Yesterday, I caught the bus to Blenheim house, walked back over the bridge and double back down to Melksham station to catch the train.  Another gent was doing the same - went to the ticket machine and looked to be in "learning mode". I asked if I could help, and he told me he was looking to travel to Bristol Parkway.   Next trains coming at 12:33, and I advised he catch that he would need to change at Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads. 

I was advised I was wrong - according to Google, it's a single change at Swindon and, hey, what would I kow as a randon traveller?  My "yes ... but ..." starter was brushed aside and he bought his ticket.  But then he looked at it after it came out of the machine ... "But this says 'only valid via Bath Spa'" he said.  "It didn't tell me that in the screen as I bought it ...".  Correct - it didn't.

Via Bath Spa ... 12:33, change at Chippenham (12:44 to 13:13), change at Temple Meads (13:39 to 14:00) and arrive 14:09 at Bristol Parkway. Valid.

Via Swindon ... 12:33, change at Swindon (13:01 to 13:10) and arrive Bristol Parkway 13:31. But not valid on the ticket issued by the ticket machine, and no indication prior to purchase.

My friend asked what he could to - I suggested that he ask the train manager to "excess" him, as he was on a timescale and could not really afford over half an hour more as he travelled; I told him there wasn't a Melksham to Bristol Parkway ticket valid via Swindon, even though it's usually very much the faster way, though a ticket to beyond Bristol Parkway into South Wales *would* be valid that way.   As he got on, at the train manager's door, he started making his request and I went up the carriage and sat down.

The train manager stated he was unable to sell him a ticket that would take my friend from Melksham to Parkway via Swindon - the best he could do was to sell him a ticket to Swindon, and a Swindon to Parkway ticket, and claim a refund. Oh dear ... as you can imagine, my friend was not pleased, and came and sat across from me and told me what the Train manager had said.

The ticket manager did a ticket check, and having been filled in, as he came back I asked him if my friend could have made the journey on via Swindon on the trains he wanted on a Melksham to Severn Tunnel Junction ticket and get off short.  The train managwer looked puzzled, but looked it up on his machine and confirmed that would have been valid, and indeed lower cost than the pair trains offered.   This was the 12:18 from Westbury, and "as we know" it's used a a route learner / refresher for lobg distance crews.   This TM was unknown to me, and was based in Exeter - "we have to know this route for the sleeper" - but (and he confirmed) they don't know the wrinlkes of the fares here, which they really should if they are selling tickets. Or they should have a system that informs them as appropriate.

Long (b)log but
a) It is unfortunate that there are no Melksham to Parkway fares via the quickest route
b) It is doubly unfortunate that apps like Google (and the Interrail planner) offer this route
c) It is tripply  unfortunate that the TVM sells a slower, and restricted ticket without warning
d) It is four times unfortunate that the customer facing staff, on top of the first three problems, only offer an overpiced solution

 
In my personal view, it is e) five times unfortunate that an apparently inexperienced rail traveller on that particular route would prefer to initially follow Google rather than the free guidance offered by an extremely knowledgeable local human being.


(I know grahame is a human being because none of his typos are corrected by AI.  I tidy up some of them for him.) 

Chris from Nailsea. 

 

Thank you, but at the early point in events, he had no way of evaluating my knowledge. If we had had Information at the Station available on hand to answer questions - and to point people as appropriate to correct official information to help them.

 
Which route is shorter?