On Friday I am travelling from Annan in South West Scotland to GLasgow before getting the train on to Falkirk. Annan to Glasgow is served by the Nith Valley rail line – an erratically appearing train service. Accordingly, as I need to get back that night I visited National Rail Enquiries to discover the times of trains leaving Annan in the early evening. I clicked the box for a direct service and my journey results are given below simply cutting and pasting what appears on screen.
OUTWARD JOURNEY from Annan (ANN) to Glasgow Central (GLC)
via Glasgow
Outward: Friday 27 June, 2008 + 1 day
Please Note: Outward journeys 2 and 3 below require the purchase of more than 1 ticket, as the journeys cannot be completed with a single ticket.
Outward Journey
For mobility assistance and information, please call your station operator
Leg 1 of 5
Fri 27 Jun
Annan (ANN) to Kilmarnock (KMK)
| Departs | Arrives | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 19:10 | 20:36 | 1:26 |
| Calling Points: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Travel By: | Train (Retail Service ID: NT080400) | |
| Train Company: | Northern Rail service from Newcastle to Stranraer |
| Seating Class: | Standard Class | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle Policy: | Train has a cycle policy |
Leg 2 of 5
Fri 27 Jun
Kilmarnock (KMK) to Glasgow Central (GLC)
| Departs | Arrives | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 20:50 | 21:27 | 0:37 |
| Calling Points: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Travel By: | Train (Retail Service ID: SR533300) | |
| Train Company: | First ScotRail service from Kilmarnock to Glasgow Central |
| Seating Class: | Standard Class | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle Policy: | Train has a cycle policy |
Leg 3 of 5
Fri 27 Jun
Glasgow Central (GLC) to Partick (PTK)
| Departs | Arrives | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 21:46 | 21:53 | 0:07 |
| Calling Points: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Travel By: | Train (Retail Service ID: SR582800) | |
| Train Company: | First ScotRail service from Motherwell to Partick |
| Seating Class: | Standard Class | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle Policy: | Train has a cycle policy |
Leg 4 of 5
Fri 27 Jun
Partick (PTK) to Glasgow Queen Street (GLQ)
| Departs | Arrives | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 22:04 | 22:10 | 0:06 |
| Calling Points: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Travel By: | Train (Retail Service ID: SR756200) | |
| Train Company: | First ScotRail service from Balloch to Springburn |
| Seating Class: | Standard Class | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle Policy: | Train has a cycle policy |
Leg 5 of 5 Walk
Fri 27 Jun
Glasgow Queen Street (GLQ) to Glasgow Central (GLC)
| Departs | Arrives | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 22:10 | 22:25 | 0:15 |
Total Journey Duration: 3:15 hr
So did you get that?
First I get the train to Kilmarnock, change there and get the train to Glasgow Central, then I am instructed to get the train from Central to Partick, then Partick to Queen Street, and then I am instructed to walk to Glasgow Central which I left 40 minutes before, and that’s journey’s end.
Later on I’m enquiring how to get to my bathroom from my bedroom and fully expect to get a three or four legged trip requiring me to detour via the moon.
I think the people in the stations must use the same website. Recently I enquired about getting from Tamworth to London on a Sunday and was given two equally tortuous routes one of which involved a bus. Fortunately there was a train to Birmingham and it did occur to me there were probably some trains from Birmingham to London. Result – Tamworth-Brum-London (with 1st class upgrade) – no trouble at all. How unlike using rail replacement services halfway across the Midlands.
There was a feature in one of the Scottish papers last week about the advice given at stations on pricing and routes. Needless to say they didn’t come out of it very well.
T’cha! They could at least have used the subway from Partick to Queen Street.
Anyway, it’s almost as good as the route the Department of transport once gave me for getting from Cambridge Station to Cambridge Drummer St Bus Station – via train, to Newmarket, and back to Cambridge by bus!
Ah, but the one ticket from Annan to Central apparently covered the trips out to Partick and back too.
which is nice.
Fantastic!
That is quite brilliant.
Many years ago I was waiting for a train at Partick (on leg 4 of the journey) – I saw a wee drunk man carrying a bag of chips in one hand slowly hoving into view as he ascended on the up escalator – as he arrived at the top and was mechanically deposited off the top step, he reached out with his free hand to steady himself, tragically catching hold of the moving banister on the down escalator whereupon he was instantly wheeched back down from whence he’d come. When he re-appeared three minutes later back on the up escalator, the look of bafflement on his face had me quite helpless.
Sadly having spent 20 minutes at Partick station last week I have to report that the escalators are not working. There remained, however, at least one baffled drunk carrying chips
National Rail Timetable’s earliest suggestion for a train from York to Bempton used to be catch the last Scarborough train, get off at Seamer, wait for nine hours, catch the first Scarborough-Hull train in the morning. I’ll get me sleeping bag.
Is this not because you typed in going to Glasgow VIA Glasgow – so to the system you were asking for a wee tour of the city and it environs before getting to your final destination?