Travelling by train

[rockershovel]

I'd be interested to hear experiences of travelling by train in present circumstances. One of my neighbours has still not returned to the office because, as he describes it, "the capacity and timetable isn't there and the cost of individual daily tickets is unaffordable". I see that one company (GWR?) are offering season tickets providing 8 trips over 28 days - 2 days a week, so to speak. I've just booked tickets for travelling to the NFL game in Oct, and that was a puzzling experience. The website started with a "hard sell" about masks and social distancing, meandered through various issues about "you may find yourself seated next to another passenger at busy times" and concluded by stating that none of these (masks etc) were mandatory, and the actual timetable operating on the day was unknown and unknowable. So, for the cost I booked first class reserved seats in both directions (no returns available, apparently) and await developments with interest. Is anyone actually travelling by train at present? What are their experiences?

[Bernard Lamb]

I had to make a cross London trio a couple of weeks ago.

The train in to Euston was about a third full. First off peak at 09.30.

It arrived at a platform where there were no barriers so exiting was not congested. The vast majority of people wore masks.  The station concourse was busy but I was surprised that heading for the underground I encountered few people. In the tube almost all passengers were masked and the train was no more than a quarter full. Waterloo was very quiet and as I was heading out of London in mid morning I had a carriage to myself.

I went to an Irish Catholic funeral with the full works. All participants masked and socially distanced, I decide not to shake hands with the four priests, it was quite a big funeral, and the majority of people were shaking hands. I kept it to a limited number of people and I know their life style. The Irish Pub for the wake was quite an experience. The staff were all masked and shielded but all social distancing was soon abandoned. I tried to keep away from young people.

Going from Morden to Euston by tube at around 21,30 it was fairly quiet, but almost nobody was masked.

The train home from Euston was again only about a third full. Through a drunken haze I think most people were masked.

I have to do Euston to Liverpool Street and am heading out east next week but feel generally happy to travel by train. Having a certain amount of flexibility in my travel times helps.

Bernard

[The Johnster]

1 hour ago, Bernard Lamb said:

tried to keep away from young people.

Always recommended, nothing to do with Covid...

[Siberian Snooper]

I travelled to London a couple of weekends ago,  the train was pretty full,  to add to the fun, after we left EXD it was announced that the previous train had been cancelled and we would have 3 additional stops to cover the missing train, it was pretty rammed by the time we left Pewsey and half an hour late,  to add to the misery, I think ww did the whole trip on diesel, I forgot to check to see if the pans were up at PAD. Virtually everyone had some form of face covering.

 

The return trip was also full, but I didn't see anyone standing.

 

The underground trains were also full, but not crowded and everyone was wearing a face covering.

 

Some pubs were crowded and some only had a few people in, no face coverings in use.

 

 

[rockershovel]

22 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I travelled to London a couple of weekends ago,  the train was pretty full,  to add to the fun, after we left EXD it was announced that the previous train had been cancelled and we would have 3 additional stops to cover the missing train, it was pretty rammed by the time we left Pewsey and half an hour late,  to add to the misery, I think ww did the whole trip on diesel, I forgot to check to see if the pans were up at PAD. Virtually everyone had some form of face covering.

 

The return trip was also full, but I didn't see anyone standing.

 

The underground trains were also full, but not crowded and everyone was wearing a face covering.

 

Some pubs were crowded and some only had a few people in, no face coverings in use.

 

 

 

My experiences of XC between Plymouth and London during the autumn and winter of 2018-19 might be summarised as "utterly disgraceful". 

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

 

My experiences of XC between Plymouth and London during the autumn and winter of 2018-19 might be summarised as "utterly disgraceful". 

I didn't know XC did Plymouth to London. GWR has in recent years always been the operator I used from Newton Abbot.

[DIW]

5 hours ago, rockershovel said:

 I see that one company (GWR?) are offering season tickets providing 8 trips over 28 days - 2 days a week, so to speak.

SWR offer this deal too. The price on SWR of the 8-days-in-28 ticket is roughly that of six regular day returns (standard class, Wessex main line to Waterloo). There doesn't seem to be an equivalent deal for the station car parks though, that I could find.

[rockershovel]

29 minutes ago, DIW said:

SWR offer this deal too. The price on SWR of the 8-days-in-28 ticket is roughly that of six regular day returns (standard class, Wessex main line to Waterloo). There doesn't seem to be an equivalent deal for the station car parks though, that I could find.

 

For 2 days a week, I'd use a taxi. 

[Michael Hodgson]

My horizons have reduced massively.

 

My Senile Citizens Railcard expired at the start of lockdown, and I've not seen any reason to renew it.  I haven't yet been on a train, whether national network or preserved, since before the first lockdown.  Nor have used my bus pass or been anywhere near an airport.  Not that I used the ever used the bus pass very often anyway.

 

I haven't gone very far by road either.  The furthest afield I have been by car is the area bounded by Cromer, Northampton, Clacton and Harefield.  In fact the only time the car has moved more than about once a week since all this started was when I was being sent by the medics for various tests and operations for cancer.

 

In all that time I haven't been to a pub, I've only been once to a cafe and I've spent two nights in a hotel in Harwich.

My great nieces are now two years old but I still haven't seen them.  They're in northern Scotland and I normally used to go up north at least once a year. 

 

If this should continue, I can't really justify the cost of having a car.  However I don't fancy being dependent on public transport whilst mask wearing and avoiding crowds remain advisable.

[DY444]

On Thursday I had to go to Guildford and took the 1815 Waterloo - Portsmouth Hbr, which, despite what RTT seems to think, was a 10 car 444.  Including me, there were 8 in the front car.  About 20 got off at Guildford and when I walked down the platform there were no more than a dozen or so in any of the cars I walked past.  Whilst waiting for departure from Waterloo, I observed 3 x 10 car 444 and 1 x 12 car 450 departing.  All were slightly fuller towards the back than the front but none were busy and the per car loadings were more typical of a Sunday morning.  I returned on the 2237 ex Guildford which was busier. 

 

I've been on several trains in and around South and South West London recently at various times.  None were very busy.  The busiest was an 8 car SWR suburban from Waterloo in June at 3.30pm on a weekday which was about 40% full.   The tube is noticeably busier but still only about 50% of normal.  I've had people sit next to me on the tube but not on a train.  If you're going to Tottenham or Wembley though then the tube will be packed so what is currently typical goes out of the window when there's a high attendance event on at a suburban venue.

 

I also noted that there were plenty of visitors in London.  I had to go to the Whitehall/Westminster area and there were loads of people milling around taking pictures etc at Horseguards, Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge.  Lots of regional accents in evidence so it's possible that trains at popular leisure times to/from the provinces will be busier but the conventional idea of peak periods, in London at least, just doesn't exist at present.

[rockershovel]

Tell me more about travelling to Tottenham. I will need to travel between Kings X and Tottenham. I'd looked at the two routes I know - tube to Seven Sisters, then to White Hart Lane, or overground to Tottenham Hale and walk. 

[The Johnster]

14 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

My horizons have reduced massively.

 

My Senile Citizens Railcard expired at the start of lockdown, and I've not seen any reason to renew it.  I haven't yet been on a train, whether national network or preserved, since before the first lockdown.  Nor have used my bus pass or been anywhere near an airport.  Not that I used the ever used the bus pass very often anyway.

 

I haven't gone very far by road either.  The furthest afield I have been by car is the area bounded by Cromer, Northampton, Clacton and Harefield.  In fact the only time the car has moved more than about once a week since all this started was when I was being sent by the medics for various tests and operations for cancer.

 

In all that time I haven't been to a pub, I've only been once to a cafe and I've spent two nights in a hotel in Harwich.

My great nieces are now two years old but I still haven't seen them.  They're in northern Scotland and I normally used to go up north at least once a year. 

 

If this should continue, I can't really justify the cost of having a car.  However I don't fancy being dependent on public transport whilst mask wearing and avoiding crowds remain advisable.

My world shrank noticeably when I got rid of my last car, 2011, but has contracted further since Covid.  I got as far as Monmouth last Sunday, the furthest expedition and the first time I've got beyond Newport from my Cardiff inner city bunker since the Lizard long weekend in October 2019.  My social world has taken something of a hit, and I am noticeably uncomfortable when my personal space is invaded; this was always a potential panic attac trigger but is much worse now.  At the same time I resent people backing away from me; no fair, I have a shower every xmas whether I need one or not...

 

I am very aware that I must pay more heed to avoiding crowds and situations; sadly, I think this may be the end of exhibitions, swapmeets, and the like for me!   I coped at an open mike night in a local club last week, all seats taken and some people standing at the bar, a very traditional scene, but there was room to move about freely, and I think this might be my limit now.

 

Difficult to be objective as my take on this was 'informed' by my mental state pre-Covid anyway, but I think it is reasonable to blame the virus and the long periods of self-isolation.

[rockershovel]

Off to London on Sunday to watch the NFL at Tottenham. I'm travelling by train and No 2 Son is joining me from Coventry, it will be interesting to see how it turns out travel-wise 

[Siberian Snooper]

Last month I had an all line rail rover ticket and most trains were comfortably full and all commuter time trains were standing only. One train I was going to travel on from Stoke to Derby came in full and was near to full crush load, with football fans when it left. Not many people were wearing masks  except in Scotland where it was still mandatory.

 

 

[Reorte]

I've been on both local (Northern) and long distance (Avanti) last month. The local service was fairly full, looked pretty normal. I got the impression though on the long distance one (Manchester - Euston) that they were not sitting separate bookings next to each other in the same bay or airline seat. The requests on the signs re: masks on the Manchester - Euston train was to wear one in busy areas rather than at all times, so few people were wearing them all the time but some were when I went to the buffet for a cuppa.

[Oldddudders]

I am due at St Pancreas 14.39 next Weds, and hope to be on a nice, restful 15.20 Waterloo to Exeter. It might be that the 16.04 Paddington - Penzance is not too full, although I need a reservation in theory and they aren't easy to get from overseas, and it would get me there a mite earlier, but I enjoy the LSWR route. Not having been in the UK since 25.8.20 it will all be a bit novel. 

[Grovenor]

I did a Euston Manchester return a couple of weeks ago, both directions middle of the day weekdays and both with almost all seats taken and bookings were made next to each other. I would have estimated masks at about 30%.

[The Lurker]

Commuting on south eastern is nearly back to normal. Trains are not quite full - some people stand because they don't want to sit next to somebody else while others are not fussed. We even had a broken down train earlier this week resulting in me being sent the long way round to LBG (via Slade Green and Greenwich from Sidcup). I am now told by HR that I am expected to do three days a week in the office, this not being one them. Daily oyster is cheaper than a season ticket for 3 days a week. The flexi season tickets as described above are not available on south eastern if you live within the London boundaries, nor are any other south eastern deals (eg kids for a quid etc). 

 

Mask wearing is diminishing as a proportion of the total number of travellers.

 

 

[Ncarter2]

On 13/10/2021 at 19:00, Oldddudders said:

I am due at St Pancreas 14.39 next Weds, and hope to be on a nice, restful 15.20 Waterloo to Exeter. It might be that the 16.04 Paddington - Penzance is not too full, although I need a reservation in theory and they aren't easy to get from overseas, and it would get me there a mite earlier, but I enjoy the LSWR route. Not having been in the UK since 25.8.20 it will all be a bit novel. 

The 159’s are vastly more comfortable than the 800 series also. 

[adb968008]

Around London its settling to a new normal.

 

Some trains are full to the point of being unable to board, others half empty.

its not pre-2019 when everything was jammed to the roof, but its certainly not half empty.

 

i’m finding going into the office is more fun / social than a real business activity.

we have 400 in our office, we reached 40 in for the first time last week.. though that was only because the big boss put his name on the list and people wanted to be seen schmoozing… day before and after were near zero… It makes me laugh people who do that, afterall the booking sheet is open for all to see…inc the CEO who can see no one was in day before or after. 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by adb968008

[Mark Saunders]

18 hours ago, Ncarter2 said:

The 159’s are vastly more comfortable than the 800 series also. 

My initial thought was a bit more legroom and then realised there was no padding. Got on one yesterday and it was a repurposed wobble board rather than seat back!

[tigerburnie]

I have always loved train travel, but there is not enough money around to get me to use public transport just now, if I can't go in my car, I'll stop at home.

[Mark Saunders]

2 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

I have always loved train travel, but there is not enough money around to get me to use public transport just now, if I can't go in my car, I'll stop at home.

I’d rather avoid the roads as there are too many idiots out there for my liking!

[tigerburnie]

2 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

I’d rather avoid the roads as there are too many idiots out there for my liking!

True, luckily we live behind the back of beyond where three cars together constitutes a traffic jam.

[rockershovel]

0911 Peterborough to King's X about 30% occupancy, mostly people going to the game. Mask wearing minimal and the couple opposite me, took theirs off after a few minutes. People generally spread out, but that was always usual if possible. Several staff in 1st Class, which strikes me as bad PR if nothing else.