Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 02:15 29 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
- Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningDelayed
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 02:33:51 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[98] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[97] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[86] Return of the BRUTE?
[74] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[23] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: taking a pushchair on cross country service  (Read 15519 times)
tom m
Full Member
***
Posts: 78


View Profile
« on: March 08, 2014, 22:15:47 »

My wife wants to take our 7 month old son to meet some friends in Birmingham next month and would prefer to use the train rather than the stress of driving helself. She has used FGW (First Great Western) services successfully to both london and Oxford, however this has been using either a turbo or HST (High Speed Train) where a space for a pushchair is not an issue (outside of commuting hours)

I am not a regular traverler on cross country but my concern is that space is at much more of a premium on the voyagers and I have heard that CC may refuse to take the pushchair, anyone have any experience of this?
Logged
trainbuff
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 245


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2014, 23:16:06 »

I don't think you would be refused. But you may be asked to fold the pushchair down as per conditions of carriage. Best bet would be to aim for a HST (High Speed Train) service. Assuming the travel will be after the Dawlish line is open then, trains will leave Exeter at 13.23 and 16.24. Assuming standard class travel head for Coach F where the wheelchair space is but also seats in the Vestibule. Both these services are a HST. Plymouth is an hour before and Bristol an hour after. You don't say where you are travelling from.  Hope that helps
Logged

Invest in Railways in Devon and Cornwall!
tom m
Full Member
***
Posts: 78


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2014, 08:45:51 »

Thanks, traveling from reading but next month so I am not sure the HST (High Speed Train)'s will be running. Would be ok folding down the pushchair but where would it go on a voyager?  I always get the feeling the voyagers are narrower than other trains on the network.

I have suggested that she might go to Marylebone instead but again it's not a route I am familiar with.

Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2014, 09:03:06 »

From Reading it will definitely be a Voyager to Birmingham. A folded pushchair can be stored in the large luggage area in Coach D. It's possible to reserve a seat in Coach D if your wife wants to be near the pushchair. Booking online with CrossCountry allows you to select your own seat.

An alternative, if travelling with a flexible inter-available ticket (Anytime, Off Peak), is to travel with FGW (First Great Western) to Banbury on a Class 165/66 and then from Banbury to Birmingham Moor St with Chiltern on a Class 165/168 or loco hauled Mk3 stock. More room for pushchairs on those train types.

Going via Marylebone is not something I'd suggest. That would involve use of the Underground between Paddington and Marylebone. Not ideal with a pushchair.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
SDS
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 772


Badgerline


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2014, 22:39:46 »

Would defo echo NOT using the Underground.

Paddington down to the Bakerloo is either:
stairs and then Escalator.
Lift then Escalator
or Escalator and then Escalator.

Leaving at Marylebone is just stairs.
Logged

I do not work for FGW (First Great Western) and posts should not be assumed and do not imply they are statements, unless explicitly stated that they are, from any TOC (Train Operating Company) including First Great Western.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2014, 08:21:57 »

Would defo echo NOT using the Underground.

Paddington down to the Bakerloo is either:
stairs and then Escalator.
Lift then Escalator
or Escalator and then Escalator.

Leaving at Marylebone is just stairs.

205 Bus works a treat, or shank's pony if you wish to stretch your legs.  It's not far at all.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
tom m
Full Member
***
Posts: 78


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2014, 15:11:18 »

Cheers for the suggestions, I have walked to Marylebone from pad before, the underground always makes London seem bigger than it is.
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9810



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2014, 01:07:27 »

the underground always makes London seem bigger than it is.

It certainly does.  When I first used to go to London I often caught the Underground from Paddington to Lancaster Gate...(changing at Notting Hill).... Roll Eyes  Then you look at a map and realise you can walk it in 10 minutes!
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page