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Timetables are the Best

I like timetables. I used to buy the British Rail timetable every year, actually it was twice a year in May and December and I spent many happy hours planning journeys. If it was possible, and for journeys with two or more changes it usually was, I'd go out one way and come back another.


I detest journey planners, they more often than not give the most boring of routes such as under the Severn to Swindon, when going from Knighton to Fairford, Gloucestershire when it is much more scenic to travel up the bank of the Severn to Gloucester and then up the Stroud Valley to Kemble, Similarly, every journey planner trip to Harwich involves going via London (boring), when it is much nicer to go across country via Peterborough.

Journey planners can also give stupid journeys. Traveline.info gave me a journey from Kemble to Cirencester (three miles apart) via Paddington and Victoria Coach Station once. The Journey Planner at Llandrindod does not give a journey to Knighton, at least not the Knighton 18 miles away in Wales. It gave me journeys to Somerset or Leicestershire instead! I switched to Cymraeg and then it gave me the times to Trefyclawdd.

Recently I had to attend a meeting in Ystradgynlais from 10.00 to 13.00. Traveline.cymru's best effort was train to Swansea and bus to Ystragynlais arriving well after 10.00. I already knew I could get there before 10.00 by using the train to Llandrindod, T4 bus to Brecon and T6 to Ystradgylais. Coming back I went via bus to Neath and got the train back from there. Neither of those journeys came up on Traveline.cymru despite both being considerably quicker than their suggestions.

A few years ago I went to the Isle of Man and bought a seven day bus & rail ticket (£50) and was given a "GO" card and a proper journey planner - a thirty-six page booklet with timetables for all the bus and rail routes. Best holiday I've had for some time!

Fortunately I've discovered bustimes.org and along with various train companies online timetable booklets, including TfW's, I have been able to amuse myself by planning journeys and on my monthly visits to my mother in Fairford I have taken over twenty different routes so far.

PS. I don't have a smart phone and I always buy my rail tickets at on the train if the rail part of the journey starts at a staffed station.





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Travellingman6 3 months ago
I have a Smart phone but much prefer looking at a timetable booklet. You have made these available on the TrawsCymru bus network & they are available for travel on Cardiff Bus & Newport Transport. Therefore, you should make them available for rail travel too. You could produce fewer quantities & even make a small charge for those of us, who want them.  Freedom of the individual to choose what best suits their needs is what is required, so, please give us that choice!! Often I forget my phone or cannot get Internet reception. It is far easier & quicker to look at a printed timetable & easier to remember. It also, is a good way of advertising public transport services.
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Share I have a Smart phone but much prefer looking at a timetable booklet. You have made these available on the TrawsCymru bus network & they are available for travel on Cardiff Bus & Newport Transport. Therefore, you should make them available for rail travel too. You could produce fewer quantities & even make a small charge for those of us, who want them.  Freedom of the individual to choose what best suits their needs is what is required, so, please give us that choice!! Often I forget my phone or cannot get Internet reception. It is far easier & quicker to look at a printed timetable & easier to remember. It also, is a good way of advertising public transport services. on Facebook Share I have a Smart phone but much prefer looking at a timetable booklet. You have made these available on the TrawsCymru bus network & they are available for travel on Cardiff Bus & Newport Transport. Therefore, you should make them available for rail travel too. You could produce fewer quantities & even make a small charge for those of us, who want them.  Freedom of the individual to choose what best suits their needs is what is required, so, please give us that choice!! Often I forget my phone or cannot get Internet reception. It is far easier & quicker to look at a printed timetable & easier to remember. It also, is a good way of advertising public transport services. on Twitter Share I have a Smart phone but much prefer looking at a timetable booklet. You have made these available on the TrawsCymru bus network & they are available for travel on Cardiff Bus & Newport Transport. Therefore, you should make them available for rail travel too. You could produce fewer quantities & even make a small charge for those of us, who want them.  Freedom of the individual to choose what best suits their needs is what is required, so, please give us that choice!! Often I forget my phone or cannot get Internet reception. It is far easier & quicker to look at a printed timetable & easier to remember. It also, is a good way of advertising public transport services. on Linkedin Email I have a Smart phone but much prefer looking at a timetable booklet. You have made these available on the TrawsCymru bus network & they are available for travel on Cardiff Bus & Newport Transport. Therefore, you should make them available for rail travel too. You could produce fewer quantities & even make a small charge for those of us, who want them.  Freedom of the individual to choose what best suits their needs is what is required, so, please give us that choice!! Often I forget my phone or cannot get Internet reception. It is far easier & quicker to look at a printed timetable & easier to remember. It also, is a good way of advertising public transport services. link
Ginnymay 3 months ago
I agree with Pete Jackson. Unbelievable that “transport hub” is actually being built costing nearly £20 million currently in Haverfordwest about 1/3 mile away from the train station, planned non-connectivity. This despite large areas of disused sidings adjacent to the train station. There were local protests about locals not being able to access buses nearer the train station than the shopping centre, but there are plenty of convenient bus stops. Protests locally have not been listened to.
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Share I agree with Pete Jackson. Unbelievable that “transport hub” is actually being built costing nearly £20 million currently in Haverfordwest about 1/3 mile away from the train station, planned non-connectivity. This despite large areas of disused sidings adjacent to the train station. There were local protests about locals not being able to access buses nearer the train station than the shopping centre, but there are plenty of convenient bus stops. Protests locally have not been listened to. on Facebook Share I agree with Pete Jackson. Unbelievable that “transport hub” is actually being built costing nearly £20 million currently in Haverfordwest about 1/3 mile away from the train station, planned non-connectivity. This despite large areas of disused sidings adjacent to the train station. There were local protests about locals not being able to access buses nearer the train station than the shopping centre, but there are plenty of convenient bus stops. Protests locally have not been listened to. on Twitter Share I agree with Pete Jackson. Unbelievable that “transport hub” is actually being built costing nearly £20 million currently in Haverfordwest about 1/3 mile away from the train station, planned non-connectivity. This despite large areas of disused sidings adjacent to the train station. There were local protests about locals not being able to access buses nearer the train station than the shopping centre, but there are plenty of convenient bus stops. Protests locally have not been listened to. on Linkedin Email I agree with Pete Jackson. Unbelievable that “transport hub” is actually being built costing nearly £20 million currently in Haverfordwest about 1/3 mile away from the train station, planned non-connectivity. This despite large areas of disused sidings adjacent to the train station. There were local protests about locals not being able to access buses nearer the train station than the shopping centre, but there are plenty of convenient bus stops. Protests locally have not been listened to. link
Ginnymay 3 months ago
Big beefs of mine: 1: Trains from more than one company arriving within 10 minutes of each other, then nothing for 2 hours.  2: Trains which ought to be connections timed to leave a station just before a train they would connect with arrives. Old school railway employees use their common sense and hold the “connection” back for the incoming train. I am thinking especially of trains changing in Swansea and the connection for points west. There is a long wait for the next train if the previous one leaves as timetabled. Increasingly companies are penalised if trains don’t run to timetable, so a jobsworth will often let them go even if empty. Recently happened with a rail replacement bus in Carmarthen which left empty just as the connecting train was pulling in, leaving a horde of angry passengers on the station for an age, and feeding the coffers of the local taxi companies. Also happens at Shrewsbury, when the “connecting” train for Bangor leaves just before the Aberystwyth train pulls in, with that weird arrangement for the opposite platform of going out of and re-entering the station, not funny if you are hauling suitcases (which, by the way, there is not nearly enough room for on trains.  We shouldn’t have to plead with the conductor on the train to hold the connection, and even if it is held, could do without the stress of wondering, will it or won’t it be held. 3: Non-existent trains. We had tickets for Bangor at approx. 5pm from Birmingham Airport, having purposely selected a later than necessary train to avoid  changes. I had a printout from the ticket office of the schedule.On enquiring re platform at the Information desk, was told no such train, despite our tickets and schedule, “but there is one to Aberystwyth in 5 minutes, change at Shrewsbury”. And the next train? 2 hours time. Cue mad panic across a long concourse, lift wait and caught the train which moved off as we closed the door, out of breath. And it was that “connection” at Shrewsbury which was actually held, because extra carriages had to be attached because of so many train cancellations. There were several conductors on that train as so many others had been cancelled, we were told.   I believe it was the train to Aberystwyth that we got off that later crashed.  As often as not, it is the lack of information provided, not only to passengers but to the conductors that is so infuriating, in this age of easy communication.  Also the difficulty of knowing whether one’s ticket will be accepted by a different company. This isn’t an issue in West Wales as not a large number of companies on the same route. This makes a total of all bar two train journeys that I have made that  have been disrupted in the past year. One of those was in England
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Share Big beefs of mine: 1: Trains from more than one company arriving within 10 minutes of each other, then nothing for 2 hours.  2: Trains which ought to be connections timed to leave a station just before a train they would connect with arrives. Old school railway employees use their common sense and hold the “connection” back for the incoming train. I am thinking especially of trains changing in Swansea and the connection for points west. There is a long wait for the next train if the previous one leaves as timetabled. Increasingly companies are penalised if trains don’t run to timetable, so a jobsworth will often let them go even if empty. Recently happened with a rail replacement bus in Carmarthen which left empty just as the connecting train was pulling in, leaving a horde of angry passengers on the station for an age, and feeding the coffers of the local taxi companies. Also happens at Shrewsbury, when the “connecting” train for Bangor leaves just before the Aberystwyth train pulls in, with that weird arrangement for the opposite platform of going out of and re-entering the station, not funny if you are hauling suitcases (which, by the way, there is not nearly enough room for on trains.  We shouldn’t have to plead with the conductor on the train to hold the connection, and even if it is held, could do without the stress of wondering, will it or won’t it be held. 3: Non-existent trains. We had tickets for Bangor at approx. 5pm from Birmingham Airport, having purposely selected a later than necessary train to avoid  changes. I had a printout from the ticket office of the schedule.On enquiring re platform at the Information desk, was told no such train, despite our tickets and schedule, “but there is one to Aberystwyth in 5 minutes, change at Shrewsbury”. And the next train? 2 hours time. Cue mad panic across a long concourse, lift wait and caught the train which moved off as we closed the door, out of breath. And it was that “connection” at Shrewsbury which was actually held, because extra carriages had to be attached because of so many train cancellations. There were several conductors on that train as so many others had been cancelled, we were told.   I believe it was the train to Aberystwyth that we got off that later crashed.  As often as not, it is the lack of information provided, not only to passengers but to the conductors that is so infuriating, in this age of easy communication.  Also the difficulty of knowing whether one’s ticket will be accepted by a different company. This isn’t an issue in West Wales as not a large number of companies on the same route. This makes a total of all bar two train journeys that I have made that  have been disrupted in the past year. One of those was in England on Facebook Share Big beefs of mine: 1: Trains from more than one company arriving within 10 minutes of each other, then nothing for 2 hours.  2: Trains which ought to be connections timed to leave a station just before a train they would connect with arrives. Old school railway employees use their common sense and hold the “connection” back for the incoming train. I am thinking especially of trains changing in Swansea and the connection for points west. There is a long wait for the next train if the previous one leaves as timetabled. Increasingly companies are penalised if trains don’t run to timetable, so a jobsworth will often let them go even if empty. Recently happened with a rail replacement bus in Carmarthen which left empty just as the connecting train was pulling in, leaving a horde of angry passengers on the station for an age, and feeding the coffers of the local taxi companies. Also happens at Shrewsbury, when the “connecting” train for Bangor leaves just before the Aberystwyth train pulls in, with that weird arrangement for the opposite platform of going out of and re-entering the station, not funny if you are hauling suitcases (which, by the way, there is not nearly enough room for on trains.  We shouldn’t have to plead with the conductor on the train to hold the connection, and even if it is held, could do without the stress of wondering, will it or won’t it be held. 3: Non-existent trains. We had tickets for Bangor at approx. 5pm from Birmingham Airport, having purposely selected a later than necessary train to avoid  changes. I had a printout from the ticket office of the schedule.On enquiring re platform at the Information desk, was told no such train, despite our tickets and schedule, “but there is one to Aberystwyth in 5 minutes, change at Shrewsbury”. And the next train? 2 hours time. Cue mad panic across a long concourse, lift wait and caught the train which moved off as we closed the door, out of breath. And it was that “connection” at Shrewsbury which was actually held, because extra carriages had to be attached because of so many train cancellations. There were several conductors on that train as so many others had been cancelled, we were told.   I believe it was the train to Aberystwyth that we got off that later crashed.  As often as not, it is the lack of information provided, not only to passengers but to the conductors that is so infuriating, in this age of easy communication.  Also the difficulty of knowing whether one’s ticket will be accepted by a different company. This isn’t an issue in West Wales as not a large number of companies on the same route. This makes a total of all bar two train journeys that I have made that  have been disrupted in the past year. One of those was in England on Twitter Share Big beefs of mine: 1: Trains from more than one company arriving within 10 minutes of each other, then nothing for 2 hours.  2: Trains which ought to be connections timed to leave a station just before a train they would connect with arrives. Old school railway employees use their common sense and hold the “connection” back for the incoming train. I am thinking especially of trains changing in Swansea and the connection for points west. There is a long wait for the next train if the previous one leaves as timetabled. Increasingly companies are penalised if trains don’t run to timetable, so a jobsworth will often let them go even if empty. Recently happened with a rail replacement bus in Carmarthen which left empty just as the connecting train was pulling in, leaving a horde of angry passengers on the station for an age, and feeding the coffers of the local taxi companies. Also happens at Shrewsbury, when the “connecting” train for Bangor leaves just before the Aberystwyth train pulls in, with that weird arrangement for the opposite platform of going out of and re-entering the station, not funny if you are hauling suitcases (which, by the way, there is not nearly enough room for on trains.  We shouldn’t have to plead with the conductor on the train to hold the connection, and even if it is held, could do without the stress of wondering, will it or won’t it be held. 3: Non-existent trains. We had tickets for Bangor at approx. 5pm from Birmingham Airport, having purposely selected a later than necessary train to avoid  changes. I had a printout from the ticket office of the schedule.On enquiring re platform at the Information desk, was told no such train, despite our tickets and schedule, “but there is one to Aberystwyth in 5 minutes, change at Shrewsbury”. And the next train? 2 hours time. Cue mad panic across a long concourse, lift wait and caught the train which moved off as we closed the door, out of breath. And it was that “connection” at Shrewsbury which was actually held, because extra carriages had to be attached because of so many train cancellations. There were several conductors on that train as so many others had been cancelled, we were told.   I believe it was the train to Aberystwyth that we got off that later crashed.  As often as not, it is the lack of information provided, not only to passengers but to the conductors that is so infuriating, in this age of easy communication.  Also the difficulty of knowing whether one’s ticket will be accepted by a different company. This isn’t an issue in West Wales as not a large number of companies on the same route. This makes a total of all bar two train journeys that I have made that  have been disrupted in the past year. One of those was in England on Linkedin Email Big beefs of mine: 1: Trains from more than one company arriving within 10 minutes of each other, then nothing for 2 hours.  2: Trains which ought to be connections timed to leave a station just before a train they would connect with arrives. Old school railway employees use their common sense and hold the “connection” back for the incoming train. I am thinking especially of trains changing in Swansea and the connection for points west. There is a long wait for the next train if the previous one leaves as timetabled. Increasingly companies are penalised if trains don’t run to timetable, so a jobsworth will often let them go even if empty. Recently happened with a rail replacement bus in Carmarthen which left empty just as the connecting train was pulling in, leaving a horde of angry passengers on the station for an age, and feeding the coffers of the local taxi companies. Also happens at Shrewsbury, when the “connecting” train for Bangor leaves just before the Aberystwyth train pulls in, with that weird arrangement for the opposite platform of going out of and re-entering the station, not funny if you are hauling suitcases (which, by the way, there is not nearly enough room for on trains.  We shouldn’t have to plead with the conductor on the train to hold the connection, and even if it is held, could do without the stress of wondering, will it or won’t it be held. 3: Non-existent trains. We had tickets for Bangor at approx. 5pm from Birmingham Airport, having purposely selected a later than necessary train to avoid  changes. I had a printout from the ticket office of the schedule.On enquiring re platform at the Information desk, was told no such train, despite our tickets and schedule, “but there is one to Aberystwyth in 5 minutes, change at Shrewsbury”. And the next train? 2 hours time. Cue mad panic across a long concourse, lift wait and caught the train which moved off as we closed the door, out of breath. And it was that “connection” at Shrewsbury which was actually held, because extra carriages had to be attached because of so many train cancellations. There were several conductors on that train as so many others had been cancelled, we were told.   I believe it was the train to Aberystwyth that we got off that later crashed.  As often as not, it is the lack of information provided, not only to passengers but to the conductors that is so infuriating, in this age of easy communication.  Also the difficulty of knowing whether one’s ticket will be accepted by a different company. This isn’t an issue in West Wales as not a large number of companies on the same route. This makes a total of all bar two train journeys that I have made that  have been disrupted in the past year. One of those was in England link
Petejackson 3 months ago
100% agree with you here. No journey planner is perfect and many have huge flaws in them. I've had a number of journey planners tell me to change buses at a random unmarked bus stop along the route just so that I can save a few minutes. Railway journey planners simply do not work in times of disruption. Even TFWs own one just breaks and says a part of the trip has been cancelled. It completely misses the fact that there is a train 15 minutes earlier which you can get, to then get to your connection point and make the rest of the journey perfectly fine.  When there are rail replacement buses, journey planners break as journey planners still tell you to go to the train station for the bus but some bus stops are over a mile away from the the train station.
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Share 100% agree with you here. No journey planner is perfect and many have huge flaws in them. I've had a number of journey planners tell me to change buses at a random unmarked bus stop along the route just so that I can save a few minutes. Railway journey planners simply do not work in times of disruption. Even TFWs own one just breaks and says a part of the trip has been cancelled. It completely misses the fact that there is a train 15 minutes earlier which you can get, to then get to your connection point and make the rest of the journey perfectly fine.  When there are rail replacement buses, journey planners break as journey planners still tell you to go to the train station for the bus but some bus stops are over a mile away from the the train station. on Facebook Share 100% agree with you here. No journey planner is perfect and many have huge flaws in them. I've had a number of journey planners tell me to change buses at a random unmarked bus stop along the route just so that I can save a few minutes. Railway journey planners simply do not work in times of disruption. Even TFWs own one just breaks and says a part of the trip has been cancelled. It completely misses the fact that there is a train 15 minutes earlier which you can get, to then get to your connection point and make the rest of the journey perfectly fine.  When there are rail replacement buses, journey planners break as journey planners still tell you to go to the train station for the bus but some bus stops are over a mile away from the the train station. on Twitter Share 100% agree with you here. No journey planner is perfect and many have huge flaws in them. I've had a number of journey planners tell me to change buses at a random unmarked bus stop along the route just so that I can save a few minutes. Railway journey planners simply do not work in times of disruption. Even TFWs own one just breaks and says a part of the trip has been cancelled. It completely misses the fact that there is a train 15 minutes earlier which you can get, to then get to your connection point and make the rest of the journey perfectly fine.  When there are rail replacement buses, journey planners break as journey planners still tell you to go to the train station for the bus but some bus stops are over a mile away from the the train station. on Linkedin Email 100% agree with you here. No journey planner is perfect and many have huge flaws in them. I've had a number of journey planners tell me to change buses at a random unmarked bus stop along the route just so that I can save a few minutes. Railway journey planners simply do not work in times of disruption. Even TFWs own one just breaks and says a part of the trip has been cancelled. It completely misses the fact that there is a train 15 minutes earlier which you can get, to then get to your connection point and make the rest of the journey perfectly fine.  When there are rail replacement buses, journey planners break as journey planners still tell you to go to the train station for the bus but some bus stops are over a mile away from the the train station. link