Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

dzug1

hstudent wrote: »

I thought I'd share the following ways of saving money on rail journeys:


Manchester to Edinburgh
Most direct trains are operated by First Transpennine Express. However, there is one journey in each direction per day run by Virgin Trains. Megatrain.com offers tickets starting at £1 single for the Virgin Trains service. However, it does involve leaving Manchester at about 4am. If you don't want to do that then you could alternatively travel via York and change trains, instead of via Preston on a direct train, spilting your ticket at York to save money.

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I can't find any mention of this service on the megatrain website.

Where is this info from?

hstudent

dzug1 wrote: »

I can't find any mention of this service on the megatrain website.

Where is this info from?

It's been changed to a daily Glasgow service instead. I've corrected that on the above post now. Obviously, not as good if you wish to travel to Edinburgh.

Mark_Hewitt

hstudent wrote: »

That might sound like a longer journey with an extra connection and slightly longer route. However, it is usually quicker as 125mph trains are used between Sheffield and Newcastle, as opposed to the 100mph trains used between Manchester and Newcastle.

As long as you don't go via Leeds as this line is used a lot for stopping trains so even a fast XC train won't be going very quickly there. Try to get a train that routes via Doncaster.

javajim

Hi could you please advise on trains from Great Yarmouth to Worthing. Is it best to buy a ticket for the complete trip or split tickets?
Thanks in advance.

adamtrainman

Jim id say probably a ticket for the complete trip which is £55.60 return (Off-Peak Return) cant arrive in London before 10am or during evening peak. The return portion is valid for a month.

You can pick up complete trip advanced tickets but are limited to 12:17/13:17 from Yarmouth taking about 5hrs and 17:12 back from Worthing.

Split trip advanced ticket you can pick up tickets to london for about £9-£15 each way (i used 23rd march and back on 26th) and using same dates £5 from London Victoria to Worthing and £7.50 back.

If you have specific dates and times post them and ill have a look see whats out there.

javajim

Thanks for your reply Adamtrainman.
Just single tickets are wanted. Returns are not required as it is for my neice and husband, from Toronto, who are flying over here in May. First they are going to Dublin, then Glasgow, York, Great Yarmouth and then to Worthing before getting flight back to Toronto. The Great Yarmouth to Worthing trip is for Saturday 30th May. Which I realise is a bit too far in advance to book tickets, but I would like to know best way to get tickets for them.
Thanks again

Bogof_Babe

Looking for anyone who knows how the Advance tickets system works.

I've just been trying to book a single from Southport to Hereford for 15th May (the latest date for which Advance tickets are currently available). The results show several £11 fares, which is what I usually pay, but when I click on Buy it takes me to Arriva Trains site, which says that ticket is not available. I've tried it with several different £11 ones and they are all the same, but when I select a £19.50 one it is okay, so obviously it's not a fault on their booking system.

I was wondering whether perhaps they haven't input the £11 ones yet, as it seems odd that suddenly they are all fully booked when they were only released probably yesterday.

Or maybe they have discontinued the £11 tickets and not got around to telling Railtrack. Bit of a jump to £19.50 if so .

dzug1

Could be (as it's the latest day available) that the input process is not complete and that if you wait until later (or tomorrow, or Monday...) that the problem willl be resolved.

Possibly try a phone booking??

Bogof_Babe

I just managed to get one via Qjump, which I don't normally use due to the booking fee and ticket collection charge. So it is now costing me £12, which is still a heck of a saving from £19.50. Phew, sorted! Until the next time anyway.

AirlieBird

I've done some playing. I've found this is a very interesting problem.

The reason why the £11 fare doesn't show up is because it is a slower journey. When you looked on the National Rail Enquiries website (Railtrack hasn't existed for several years now) it showed you an £11 fare. It showed me this for a journey starting at 11:24 taking 4hrs 16 mins. This train involves 1 change. However, it also showed me a journey taking a hour less departing at the same time but involving 3 changes. This journey cost £19.50. All train operators websites will show the fastest journey which is why the £19.50 journey was coming up and not the £11 journey. For the £11 ticket to come up you need to re-enter the journey but this time put in via Manchester Piccadilly.

Now, if you do this on the Arriva Wales website you will get the £11 fare for a train that arrives in Hereford at the same time as the one on the National Rail website. But it leaves Southport at 12 noon and involves 2 changes.

There seems to be no way of telling a train operator's booking engine to come up with the exact journey that National rail website comes up with.