On Jul 30, 2:17*pm, Martin Deutsch wrote:

I have, in the past, turned up just in the nick of time for an
Oveground train, and arrived on the platform just after the guard shut
the doors. I was pleasantly surprised to be allowed to get on through
the guard's compartment, and then into the main saloon[1].
Admittedly, it wasn't at rush hour, when I can see this being a little
less likely to happen.

Common practice on Merseyrail at one point, though I don't know if it
is now. When I was getting the train to/from school, if someone came
running at the last minute at Ormskirk the guard would often give a
single bell to stop the train even if it had started and allow such
boarding to take place.

Neil