In message , at 11:38:21 on
Sun, 12 Jul 2009, Recliner remarked:
My booking involves two very tight changes in each direction (eg, five
minutes at Clapham Junction and Brighton) -- does anyone know the policy
if I miss one of these because the incoming train was late? The tight
changes were generated by the booking engine -- had I been selecting
trains individually, I'd have allowed longer, especially at CJ.

In theory they will let you catch a subsequent train. Having some sort
of evidence from the late train's crew might help (although I'm not sure
what you do if it's OPO).

On my upcoming "round Britain" trip the booking engine has given me one
change of five minutes and another of seven (and several others in the
15-20 minute range). At my on risk I've arranged one change of zero
[staying on the same train while switching from one ticket to the next
at York] and one change of an hour and twenty minutes [Glasgow].

When I did a similar trip a few years ago (on a Britrail pass) I missed
a couple of connections that should have worked, and therefore got home
two hours late (due to twice having to wait for the next hourly
service).

Of course, when travelling on Advance Purchase tickets I suppose one
isn't allowed to "break" the journey (even if forced to do so by a late
running train) so you'd be trapped on the station itself, short of
blagging one's way out to use "station facilities" and then wander off
into the town, like I did last time when stuck at Carlisle for 55
minutes.

Trying to do a "sensitivity test", if I miss the 08.08 at Doncaster, my
next chance to get to Edinburgh (with Natex) is 10.35 !! Argh!!!

I wonder if they'd let me on an XC as far as York, to catch a better
Natex from there?

[But even if they did, I'd miss my Scotrail train to Glasgow by 2
minutes, so would they let me stay on board the Natex as far as Glasgow
(where it is coincidentally headed), or insist I got off to find the
subsequent Scotrail train (probably the only half-hourly one all day)?]
--
Roland Perry