to be a bit pissed off?

[MindTheGap6]

I get my trains from a station where the trains are late regularly so I'm a bit used to this. My 6 am train was delayed and it said it was arriving at 6:36. Being pregnant and uncomfortable I went across the road to sit down and get a coffee out of the cold. I thought fair enough. Saw the train arrive and leave at 6:15, tried to run for it but just couldn't get there fast enough. Next one isn't until 7 and I am now missing my connection to London. London train is fully booked so won't be able to sit down for the 2 hour 34 minute journey and can't imagine anyone giving me their seat when they've booked the reservation and on such a long journey.

AIBU to even be slightly annoyed that they said the train would be here at 6:36 when it was actually only 10 minutes late and turned up at 6:15?

Sat here nearly in tears as it is one of those mornings and I'm going to be in so much trouble at work for being late to a meeting in London. Prepared to be told that this is all my fault.

National Rail Enquiries departures. Just put the name of the station you are travelling from. It gives you the platform number as well, which is really handy if you are changing trains.

So shit OP. Horrible way to start your day.

I would get on to twitter and then speak to someone at the train company to make a complaint. They may refund your ticket given your circumstances.

When I commutes I never believed the times on the station screens but used to check the National Rail and the train operator's app. It wasn't anymore correct than the signs at the station but it meant I didn't have to be waiting on the platform all the time

Shoulda woulda coulda. The trains are a shambles nationwide owing to the knock on effect of the timetable changes, so those you are meeting may well be having their own train related fun and games this morning.

I'm friends with a driver and a conductor and they are alternating between anger and despair at the current situation. Driver has so far twice turned up for work to find that there is no train there for him to drive because it's been left at the wrong station overnight.

Because, of course, the idiots who instigated the changes never come into contact with actual passengers.

@Weezol sounds awful! If this is what it's like for commuters I can't even imagine what it's like for staff!

Definitely going to start checking National Rail app I had no idea you could track your train. If I wasn't 5 months pregnant and didn't have a meeting I wouldn't be so annoyed and would've put it down to one of those things!

The timetable changed at the end of May and it has been a shambles ever since. I have been home on time only twice since the change, and I commute on the train every day.

There are a lot more services now, to try and deal with overcrowding, but as a result if anything goes wrong (say, a trespasser or something) the knock-on effect is now much more severe and it is very difficult to recover a normal service.

YABU if you believe any announcement about train times and train stops! Even if you jump in the correct train, there's no guarantee that it will reach your stop, stop at your station and won't change course randomly in the middle of your journey.

It's a disgrace.

Good luck for your journey, if there's a conductor you can ask them if there are seats available? You won't be the only one missing a train, I am sure there will be some seats, or some nice person might give you theirs.
Alternatively, I have sat on the floor whilst pregnant, it's not ideal, but less painful that to be bounced around for 1 hour.

When you get to the station where you change for the London train, find a guard on the station and see if they can help. Explain the situation and see if they can find you a seat and let you use the ticket. There's no harm in asking.

Yes definitely if there is a conductor ask if he can guide you to a seat, explaining your situation.

Bloody train to London is now delayed and I don't dare go to the toilet in case I miss it! Meaning I will have to go to the toilet when I get on the train and won't get a seat. This morning has been a nightmare! Haven't had time to pick to breakfast. I was so organised this morning it's amazing how much hassle one late train can cause!

Absolutely find a guard on the London train and ask if they can find you a seat. I'm sure they will.

You poor thing - nothing like in the same league but on Monday this week my train was delayed 15 minutes and on Tuesday showed up 1.5 minutes early. They're a nightmare. And commuting when you're pregnant is the absolute pits.

@MindTheGap6 download thetrainline.com now - if you put in your current location and destination your train will show up and it will show you where it is right now. Then you can figure out if you have time for the loo.

Do you have a Baby On Board badge? If you don't, when you get onto the train ask someone to move from a priority seat. It's what they're there for.

You're not going to be able to be sensible in a meeting if you don't get sit down and something to eat.

Does anyone know if Virgin trains have a cafe on board? Random I know. That would be a silver lining!

I think there is a coffee cart?
I might be wrong.

Trains are a nightmare at the moment.
We went for a day out on the train. Getting there was no problem. Checked my app at 5pm to see when the next train was -CANCELLED fine no problem. I'll check again at 6 and get the one after that. We walk to the train station at about 5.50pm it's saying there should be a bus replacement and the last train home is cancelled. Ffs.
All the announcements say cancelled. It's on the board. It's the same when you ring them. At 6.15pm a train pulls up, It's going in the wrong direction but it's a train. Conductor gets off and we ask him about cancelled train. 'No, that train is deffo not cancelled, I'm that train. Stay here I'll be 15 mins'
So we eventually got home.

Hope you manage to get a seat OP :)

I'm stood up. All seats including first class are booked and conductor can't kick someone out of a reserved seat of course. I might go and sit on the toilet for 2 hours.

Oh. There are seats in first class. I'm just not allowed to sit in them

Keep a eye out for a spare seat.

Most people don't realise that if you haven't taken up a reserved seats within five minutes of leaving the departure station, you lose the reservation.

I can't tell you how many times I've got on a packed train at London and the reservation holder decided to go to the buffet first, and doesnt appear until well after departure and then tries to hoof me out of what WAS their seat!

Longtime railway employee (civil engineering, safety, planning; and TSSA union rep) here. Resumption times after a delay are always estimated, they can't be anything else, unfortunately. The original cause of the delay could be on another train company's service, it's having a domino effect on adjoining services, and it could take more or less time than originally estimated to fix the problem. Train paths are arranged many months in advance but once disrupted the pieces have to be put back together absolutely as soon as possible, lost minutes are very expensive for the TOC as well as the passengers. Getting accurate and up to date info from one TOC to another doesn't seem to be a priority, one of many casualties of not having a joined-up railway any more. Using an app on a phone or tablet is the best way of keeping track of this crap kind of situation.

The railway won't recover until it's all renationalised (the railway infrastructure side is in public ownership now) under the management of a sole independent body with the objective of investing all profits back into the business, not exploiting it for shareholder profit. And not staffed by civil servants. The claims that EU regulations, current and proposed, don't allow this business structure, are false.

You're entitled to be annoyed, OP, we all are.

Off soapbox...

Virgin trains usually have the onboard shop / cafe thingy in coach c

A lovely lady just stood up for me as she's getting off at the next stop and said very loudly 'I can't believe nobody stood up for you that's disgraceful, here have my seat' - I said I asked about first class and they keep them free in case anyone wants to pay to upgrade. She said the same about seat reservations and that pregnancy, disability or any other reason for someone not being able to stand for a long time should be first priority! Am I the only person who just doesn't feel comfortable asking someone to move out of a reserved seat? People can be so angry that I'm always a little nervous to ask. Really thought the conductor could help. Their advice was 'there are two more trains going to London, why don't you get off and get one of those, they aren't as busy'. I'm not claiming that I am entitled to anything simply because I am pregnant, but did always think offering your seat to those who need it is simply the right and courteous thing to do. I would offer my seat to another in a heartbeat.

Anyway. I'm on my train. Going to be late but at least I'll be there. And breathe...

OP on most trains there are 2 reserved seats per carriage for elderly/pregnant/disabled passengers that can't be reserved. Next time get the conductor to point them out snf

Go and sit in First Class. Screw the rules.

And move the person there, if they don't offer. Good luck for today

Right, breakfast time now!

@harriethoyle the conductor didn't mention these to me. He was sat in first class on his phone with two of his colleagues. Told me to get a different train if I wanted a seat. And this is what Virgin's customer service has now amounted to! Just crap. I'd love him to have SPD and carry on a normal 50 hour week and see how he likes it! Some people aren't kind