You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
We have planned a holiday with my elderly father. He needs to get from Warrington area to Glasgow or Edinburgh on first Sunday in April - the start of Easter holidays for many.
Due to planned works and threatened strikes, the trains vary from 9h15m with 3 stops to 16+ hours and multiple stops - Warrington-Manchester-Preston-York-Edinburgh, with bus links x2(!). And £116.
No coaches seem to do Warrington-Glasgow, I might be able to get him on a Liverpool or Manchester - Glasgow bus, but currently cannot see what company or cost this is.
I haven't even looked at getting him home a week on Monday after.
Really? Can we not travel directly up a west coast mainline on a weekend (just) in season? At this rate I may have to drive down and collect him.
i'd just drive it. Some good dad bonding time there.
No coaches seem to do Warrington-Glasgow
I seem to remember Megabus doing a a service from Warrington to Glasgow - worth checking is they still do
I've found the train service between N lancs/S Cumbria and Glasgow pretty good in general and not too expensive. Travelling on a Sunday is often bad on any journey in the UK though, they are always messing about due to doing works etc. Is that the only day that works?
Edit: if someone could get him to Preston there are still some non-disrupted trains amongst the bus replacement services.
We are changing the day - he will come up on the Saturday and extend holiday by an extra night.
It just sums up the challenges we face around public transport.
Perhaps we are unlucky in choosing the weekend of the year when half the rail lines are being fixed...
Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow used to be very simple (no changes, lots of trains), and quicker than driving. Is it just you've picked the time when the engineering works were on? Could he come Thur/Fri before? He can presumably be flexible on time of day and with a senior rail card should be cheap. By way of example:
Thur 14/4 at 3:15pm - 2h 47m journey for £14.55 (you can do it even cheaper on a slightly slower train). Snr rail card of £30 (or £70 for 3 yrs) so he can probably do the whole lot for £60ish inc the card if you can be flexible. Unfortunately engineering work is essential and in total it causes less disruption to do it on holiday weekends.
I seem to remember Megabus doing a a service from Warrington to Glasgow
Have you ever been on one?
I remember being in a similar situation regarding trains and took that option.
I still wake up screaming in the middle of the night at the memory of it.
I wouldn't wish it on anyone! If you inflicted that on one of your parents they may rightfully disown you
Everything we needed to do this we collect and delivered relatives as its just a pain.
Also cheaper if there's more than 1 person travelling
Our train services suck
What's needed, is a third line from London to Scotland, via the North of England, to keep things moving when work is required on either of the existing two legacy routes. As it would be new, you could even make it so it could carry modern high speed trains, and call it something to put emphasis on that speed, to make its increased capacity and contingency benefits seem a bit more exciting for the general public.
Surely as an OAP he could come on a day they're not doing works?
A bit like the old couple stood behind me in Aldi during the summer, complaining how busy it was - don't come in on a Saturday morning!
Is flying From Manchester an option?
Is flying From Manchester an option?
Nope. I work for a Glasgow company and when I searched the only flights were via Ireland or Italy!!
Surely as an OAP he could come on a day they’re not doing works?
He can.
He then just pays for extra hotel nights...
(our house being not big enough for extra person...)
What’s needed, is a third line from London to Scotland, via the North of England, to keep things moving when work is required on either of the existing two legacy routes. As it would be new, you could even make it so it could carry modern high speed trains, and call it something to put emphasis on that speed, to make its increased capacity and contingency benefits seem a bit more exciting for the general public.
How does 'High Speed' grab ya as a title?
Seeing as North England - Scotland has only two lines, and both have works on the day we are looking, I would like to see how London would react if every line & tube was shut there for a day....
How does ‘High Speed’ grab ya as a title?
There's already one of them... connecting London to the even further South... how about "High Speed Two"?
Also… needs a logo…
…not a spoof.
Peachy.
Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow used to be very simple
Thought it still was.
Is the thread just complaining that there are works on one particular Sunday?
Sheesh.
on one particular Sunday?
No, not really.
https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/planned-engineering-works
https://www.lumo.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-engineering-works
Fly: Manchester - Gatwick - Italy - Ireland - Glasgee. Still quicker and cheaper than the train.
Has anyone else found the National Express timetable search online worse than useless? I have been reduced to call-centre hold music hell as they have 'improved' the offering by making it crap. I'm unable to search a known service to Ipswich for daily timings as the timetables downloads have been removed, I can only search for a specified journey and that throws a computer says no error.
Fly: Manchester – Gatwick – Italy – Ireland – Glasgee.
You could get some tour t-shirts printed with that on the back for a new band called Elderly Internationalist, or Wandering Grandad or something and call it the Guinness and Pizza tour
Is the thread just complaining that there are works on one particular Sunday?
Sheesh.
As well as engineering there are planned strikes and some long-term maintenance issues. Finally, there is a reduction in services on the lines since Cv19 anyway, so fewer services provided that are then hacked up due to other issues.
And it doesn't seem unreasonable to get from A-B, along the line of a 'mainline', on a given date....
The railways have always used public holidays (Christmas-New Year and Easter) to do engineering work. Yes it's crap for leisure passengers but it was always deemed better than disrupting commuters and causing mayhem on the roads. The main issue is the Motherwell closure. TBH I am a bit surprised there are closures that far ahead of Easter, are they going on every Sunday? Again, it's preferable to affect leisure travellers than business travellers basically.
The options as I see it:
- Travel Friday on the West Coast mainline, 2 extra nights in a hotel
- If the West Coast has engineering works consider going from Warrington by taxi or train to Newton-le-Willows, train to York is £15-25 advance fare and 2 hours, train York to Edinburgh is £21-29 and 2 1/2 hours. Almost certain this route will work on the Saturday if not the Sunday.
- National Express coach on the Sunday. Get to Manchester central coach station before 10:30 am and the 182 service arrives in Glasgow about 4 pm, Edinburgh about 5:15 pm. £12. (Can also catch from Manchester Airport at 09:30)
Barp!
Wandering Grandad
2 more from that session later in the show, but now one from Elderly Internationalist
I'll add them to the ever-lengthening list of potential band names that me and Mrs Binners make out of snippets of daily conversations
This weeks favourites are:
Pointing at Wasps
Disinvited Stepdad
Test Kit Barcodes
Wandering Grandad
He has that t-shirt already, having lived half his life in India, brother in Aus, son in NZ...
'The Meandering Biffers'
'Jura or bust'
'The train ticket conundrum' (prog. rock, surely)
He could fly from Liverpool for £45 on the Saturday (via Dublin, but only a short stop).
Drive down and get him in a large car.
Major works that weekend. If he can travel on the friday before or the monday after then services are running as normal. 2hrs 48m from warrington to glasgow, no changes and about £20 for a single.