I had a naff experience with (UK) train travel a couple of days ago that maybe someone can learn something from. Although this is probably boring.
When returning (to Essex) from visiting family 200 miles away (in Devon), I booked my train a month in advance. Saves money. Cheapest trains (by £10-£15) on the day I wanted to travel ran really late. Crappy journey went something like this:
- Get last bus from tiny Devon village to Exeter city at 4pm. Pre-booked train back to London is at 8:40pm, so have to wait around for it. Yay for mobile entertainment.
- Long-distance train from Exeter arrives in London 10 minutes late, sometime after midnight.
- The delay is enough that by the time I get across London via Underground and reach Liverpool Street terminus at 1am, I find that the last train home had left the station a few minutes before I arrived. Bollocks.
- I don't have enough money on me for a taxi home, or a hotel. Seems I have to wait the night out some more. A pain in the arse, but then I don't have anything to be awake for the following day, so perhaps it's no big deal.
- However, station staff tell me that my current ticket wouldn't be valid for the next morning train at 5:30am. No, they wouldn't be able let me through the barrier unless I buy a new overpriced ticket, even though my situation isn't my fault. Bastards.
- They also tell me that Liverpool Street terminus closes in 10 minutes and I'd be kicked out to spend half the night on London's streets in the rain until they re-open.
- "Sod that," I think. I notice that the last available train is about to leave, even though it will only take me half way home. I go through the barrier and jump on.
- I arrive in craphole London satellite suburban town in Essex at 1:30am, and have the same problem of station closure. Am told for "Insurance Reasons", I'm not allowed to stay on the platform. I resign myself to spending some of the night on the streets after all. Oh well.
- Staff here are a bit friendlier though - They tell me the station re-opens at 4:30am, and they'll let me bunk the next train (at 6am) the rest of the way home without needing a new ticket. Well that's nice of them.
- I spend 3 hours on the streets. Local bus shelter and railway bridge is occupied by the local chavscum, so I hide from the rain (and them - Paranoia) against the wall of a nearby doctor's surgery, under an overhang. Yay for 60s architecture.
- Staff finally unlock the station later than they said, at 5am (liars). I'm glad for the better shelter.
- I get my train and make it home at 7:30am, being incredibly pleased to see my bed again. I sleep for most of the following day.
All I had to do was wait around for an age, but learn from my fail. Give plenty of time for your journey, or something. And saving that extra £10-£15 by booking the last train of the night probably wasn't worth it.
Stuff I found out later was:
- Train companies only take responsibility for delays if they're for half an hour or more, and only then will they consider refunding your ticket.
- Train companies are apparently not responsible if their train delays cause you to miss a flight, or a train from another company. (They'll blame each other and you'll get nowhere, apparently. Privatisation can suck it)
- If you get stranded at a station because you've missed the last train of the night 'cause of a delay, and really push for it (I wish I knew this), station staff may give you a free taxi to your destination station, but only at their discretion. If they're lazy and you're chilled out about it, they'll let you travel on the next morning train for free even when your ticket expires. If they're jobsworths and arseholes, they'll refuse to help you.
Know your rights and don't let yourself get screwed, I guess. Or get a car.
