I always buy mine online. Most of the drivers are quite sympathetic and will let me on. Unlike this one.

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Thanks to whoever thought it was a good idea to steal cable, I'm currently sat at Berwick rail station, when I should be an hour away from Aberdeen. Starting to wish I didn't get on the rail replacement (as there wasn't a train at the other end as promised), and just waited at Newcastle for the 8:38 instead, as I'm waiting on that anyway. 

(25 Oct 2016, 6:25 pm)MVK 500R wrote It wasn't a cockney sounding bloke with glasses by any chance? Felt like waiting for him to come back the other way.

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He's refused to let me on before with a Pop card. He normally drives the Quaylink. Haven't got a clue why but he said it expired although it clearly said 31st July 2016. This was about the end of June. Had to wait 15 minutes for the next Q1 and the driver let me on for free when I complained about his colleague.

Update from GNE: Driver is being brought in about his attitude, and they're going to look into the ticket machines. Confirmed what I already knew about my ticket being valid. Gonna be fun trying to get home tonight though...

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(26 Oct 2016, 8:30 am)mb134 wrote Thanks to whoever thought it was a good idea to steal cable, I'm currently sat at Berwick rail station, when I should be an hour away from Aberdeen. Starting to wish I didn't get on the rail replacement (as there wasn't a train at the other end as promised), and just waited at Newcastle for the 8:38 instead, as I'm waiting on that anyway. 

The trains were held up due to a trespassing incident?

(26 Oct 2016, 1:30 pm)Cobalt271 wrote The trains were held up due to a trespassing incident?

Yes, but had the cable not been stolen my train wouldn't have been affected.

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There were two separate incidents on the ECML today; firstly being cable theft near Morpeth thus resulting in the loss of power between Morpeth and Plessey for track circuits, signals and level crossings.
Secondly there was an injured person on the railway at Berwick just a few hours later - was treated as a crime scene by the BTP until that cleared up.

(26 Oct 2016, 4:11 pm)northern156 wrote There were two separate incidents on the ECML today; firstly being cable theft near Morpeth thus resulting in the loss of power between Morpeth and Plessey for track circuits, signals and level crossings.
Secondly there was an injured person on the railway at Berwick just a few hours later - was treated as a crime scene by the BTP until that cleared up.

Yep. So, had I not been instructed to wait for the 09:32, and instead got on the delayed XC service, I would have been fine. However, I waited for a service that didn't arrive until around 12:00 due to the incident north of Berwick, which was then terminated at Waverly, meaning another replacement bus from there to Aberdeen.

(26 Oct 2016, 4:29 pm)mb134 wrote Yep. So, had I not been instructed to wait for the 09:32, and instead got on the delayed XC service, I would have been fine. However, I waited for a service that didn't arrive until around 12:00 due to the incident north of Berwick, which was then terminated at Waverly, meaning another replacement bus from there to Aberdeen.

Not your day to say the least then 

(26 Oct 2016, 4:29 pm)mb134 wrote Yep. So, had I not been instructed to wait for the 09:32, and instead got on the delayed XC service, I would have been fine. However, I waited for a service that didn't arrive until around 12:00 due to the incident north of Berwick, which was then terminated at Waverly, meaning another replacement bus from there to Aberdeen.

Get the delay repay in .

(26 Oct 2016, 4:37 pm)citaro5284 wrote Not your day to say the least then 

Nope, definitely not  

(26 Oct 2016, 4:52 pm)northern156 wrote Get the delay repay in .

The first thing I did as I walked through the door was load that form up    Filled in an additional complaint form about their decision to  terminate the train at Waverly, there were a lot of people making journeys past Edinburgh. I wouldn't have minded as much if it had been announced as we boarded at Berwick that it was only going to Edinburgh, but there were several announcements with updated Aberdeen ETA's, then literally as we were pulling into Edinburgh it was announced that it was terminating there... Cheekily asked for some sort of additional compensation, not expecting anything, but if you don't ask then there's zero chance you'll get anything.

A snotty bus driver...

Waited for a 20 in PLI, one pulled in went NIS straight away and went into a layover bay in the middle, bus driver gets on, puts Shields on the front and proceeds to pull out of PLI without coming back on the stand as he should have done, anyway I told a GNE supervisor and waited for he next one...

As I have not felt too well for a couple of days(I had actually threw my guts up in the netty 5 mins earlier), I jumped on the bus to the top of Fawcett Street, as I got off the bus, the driver said snidily 'You told ****** about the last driver going straight out and all you wanted was to come this far' followed by the hackiest of looks and shake of his head.

Now I know it is quite lazy, but he does not know my circumstances or why I want to take such a short journey, I found it ignorant and although I am thick skinned and can take grief, I was really put out by his behaviour as, no matter how far I was going, whether it is 1 stop or the whole route, I believe from a customer POV I did the right thing reporting it andn it kinda left me feeling bad about what I essentially was the right thing to do as I was not the only one left waiting at that stand...

His expression was pretty much telling me to 'grow up and get a life'



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Usual standard of passengers on my 5A right now, loud and every word is a swear and that's as much as I will say on a public forum. Can someone please silence them, somehow, please!

(28 Oct 2016, 1:32 pm)Jimmi wrote Usual standard of passengers on my 5A right now, loud and every word is a swear and that's as much as I will say on a public forum. Can someone please silence them, somehow, please!

I'd bottle some of that look for you, but I've used most of mine up over half term. Mostly on the boys, but the last dregs got thrown at a guy who got on an almost empty 22, in ryhope, sat directly in front of littl'un and spent most of the journey to park lane staring at him. I don't use the word weirdo lightly, but in this case...

Even littl'un. Who high fives all sorts of randoms, blanked him.

(28 Oct 2016, 2:42 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Even littl'un. Who high fives all sorts of randoms, blanked him.

Little'un must have good taste then

Booked tickets to go to York today on the Trainline app on my phone and booked forward facing seats and get on the train and seats are backwards facing


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(29 Oct 2016, 11:28 am)TEN 6083 wrote Booked tickets to go to York today on the Trainline app on my phone and booked forward facing seats and get on the train and seats are backwards facing


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This is why you should always pack a phillips screwdriver!

I often stand rather than face the wrong way.

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(29 Oct 2016, 11:28 am)TEN 6083 wrote Booked tickets to go to York today on the Trainline app on my phone and booked forward facing seats and get on the train and seats are backwards facing


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Apart from saving a quid or whatever it is in booking fees when you use the train line - booking direct with the operator you are planning to use, enables you to use their seat selector option.
A lot more reliable.

Door for our carriage on my VTEC from Edinburgh to Darlington doesn't shut itself, so I have to get up and shut it everytime someone walks through the carriage, which is a lot! Reason is because of the draft and the squeezing noises are annoying.

And they f'd it up on the way back now and double booked our seats which are still facing backwards when asked for forward facing and selfish people won't move that are sitting in the seats that booked, going to complain to Trainline about this


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I completely don't support The Trainline. Absolutely no need to pay a booking fee if you book through the operator directly, plus you're sometimes eligible for discounts (ie what used to be EC 10% web fare discount), also with booking through VTEC you get your WiFi code in Standard, plus Nectar points etc etc. That and the previously mentioned ability to change your reserved seats/coaches.

With regards to forward/backwards facing seats, it depends on the circumstances but they can almost never be guaranteed - with the likes of TPE 185s going on various routes across the north, it's easy for sets to get turned around during normal working.
Longer distance operators such as VTEC and VTWC *usually* have First at the London end with Standard at the Country end of the train - however again this can change at short notice. Newcastle around the bridges is something that does occasionally happen if there's something affecting the train from the DVT end.

In terms of your complaint, you'll only really be able to complain about the double-booking.

Cross Country and Transpennine will reverse sets sometimes at Newcastle if their's an operation need as it's one of the easiest locations to do it.

Cross Country is also able to turn their sets at Sheffield and Birmingham too.

I'm sick of fireworks already! Someone in my street right now seems to have more fireworks than a organised display.

(29 Oct 2016, 10:01 pm)GMitchelhill wrote Cross Country and Transpennine will reverse sets sometimes at Newcastle if their's an operation need as it's one of the easiest locations to do it.

Cross Country is also able to turn their sets at Sheffield and Birmingham too.

Didn't know about Sheffield. But there is Reading too where they change direction.

(29 Oct 2016, 10:01 pm)GMitchelhill wrote Cross Country and Transpennine will reverse sets sometimes at Newcastle if their's an operation need as it's one of the easiest locations to do it.

Cross Country is also able to turn their sets at Sheffield and Birmingham too.

Both AXC and TPE can do so in various other places in UK as well.

Next time will book at Newcastle station to make sure get the right seats as need a table seat as get claustrophobic in the 2 seaters


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(29 Oct 2016, 10:53 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Next time will book at Newcastle station to make sure get the right seats as need a table seat as get claustrophobic in the 2 seaters


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No need for that, just book it online on the VTEC website!!

(29 Oct 2016, 10:07 pm)Andreos1 wrote Didn't know about Sheffield. But there is Reading too where they change direction.

Reading is more of a reversing point rather than turn the set around.

(29 Oct 2016, 10:08 pm)northern156 wrote Both AXC and TPE can do so in various other places in UK as well.

Indeed, Leeds is another location where the train heading North can depart Southbound and head via Castleford and Sherburn in Elmet to regain normal route, happened to me once before on Transpennine though was more down to Engineering work than operational requirement.

This other locations are...
Manchester area (TPE)
Chesterfield to Derby (AXC) if the driver has route knowledge of the Erewash Valley Line, though in most cases they usually do it at Sheffield where if a set arrives from the North, it departs Northbound along the line towards Woodhouse before taking the normally Freight Line to Chesterfield.
This AXC can do reversals around the Bristol and Gloucester areas too if urgently needed.

To be honest most AXC set turnarounds are done at either Birmingham so that the set is the right way for the depot near Burton, or at Newcastle because it's easier to get the Path to turn the train and not delay it too much by sending it over the bridges than struggle to get a path to turn the set at the already crowded New Street Station.

Carstairs, Carmuirs, Hamilton loops, too many to list.

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