Help! All the return trains are cancelled, how will I get home?

[QuickFetchTheCoffee]

Due to rail strikes, almost all the trains due to run on the day I'll be returning from a short break with DD are cancelled.
The only one running that day is early in the morning and will mean we miss out on a big chunk of our stay (because it's only 2 nights).

Do we have any rights at all to get home or do we have to stay at home? Supposed to be leaving tomorrow!

Have you looked into National Express coaches?

national express coach or mega bus? Have they put bus replacement services on?

National Express? You'll have to tell us where from and to for anyone to help you.

Buses are running though. Or stay an extra night?

Book another day?

I think you can reclaim the money but that doesn't help with getting home, unfortunately. Where are you trying to get from/to? Might need National Express or a network of local buses to get you home.

They usually put on a replacement bus service when the trains are not running

I'm not there yet. Is there any point in going?
It will be Lincoln to Grimsby.

Is this bus still running or is it an old service?

https://bustimes.org/services/53-grimsby-market-rasen

Yes the buses are running. I was hoping they'd run a replacement bus service but I'm having trouble finding out. It looks like not.

Also DD is often badly travel sick on buses so I'm not looking forward to it (obviously better to be sick than not get home though).

Unlikely they’ll run a replacement bus service on a strike day unfortunately - that’s usually for engineering work etc

Okay thanks I will ask when I get to the hotel if we can book the rooms for an extra night, and if not there is the number 53 (thanks for reminding me @BandyMcBandface) and a later national express service (thanks to everyone mentioning this service) if we manage to miss that.

I'm the wrong side of the country, but my train co posts an amended timetable prior to a strike to suggest which trains they might run (and details of what advance tickets can be swapped).

It is usually possible to switch trains and a human (on Twitter or by phone or at a train station) can usually swap seat reservations for you.

Plan ahead, don't hope for the best, unless you want a miserable journey.

Is this the strike on the 8th? I booked rooms for an extra day, online (in my case, the 7th). Can you do the same? Don't wait until you get to the hotel

If your child is over 5 then buy stugeron from boots for travel sickness. It’s just amazing not having to worry the whole time if they’re going to vom.

It's on the 5th @Abracadabra12345 , if I spend more money on the hotel and then DD melts down because we can't get home to her pets it's going to be even less enjoyable than a 2 hour bus journey to stay!
She's 17 so I will be consulting her, but my priority right now is get her to have a good night's sleep and get on the train tomorrow.
Everything else is copable with with a good night's sleep.

not for a train strike, not this one anyway

When we've been affected by train strikes on arrival at Stansted there were National Express buses instead. I suppose the airport doesn't want a pile up of people with no way to leave?

I had booked NE in advance but actually they were accepting train tickets.

This will happen to me this week too. I booked a National Express coach as soon as the strike was announced. I have theatre tickets in London, so I'm not letting a load of idiotic strikers spoil my treat, even tho I'm not looking forward to many hours on a coach.....

In previous train strikes NE have been fully booked as soon as the strikes were announced. There may be an extremely limited train service but I wouldn’t bank on it. An extra night stay is probably the best option.

Have you looked at the cost of an Uber/taxi vs another night in the hotel?

Yes @MooseBeTimeForSnow that's another option. It will actually cost less. Not ideal with the travel sickness but it could work.

They don't offer rail replacement buses on strike days, that's usually only if the trains are cancelled due to engineering works. It's shit and totally screws up people's plans but that's the whole point of the strikes!
You have to go home early, stay another night, use the bus or hire a car.....none of which are always that easy and are bound to leave you out of pocket.

It's all okay, managed to book National Express, and have been assured by hotel reception that we can leave our luggage with them until its time to go. Would have stayed the extra night if it was just me but DD wants things to go as much to plan as possible.