Too many passengers for Grand Central - (Sunday)

"Geoff" <geoff@example.com> wrote in message
news:BfGdnQ5pk7pCVubVnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@posted.plusn et...
>I dropped in to York station on my way past yesterday, expecting to
> see the 1531 GC departing towards Cambridge, avoiding the blockade
> south of Peterborough. Mildly surprised to see at least 500 passengers
> waiting on platform 3, I thought a couple of NXEC services had been
> delayed - but the next P3 train on the departure board was London Kings
> Cross / Grand Central.
>
> 1525 and GC's train, in 2+6 formation, rolls into P5, accompanied by
> announcement of platform alteration. Tidal surge of passengers towards
> footbridge, lift and subway. After a few minutes every vehicle was full
> and standing all the way down, with 20+ people waiting at each door,
> many rather upset and clutching tickets and reservations.
>
> The driver took one look and phoned the signal box to cancel the road,
> onboard staff ploughed through the train evicting (presumably) those
> without reservations to make room for those with. BTP assistance
> required for some coaches, although those in the HST luggage van got
> out when asked by staff.
>
> The 1608 NXEC to Peterborough was well loaded but there wasn't the same
> scramble as there had been for the GC train.
>
> GC departed 1638, hardly any standees visible on board, plenty left on
> the platform.
>
> Was it a coincidence? (cancelled earlier train + popular time to exit
> York anyway)
>
> Was it evidence that people strongly prefer trains over bustitution?
> (several of those left were going to wait for the EMT to St Pancras)
>
> How many of those left behind thought they were entitled to travel
> on that train? - regular ECML travellers are used to wedged trains in
> and out of London in the peaks.
>
This sort of thing is the reason I now use a car instead of the train. It
only goes to confirm I've made the right decision. They need to sort out
their act before I use the train.

"Stephen" <newsmail04@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:9d3fk.22105$YG6.11252@newsfe12.ams2...

> This sort of thing is the reason I now use a car instead of the train. It
> only goes to confirm I've made the right decision. They need to sort out
> their act before I use the train.


You use the car because people who were not entitled to use Grand Central
were thrown off the train?

How odd!

Paul

In message <g5ijqq$bn8$1@aioe.org>, at 17:38:47 on Tue, 15 Jul 2008,
Paul Stevenson <paul.pdsteveo@phonecoop.coop> remarked:
>You use the car because people who were not entitled to use Grand
>Central were thrown off the train?

Why are people with interavailable tickets not allowed ot use GC? It is,
after all, claimed by some to be merely a giant ORCATS raid, so
interavailable tickets *must* be valid.
--
Roland Perry

Stephen wrote:

> This sort of thing is the reason I now use a car instead of the train.

Yes, we know.

Charlie

On Jul 15, 8:13 pm, wensleyd...@pacersplace.org.uk (Neil Williams)
wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:06:48 +0100, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> >Why are people with interavailable tickets not allowed ot use GC? It is,
> >after all, claimed by some to be merely a giant ORCATS raid, so
> >interavailable tickets *must* be valid.
>
> They are.
>
> Neil
>

I've come across this before (with Hull trains). The Hull Trains
services were for people with reservations only and every one else was
being directed to the buses. This was advertised on their website and
at Doncaster beforehand. I'd made sure that I had a reservation for
the service that I was travelling on.

I think that doing this is fairer than a free for all for the handful
of (small) through trains that were running. Making trains reservation
only is also used at Christmas, certainly for Virgin trains from
Euston. What is needed, however, is clear notices and maybe a method
of having any unreserved seats available on the day.

On Jul 15, 9:12 pm, Tony Polson <docnews2...@***************> wrote:
> "Paul Stevenson" <paul.pdste...@phonecoop.coop> wrote:
> >"Stephen" <newsmai...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> >news:9d3fk.22105$YG6.11252@newsfe12.ams2...
>
> >> This sort of thing is the reason I now use a car instead of the train. It
> >> only goes to confirm I've made the right decision. They need to sort out
> >> their act before I use the train.
>
> >You use the car because people who were not entitled to use Grand Central
> >were thrown off the train?
>
> >How odd!
>
> I think most normal people would have found it not only extremely odd,
> but also quite unacceptable, that their tickets were not valid on a
> train that was going towards their intended destination, just because
> it happened to be painted the wrong colour.  
>
> Of course trainspotters think that such utter nonsense is perfectly
> ordinary and quite acceptable, and that people should be happy to be
> carried for part or all of their "rail" journey on slow, uncomfortable
> and inflexible bus replacements.

That's just about as meaningful as saying "of course environmentalists
think that stabbing is acceptable ..."

>> Of course trainspotters think that such utter nonsense is perfectly
>> ordinary and quite acceptable, and that people should be happy to be
>> carried for part or all of their "rail" journey on slow, uncomfortable
>> and inflexible bus replacements.
>
> That's just about as meaningful as saying "of course environmentalists
> think that stabbing is acceptable ..."

Have I missed something? As I understand the story, the
Grand Central train crew were not willing to take out
the train as it was severely overcrowded and getting
worse. Reasonable, surely?

Charlie

In message <b2kn749oksqnl36k4qk32o46l02lcnd625@********>, at 00:21:50 on
Tue, 15 Jul 2008, Mike Roebuck <mike.roebuck@************> remarked:
>Reading yahoogroup posts later, it became clear to me that both Hull
>Trains and Grand Central were running their services through to KX,
>via Cambridge, and I found myself wondering why NXEC weren't doing so,
>at least with HST-operated services.

Assuming the paths are available (immediately south of Cambridge Station
it's pretty busy already with local trains to Stansted, Liverpool St and
Kings Cross - but less so on a Sunday of course), the diversion will
still add an hour each way - so it wouldn't even allow every HST to go
that way I suspect.
--
Roland Perry

On Jul 15, 9:12 pm, Tony Polson <docnews2...@***************> wrote:
>
> I think most normal people would have found it not only extremely odd,
> but also quite unacceptable, that their tickets were not valid on a
> train that was going towards their intended destination, just because
> it happened to be painted the wrong colour.  
>

Yeah right Tony, everybody expects Virgin Atlantic to convey them
when BA are unable to, after all it's only the plane being the wrong
colour.

Even with a fully flexible ticket you are not going to get on that
plane if it is fully reserved.

"Neil Williams" <pacer142@**********> wrote in message
news:4ca6c947-14ab-4723-a797-47353002efc3@a1g2000hsb.************.com...
On 17 Jul, 07:59, Stimpy <stimpy199...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> If I knew/thought that a long distance train was likely to be full and
> standing, I'd take the car, even if I could reserve a seat. Sorry but
that's
> just the way it is these days.

It's likely that at peak travel times, when trains can be full and standing,
that motorways are full with long tailbacks.

Peter