PMS and RCS Service Desk

Connection Times

The transit time for the fixed-link itself is only one part of the overall train-to-train connection time that journey planners use when calculating through journeys. If that transit time seems to be too low what must also be included are the other two parts of the equation, i.e. the minimum interchange time for the stations as each end of the fixed-link. Here are some examples:

For simplicity, the transit times above are the Monday-Friday daytime values. For those journey planners that accept additional fixed-links these times may vary at different times of the day or on different days of the week. Any mention of a station here includes bus stops, metro stops and ports.

Birmingham: The 8 minutes shown for the walk across Birmingham is achievable for someone who knows the route but may be over-optimistic for a new passenger or one who has heavy luggage or small children. This value has been selected over time, in liaison with TOCs and other interested bodies, so that the overall train-to-train interchange of 25 minutes is achievable. A higher value may prompt journey planners to look for an alternative connection at another station whilst a lower value could not realistically be maintained.

London: The 11-minute Tube link between Blackfriars and Victoria represent the actual Underground journey, including waiting time for the next train. The walk between the National Rail platforms and London Underground platforms is encompassed by the interchange times at each station.

Manchester: Many passengers transferring between Piccadilly and Victoria will do so on the Manchester Metrolink. As most National Rail tickets issued outside of the Transport for Greater Manchester area do not include the Metro within the fare the transit time has been extended slightly to allow for the purchase of the Metro ticket or for transit via other means.

Poole: The 45-minute transit time has been deliberately exaggerated to ensure that passengers for the Channel Islands ferry have sufficient time to check-in at the ferry terminal.

Rochdale: In this instance the interchange time at the second station is set to 0 minutes. This is because, for this fixed-link, Oldham Central is the passenger’s final destination.

Modes of Travel

Fixed-links can have any one of six modes of travel: Bus, Ferry, Metro, Transfer, Tube, Walk. Five of these are shown in the examples above. For those journey planners that can only accept one fixed-link value the mode selected will apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For journey planners that used additional fixed-links the mode may vary depending on the time of day or day of the week.

Bus: Any journey between two stations by a scheduled or dedicated bus link.

Ferry: Any journey between two stations by a ferry service. As at June 2017 no fixed-links are present with this mode.

Metro: Any journey between two stations by metro, tram, Docklands Light Railway, or other light-rail service other than the London Underground.

Tube: Any journey between two stations via the London Underground. This method will only be quoted in journey planners where the through National Rail ticket has the Cross-London marker set. Such fixed-links do not indicate any change of train that may be necessary for the Underground portion of the journey e.g. between Euston and Liverpool Street.

Walk: Any journey between two stations where they are so close together that alternative transport modes are not required, or where no alternative exists..

Transfer: This is used where one of the other modes does not provide an accurate description of the link, such as a taxi or where multiple methods may be available depending on the passenger’s preference. This mode is also used on those occasions when National Rail tickets with no Cross-London marker are temporarily accepted on the London Underground during periods of engineering work.

It should be noted that the presence of a fixed-link in a journey enquiry does not necessarily mean that the fare for that mode of transport is included in the price of the National Rail ticket.