them

Also passengers asking why trains wait so long at stations and the train is going to be delayed and they should just open the doors, everyone get on and off and close them - even though the train arrived early!

 

[cin88]

This is true if the passenger missed the train because of a delayed/cancelled train which made it impossible to catch their connection.

I know, boy do I bloomin' well know it. I must spend half of my public facing shifts with a stamp in my hand ready for the "my inbound train was late" people to come up to me. I have every sympathy for those that miss their connections, especially when it's 10 minutes or more between the two services. People that just couldn't be bothered to get to the station on time or didn't plan ahead properly on the other hand...

Anyway back on topic:

"Front train only" means "closest to me as I walk up".

The Trainline is absolutely correct 100% of the time.

Mobility assistance staff are porters.

Anyone in a railway uniform knows everything about the trains off the top of their head and shouldn't need to ask someone else for the info.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Then there are the people who complain that they are given an advance ticket with a 40 minute wait between trains when there is a train 5 minutes after their initial train arrives to their actual destination.

These would be the same people who would moan if they missed their connection because it is too tight.

 

[Gareth Marston]

That TOCs have hundreds of “spare” carriages strategically placed around the network to substitute at a moment’s noticed for failed or short formed trains.

Incidentally, shouldn’t the title of this thread be “passengers’ common misconceptions”, or similar, as “wrongly assumed facts” aren’t actually facts at all!?

A similar theme is expecting a road replacement coach and driver to be instantly available the moment a train is held up by flooding. And of course your being deliberately obstructive by not flapping around on the phone in the middle of the morning school run as we all know lots of local coach and taxi firms have spare capacity at this time and it's just a question of picking up the phone....

 

[Confused147]

Only when viewed through a certain tinted spectacle.

There are far more less rosier things nowadays than 30 years ago

 

[Confused147]

If you button bash hard enough on the door buttons within less than a second after the train stops they will magically light up themselves

The return portion of a Euston to Crewe ticket can be used on the sleeper because it calls there

British Rail must still operate partly because their logo still exists

 

[6Gman]

After asking what time the next service to a particular place is, and being told the answer, saying "Isn't there one before that?" will reveal some secret extra service that they weren't meant to know about.

Closely related ...

Approaching a different member of staff and asking the same question will unearth said secret extra service that first member of staff was concealing for nefarious reasons.

 

[Pseudonym]

That Northern only have rickety old trains and cast-offs from other companies.

Oh, sorry that is not a wrongly assumed fact.

It is just a fact!

 

[xfield]

Classic one is at [say] Manchester Piccadilly, to board the "front train only". Well, most on this forum know that that means "furthest from the buffer stops". But some uninitiated could easily take "front" to mean "the one in front from my perspective as a walk onto the platform from the main concourse" (i.e. the one closest to the buffer stops)

I see people caught out by this all the time, especially where a TPE train will be the front train but hasn't yet arrived, with a Northern Rail train sat at the back. It really gets confusing when there's three services running from one platform. Daily a NR service is parked up, then three pacers roll in and are split - the front one goes to Hazel Grove, the next to Marple, and god know's where the original train goes - all are scheduled a few minutes apart.

 

[mrcheek]

That train operating companies have complete control over what stock they use on a franchise so if Serco-Abellio had been awarded more franchises the trains used to operate would be Pacers and had Virgin Rail Group bid and won the Northern franchise they would use Pendolinos and Voyagers on the services.

.

Dont blame the passengers for this, blame the media with their fake news.

I remember when Arriva were awarded the Cross Country franchise, the BBC report seemed to suggest that the Virgin Voyagers would be disappearing, to be replaced by the pacers that Arriva used in Wales

 

[jon0844]

That TOCs have hundreds of “spare” carriages strategically placed around the network to substitute at a moment’s noticed for failed or short formed trains.

Incidentally, shouldn’t the title of this thread be “passengers’ common misconceptions”, or similar, as “wrongly assumed facts” aren’t actually facts at all!?

And buses. Buses must always be close by for when services have been delayed by an emergency line block imposed just 5 minutes ago, and enough of them to shift hundreds of people that would normally get on an 8 or 12 car train.

 

[jon0844]

I see people caught out by this all the time, especially where a TPE train will be the front train but hasn't yet arrived, with a Northern Rail train sat at the back. It really gets confusing when there's three services running from one platform. Daily a NR service is parked up, then three pacers roll in and are split - the front one goes to Hazel Grove, the next to Marple, and god know's where the original train goes - all are scheduled a few minutes apart.

Even when you're 99% sure the front train must be the one furthest from the barriers, given the one behind can't overtake on the same rails, people are still going to have that nagging doubt. What if it really does mean the front train nearest you, and the one behind is going to run empty to clear the line?

I do think that this is one thing where it must be clearly stated with a point of reference, i.e. 'front train, furthest from the barriers' or 'starting from in front of this sign' or whatever. If nothing else, it means a few less people asking platform staff.

 

[thenorthern]

Tamworth Low Level and Tamworth are separate stations meaning that if someone wants to go to Tamworth they should not get on a train that calls at Tamworth Low Level. At Stoke-on-Trent I genuinely heard someone say "Thats not our train as it calls at Tamworth Low Level not Tamworth"

 

[Spartacus]

I do think that this is one thing where it must be clearly stated with a point of reference, i.e. 'front train, furthest from the barriers' or 'starting from in front of this sign' or whatever. If nothing else, it means a few less people asking platform staff.

I always think the easiest solution is to portion off the platforms Leeds style, although that sometimes leads to it's own issues with confused passengers.

Oh yes, one I've just thought of, the regular assumption we all know each other "Oh, you work for X rail company: do you know my niece who works for Y rail company in a totally different location?" Yes, the number of degrees of separation on the railway is I expect significantly lower than 6, but it's not THAT low!

 

[Bwlch y Groes]

That a conductor's main role is checking tickets and if they're not doing that, they're lazy and hiding away in the cab because there couldn't possibly be anything else they could be doing

 

[Carntyne]

Being obnoxious, rude and generally offensive will encourage staff to help you.

 

[yorksrob]

That the train lavatory is ones own personal compartment in the event of not wanting to pay a fare.