Richard LH Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Anyone know how the overtime ban on Friday/Saturday may affect Thameslink/Great Northern trains into Kings Cross? Thinking of our trip to SL at ROH Saturday evening..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 (edited) We usually use part of these routes, from Hitchin to Finsbury Park... Edited April 2 by Richard LH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 That’s on the Brighton to Bedford line. I know from City Thameslink station to Brighton there are trains every half an hour on work to rule days however whether one comes through from Bedford and then one through from Cambridge I’m not sure. If this was the case there might be only one train an hour on your bit of line though I also seem to think there were no through trains to Cambridge during the overtime ban etc so in that instant it could be one every half an hour on your bit but not more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 Above info is only Thameslink I don’t know about Great Northern. Thameslink do have a proper timetable on these days but just half the usual number of trains and more odd cancellations here and there likely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 2 hours ago, alison said: Hadn't realised until I saw it on the train indicators today that that's a lot of the local London train providers on strike the same day as the London tube. That is going to be horrendous. Yes, Monday 8th April is going to be a nightmare if you use both train and Tube or have a lot of travelling that day. Commuters whose tube and rail provision are gone will also be adding to the numbers relying on buses and any alternative rail/DLR/tram services they can find. 😞😓 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 1 hour ago, Richard LH said: Anyone know how the overtime ban on Friday/Saturday may affect Thameslink/Great Northern trains into Kings Cross? Thinking of our trip to SL at ROH Saturday evening..... Haven't used the Great Northern for several years but Thameslink gets a lot of train cancellations on overtime ban days. The very last service of the night tends not to be cancelled but you often find that it contains passengers from 2 or 3 services that were cancelled so.....sardine time. Once, the last service was cancelled but the second last service became the last one....a bit scary if you didn't know! That's rare nowadays but can still happen. If the last train is cancelled and you're forced to take a cab instead, the rail company should reimburse you (the usual online form to apply). But you still have to pay the [hefty] cab fare yourself first until you get reimbursed. (That's for my area- in the past you didn't have to but the system has now changed.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Oh, really? When that happened to me in August 2021 it was rather better organised - railway staff were arranging taxis from the London terminus. Once word got round, I imagine there were a lot of black cabs drawing up - one guy got a fare from London to Lewes or somewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 6 minutes ago, alison said: Oh, really? When that happened to me in August 2021 it was rather better organised - railway staff were arranging taxis from the London terminus. Once word got round, I imagine there were a lot of black cabs drawing up - one guy got a fare from London to Lewes or somewhere! This cancellation decision actually occurred after the train had left London, halfway through the original announced journey! 😳 This was 2023. And not the first time- cancellations en route are quite the Thameslink 'special' down south! The minicab driver did take credit cards, thankfully. You MUST remember to get a receipt from the driver to make the online claim. That said, the service is great when it's running normally, with nice big carriages and plenty of seating and space. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Plenty of seating, but not of tables. Or power sockets. (Or even WiFi) Both should have been provided on trains where your journey could easily be of several hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 12 hours ago, Emeralds said: Haven't used the Great Northern for several years but Thameslink gets a lot of train cancellations on overtime ban days. The very last service of the night tends not to be cancelled but you often find that it contains passengers from 2 or 3 services that were cancelled so.....sardine time. Once, the last service was cancelled but the second last service became the last one....a bit scary if you didn't know! That's rare nowadays but can still happen. If the last train is cancelled and you're forced to take a cab instead, the rail company should reimburse you (the usual online form to apply). But you still have to pay the [hefty] cab fare yourself first until you get reimbursed. (That's for my area- in the past you didn't have to but the system has now changed.) Thanks @Emeralds...will be looking to avoid main rail and catch the tube from Cockfosters instead.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 The tube strikes in April and May have been called off. (Train strikes still on at the moment.) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 I do get fed up that the tube strikes always get called off yet, as far as I can recall, every train strike bar one in the last 2 years has gone ahead. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 I know Avanti get a lot of stick on here, but I've just had an email from them. They've introduced the new Superfare ticket (prices shown are London-Birmingham): Bag a Superfare We'll match you to an empty seat, so you get a bargain Superfare ticket from as little as £9**. Book at least 7 days in advance and up to 21 days before you travel. They also have a Price Promise: Price Promise‡ Get a refund if you find a cheaper ticket at a later date I'm assuming both of these are new, since I've never seen them mentioned before. Obviously neither will help if they don't run their advertised trains, though. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 (edited) For the ASLEF overtime ban yesterday on 4 April, Thameslink and other companies ran an amended timetable with about fewer trains than usual on my route. I ended up having to get a taxi to ROH from the train station so as not to risk being late for Danses Concertantes if the Tube trains (which I don't normally take) were too full or delayed, or the lifts were too congested. I didn't get stranded as the amended timetable meant I had enough trains to connect for the journey home, and there were no random unexpected cancellations. Phew! Fingers crossed it all works out well for everyone travelling for other RB, ENB, NB, SB, ENBS etc performances today till and including 9 April. Edited April 5 by Emeralds 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 My trains actually ran perfectly yesterday for once, the one home even getting in a couple of minutes early. Maybe I need them to have overtime bans more often! 😉 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 At least the London Ballet Circle's event with the RB's Isabella Gasparini this Monday is online, so shouldn't be affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 It's been a fairly rubbish last few days anyway, but now to cap it all there's a tree down on the line just when I'm trying to get to tonight's Ballet Association ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 @alison Oh dear. I've just had a look at the National Rail website & there are trees down on half a dozen lines so I hope whichever your is is one of the ones that has been fixed & services have restarted rather than one of the ones that still has no trains. I'm very glad I only saw ballet at the cinema this afternoon as it doesn't look like I would have made it down this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Actually, it was surprisingly quick: 40 minutes from where my office is in Zone 4 to the venue via a different route. But then of course I had to get home again - via yet another route ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Just for once, I would really appreciate it if my trip home from Birmingham New Street didn't turn into a total disaster. GRRRR!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 In all fairness, though, I must say that this one isn't Avanti's fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaC Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 My daughter was much more unlucky. We went to Amsterdam to see DNB and she was due to fly back to Teesside yesterday, but the plane was cancelled and there were no hotel rooms available so she had to spend the night at the airport. She finally got home at lunchtime today, no idea how her boss reacted. I travelled to Paris by train, which was very late, but far better than being stranded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Seriously, what is WRONG with people today?! If I'm lucky, it may only take me 6 hours or so to get home from Birmingham. If we don't get any more idiots on the journey, that is EDIT: Yep, I was right, almost to the minute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 On 16/04/2024 at 21:51, alison said: Seriously, what is WRONG with people today?! If I'm lucky, it may only take me 6 hours or so to get home from Birmingham. If we don't get any more idiots on the journey, that is But credit where credit's due: although I didn't apply until after I got home on Tuesday, this morning an envelope plopped onto the doormat, containing the full refund of my tickets in the form of two rail travel vouchers. I guess cynics will probably say that Avanti have got doing refunds off to a fine art by now, but since I'm still battling Great Western Railway over a Delay Repay for a journey back in February I'm very impressed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Drivers will strike at c2c, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express and South Western Railway on Tuesday 7 May. It will be followed by a 24-hour walkout at Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway and West Midlands Trains on Wednesday 8 May; and at LNER, Northern and TransPennine Express on Thursday 9 May. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Great. Thanks, Rob. ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 I've just nearly had a whoopsie!! I am going to Leeds by train tomorrow - even got a reminder from TP Express this morning. Imagine when I got in before to find an email from TP Express talking about ongoing engineering works and possible impact on my journey - this less than 24 hours beforehand. I used the WhatsApp query facility and have been assured that my journey is not affected. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 I'm very hacked off at the latest strike dates as I was planning to see Winter's Tale on 7th May, which I now definitely won't be able to get to, and Swan Lake on 9th May, which might now be problematic. I suppose I'll have to see that Winter's Tale cast on 13th May instead but I can't reschedule SL as on the other date that cast are performing I have no trains due to engineering. (I'm also worrying because with there being strikes on similar dates in April & May if it's the same in June then that'll be just when Sarasota Ballet is visiting the ROH & if I can't get to their performances that I have booked I will be extremely upset.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 1 hour ago, Dawnstar said: I'm very hacked off at the latest strike dates as I was planning to see Winter's Tale on 7th May, which I now definitely won't be able to get to, and Swan Lake on 9th May, which might now be problematic. I suppose I'll have to see that Winter's Tale cast on 13th May instead but I can't reschedule SL as on the other date that cast are performing I have no trains due to engineering. (I'm also worrying because with there being strikes on similar dates in April & May if it's the same in June then that'll be just when Sarasota Ballet is visiting the ROH & if I can't get to their performances that I have booked I will be extremely upset.) Ditto. I have rebooked for the following Monday. Hopefully my Thursday visit to see Swan Lake will be fine (overtime ban) and that I can to London and back home (I don't really want to spend a night in London). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 I’m lucky again in the main strike day that week for Thameslink is on the Tuesday. I will be travelling on the Wednesday 8th but this is the less trains timetable ( from 7th to 11th) which I’ve got to know quite well so can work around so SL on the 9th shouldn’t be affected. Im assuming it’s similar for you Dawnstar coming from the other end of the line so you should be able to travel on the 9th though I don’t know whether trains stop slightly earlier on no overtime days …I’m not travelling back till 10th. Sorry you’ve got to rearrange Winters Tale though. It can be annoying when you’ve booked to see certain casts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Between strike days, work to rule days and engineering works there hardly seems any time of normal service on my line - 😔 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 32 minutes ago, LinMM said: Im assuming it’s similar for you Dawnstar coming from the other end of the line so you should be able to travel on the 9th though I don’t know whether trains stop slightly earlier on no overtime days My trains are stopping slightly earlier on 9th anyway, due to overnight engineering, so the 23.09 is the last one before rail replacement buses kick in. It's last minute cancellations due to staff shortages that I'm most nervous about as if the 23.09 got cancelled & I had to get the rail replacement buses I'd not get home until 2am. 10 minutes ago, Shade said: Between strike days, work to rule days and engineering works there hardly seems any time of normal service on my line - 😔 I feel exactly the same. I've already got 3 weekends in May with no trains due to engineering & now a week of strikes on top of that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 Yes same on Brighton line as there are engineering works in May at the weekends too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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