Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

waster_2

kondormid wrote:

What I really need, is some way of checking train routes, not just platform changes, anyone know where I can get this info?

Depends whet you mean by train routes?

If you want a journey planner then National Rail has a journey planner (see tab at top of page) that will give you options between your start and fnish points as well as fare options - sometimes two singles are cheaper than a return!!!. There is also a Train Companies and Maps tab that will give you the links to various timetables and maps of the networks.

There is also this German web site that will return more detailed information. It is in various languages just click the English tab on the home page. Surprisingly it often has more detail than the UK Rail sites.

Hope this is of assistance?

Frontera2

pipmadams wrote:

If you travel by train and regularly buy a season (weekly/ monthly) ticket, you could be wasting money. Season tickets include weekends, so if you are only travelling on weekdays you could be paying for eight journeys a month that you don't use. Consider buying a return ticket each day- the hassle is worth it: I saved £100 a month from Guildford to Basingstoke by spurning the season tickets.

As an employee of a rail company which is well known to both Basingstoke & Guildford, can I set the record straight on this.

Whilst Season Tickets are valid 7 days a week, you are NOT charged for weekends. Season Tickets are generally charged at a little under the same cost of 5 return tickets and more of a discount in some cases.

For annual season tickets, your ticket is valid for 364 days however the cost is the same as 280 day tickets.

John

Spikey_2

Any codes out there to get discounts on rail travel to scotland.... ie via scotrail, gner, virgin etc etc

TIA

Spikey

Testee

I have discovered an interesting anomaly in the pricing for standard return tickets and I'm sure there must be others......

A standard return to Liverpool Street in London from Southminster in Essex is £19.00 but a standard return to Croydon via Liverpool Street is £17.10.

A standard return to Liverpool Street in London from Rochford in Essex is £20.00 but a standard return to Croydon via Liverpool Street is £17.10.

However if you travel from Wickford which is closer to London this anomaly no longer works, you're better off with the ticket to Liverpool Street unless you want to go to Croydon in which case you should buy a ticket from Rochford or Southminster!!

Anyone else found something similar?

sparkymark_3

Travel from Norwich (or any Norfolk Branch line + Lowestoft) to Colchester,Chelmsford or Shenfield/ Southend etc. off peak same day return then DO NOT buy a Saver Ticket as it is cheaper to get One Day Anglia Plus ticket for £10.00 (unlimited travel Norfolk/ Suffolk and lines Cambridge to Norwich/Ipswich + Free First Bus travel in most large towns) and a seperate Cheap Day Return ticket Ipswich to your destination. All ticket offices will sell you a combination of tickets for 1 journey if you request it ( the only rule is that your train must stop at station where you change from ticket to the other but as all Norwich to London trains stop at Ipswich not an issue, and no you do not have to get off the train if you do not wish to !)

burdski

We've just booked 2 Virgin Value First Class tickets from birmingham to glasgow going 27/12 coming back 29/12 for £168 in total, much cheaper than flying (cheapest I found about £233 including taxes), and it doesn't take much longer when you consider checking in & waiting times at the airport, plus it gives us the added bonus of being able to move around - absolutely essential when travelling with a 4 month old baby!

The website for Virgin Value is https://www.virgintrainsfares.co.uk/Virgin_Value_Retailing/vv_init_home.asp

sparkymark_3

Renew your rail season tickets by New Years Day to avoid the price increases !

timswf

..has anyone found a way of ordering annual season tickets from thetrainline or others so you can get rpoints or similar? - (as well as renewing early, using an employer's interest free loan and using a cashback credit card) I checked the site but could find the answer... rgds tim

Dan29

Hi all

Need to get from Cardiff to Lincoln next week. Cheapest rail ticket I've found is £60, although booking separate tickets from Cardiff to Nottingham and then from Nottingham to Lincoln seems to only cost £30 even though they are the same trains! Is this correct/possible and it there a cheaper solution that anyone knows of?

Thanks
Dan

wigginsmum

I'm planning to go to Birmingham from London Thurs 5th Jan and coming back on the Saturday. Checked out the journeys/fares on National rail and it was cheaper to buy two singles 2 X £10 from Virgin than a Saver Return @ £36.20.

Jules