I have to travel to Birmingham on Sunday 23rd of June. A week of train travel, hotels and meetings is already booked. I could not book the tickets Carlisle to Brum – but set up an alert when they become available. It now transpires that the weekend I am travelling is chaos – with what looks like engineering works in at least two places on that line. And you still cannot book tickets.

Looks like East Coast also has issues that weekend.

And I am at a pre-booked holiday in Galloway with friends the preceding weekend. The plan was to drop me on the 5pm ish train in Carlisle as they headed home at end of the weekend….

So – I need to be in Winchester on Monday morning 11am, or ideally in Birmingham to the already booked hotel Sunday evening. How. The. Actual. am I going to do this without driving it all?

Coach?

Bike !

Yep coach. Approx six hours with no changes for approx £20

 It now transpires that the weekend I am travelling is chaos

Just a typical UK train weekend by the sounds of it

Assuming its for work, I’d just drive and then spend the mileage money on a meal out with the wife!

or coke and hookers, what evers your preference…

@woody2000 – that’s going to be the fallback…except we’re staying on Isle of Whithorn on a bike tour on Saturday night, we were then pedalling to Newton Stewart for the cars, and be dropped in Carlisle in the afternoon… It means my holiday plans don’t work… Hmmm

Assuming its for work, I’d just drive and then spend the mileage money on a meal out with the wife!

I’m just not keen on 2no. 7+ hour journeys at the wheel…and another journey into central London…

Bus +1

Other than bus stations sometimes being more creatively located than a Ryan Air airport they’re worse than a train but significantly better than rail-replacement busses.

And TBH the seats are more comfortable than the new Hitachi trains.

If you need to be in Winchester why are you stopping in Brum? Was it the exotic delights of Birmingham on a Sunday night that attracted you. Coach seems possible or maybe one of those ride sharing/car pool apps? Never used them but might be possible.

How about the Settle and Carlisle line to Leeds, then XC train from Leeds to Brum?

09:24Carlisle(CAR)Platform 6

Arrives

12:06Leeds(LDS)Platform 3B
2h 42m18 stop(s)NorthernTowards Leeds

Sunday 23rd June 2024
Departs

13:09Leeds(LDS)Platform 17B
Arrives

15:25Birmingham New Street(BHM)Platform 11A
2h 16m1 change(s)Northern
Journey 1Departs, 13:09, from Leeds, and Arrives, 14:04, at Sheffield
Transport method isTrain Service
Departs

13:09Leeds(LDS)Platform 17B
Arrives

14:04Sheffield(SHF)Platform 6A
55m4 stop(s)NorthernTowards Nottingham
View calling points

Journey 2Departs, 14:21, from Sheffield, and Arrives, 15:25, at Birmingham New Street

Departs

14:21Sheffield(SHF)Platform 8A
Arrives

15:25Birmingham New Street(BHM)Platform 11A
1h 4m2 stop(s)CrossCountryTowards Reading

Via Manchester?

Carlisle to Manc Piccadilly at 10.00 is £22.00 gets into Manchester at just after 14.00. There’s a train to New Street at 15.00 for a tenner.

seems OK?

o/t

I remember a few years ago the line from Bristol to Exeter was flooded, cue lots of folks moaning at Paddington how could they get to the SW etc etc ?? … instead of looking at a map and walking/tubing over to Waterloo and just taking the train to Exeter from there–where there’s a will there’s a way.

“Via Manchester?

Carlisle to Manc Piccadilly at 10.00 is £22.00 gets into Manchester at just after 14.00. There’s a train to New Street at 15.00 for a tenner.

seems OK?”

yes if it’s not the WCML that’s the issue south of Carlisle?

One way car hire an option?

The Avanti West coast page says that the work have been cancelled?

Planned Train Engineering Work | Avanti West Coasthttps://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/planned-engineering-works

The Avanti West coast page says that the work have been cancelled?

Planned Train Engineering Work | Avanti West Coasthttps://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/planned-engineering-works

Fingers crossed that is the case (that is a change from an hour ago) and I can get a train…Currently showing no tickets available to book though.

If not it is cancel a day of holiday, rearrange a cycle tour, and sit on a bus all day to Brum.

I like the train – fast and practical. But sh*t when it doesn’t.

Might sound mad but the timetables show that you can get a train as late as 17:54 from Carlisle and get to Brum before midnight. Earlier options too. No idea about seat booking. There is no seat booking on the Northern service from Carlisle to Newcastle but East Coast/ cross country from Newcastle should be.

Hopefully this timetable link works:

https://traintimes.org.uk/Carlisle/Birmingham/14:15/2024-06-23?via=Newcastle

Cars are great aren’t they? Mrs IRC and a few friends made the mistake of booking trains for a weekend in London travelling from Glasgow. Strikes/engineering etc. They ended up flying one way. As far as I recall the flights weren’t that cheap as they were booked late after the train failures.

A reply from Avanti on twatter, but not able to answer the phone or answer messages on the site….

Apparently engineering works all cancelled and tickets released tomorrow…. But a warning it will be busy as no one has been able to book…

As you were.

Now just keep it all crossed the the actual driver turns up or some such similar excuse for no train….

Matt,wave as you cycle past the gin factory at Newton Stewart, my house is behind it 👍

This is totally irrelevant but I drove from Winchester to Newton Stewart and back last week. 7 hours each way. Worth it. It’s a bloody brilliant part of the world. Already booked my next trip back for raiders gravel in August.

anyway hope it all comes together for you.

Galloway is lovely – we used to live in Kirkcudbright/Twynholm.

Winchester, meh, it’s work or else I would swerve it…plus London and Cambridge through the week..meh again.

Nice! I went to the chocolate factory between rides 🙂

Winchester is great tbh, but only because of the riding and the coffee

Fly Prestwick to Southampton (assuming that route still exists).

I know it’s a bit old school, but walk into the ticket office and ask them, ours is brilliant and know all the gotchas and workarounds.

Get on the Carlisle – Settle – Leeds line, especially if it’s a nice day. Life’s too short to sit on a coach.