Advance rail tickets

[JackDanielsU]

Hiya

Got my advance tickets...Southend to Rugby for this Friday. I have to be on a train departing Euston around 10am - thats where my reserved seat is etc. The very nice man printed off the timetable showing my journey.

BUT on this planner the train leaving Southend is the very last one I could get (ie miss that and no way will i be in Euston on time) This one isnt done as a resevered train...is there anything stopping me getting a train say an hour earlier from Southend so Id have plenty of time to spare in London to get across from Fenchurch to Euston?

TIA for any advice

[andy-hughes]

If you check your ticket and seat reservation, you may find that one must be used in conjunction with the other.

That is to prevent you catching an earlier train.

[Buenchico]

Advance tickets are only valid on the trains specified on the tickets:
http://www.nationalra...es_fares/advance.html

If you arrive at Euston too late to catch the 1003 service to Rugby, because the Southend to London train was delayed, you should seek out the Virgin Rail Duty Supervisor. He'll access Network Rail's computer system (known as TRUST) to confirm the late-running of your first train. He'll then validate your ticket for travel on the 1103 service.

Chris
(a former railway station supervisor)

[dzug2]

The next two or even three trains from Southend would still get you there on time - they are very generous in their timings for the cross London journey. Granted they don't show up in the planner for the through journey, but they are still there as a fallback if the first one's cancelled.

[Buenchico]

As Dzug2 states, the time allowed for getting across London is usually extremely generous. (National Rail's system allows a minimum of one hour for all cross-London journeys, even if it's between King's Cross and St Pancras, which are only 2 minutes walk from each other!).

If you're travelling from Southend Central into Fenchurch Street, you've got about a 5 minute walk to Tower Hill, then about 15 minutes on the Circle Line to Euston Square and a 5 minute walk to Euston. If you're travelling from Southend Victoria into Liverpool Street you'll have a 10 minute trip on the Circle Line to Euston Square, plus a 5 minute walk to Euston.

If your train from Southend is cancelled, the station supervisor will validate your ticket for later travel and, if necessary, contact Virgin Rail's Control Centre to ensure that you don't have any problems using a later service out of Euston.

Chris

[JackDanielsU]

Cheers all

[mike11111]

As the service from Southend to London is not reservable you can catch an an earlier train if you wish. Check at the station or with the operator if you like. The main thing is you must be on the designated train from Euston.