Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

manutd68*99*08

Thanks for your help. which website do you get them fares??

thanks again

KeithP

manutd68*99*08 wrote: »

Thanks for your help. which website do you get them fares??

thanks again

Details from NXEC website.

kyo4o3d

Last weekend I went to Liverpool leaving Euston on Friday am and returned Sunday pm for the grand sum of £23 including the booking fee. Whilst the journey to Liverpool was direct I was forced to take the option on the return journey of traveling via Manchester, which took an hour longer, but this was because Virgin were not running any direct services that day.

I booked the seats and tickets through Trainline.com in August. i know we can't always plan that far in advance but if you can there are benefits to reap.

Now the Caution: with these tickets you have to book the seats on a particular train. The tickets are not valid on any other train. Try to use them on a different train and the ticket collector can charge you the full fare. On my Sunday train a couple were charged a whopping £42 excess each for the difference between what they had paid and the single fare.

If its your fault that you miss the booked train then this charge is inevitable. If ,however, this was because a connecting train was late and you can get the tickets endorsed by that train operator, then according to the ticket collector on my train this will not lead to a surcharge.

I had to run like hell to catch the train from Manchester as the service from Liverpool was 6 minutes late and the departure of the London train was a mere 4 minutes away !

KeithP

kyo4o3d wrote: »

I booked the seats and tickets through Trainline.com in August.

Greater savings can be made by NOT using the Trainline.

Generally speaking, all the train operating companies sell the same tickets but without the charges that the trainline, and RailEasy, impose.

jamesbrownontheroad

National Express East Coast (NXEC) has re-launched its zones offer: valid for all services operated by NXEC up the east coast mainine, between London King's Cross and Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and intermediate stations.

You must book through this page: http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/zones

Book one-way tickets by 19 October for travel between 2 November and 17 December.

Having divided the country into four zones for our fares offer, we’ve decided to keep it that way. Our great value fares for travelling in zones went down so well, that we’re running them again.


Book by 19 October and you can buy a Zone Fare for Standard Class travel on selected routes from just £6. Travel can be anytime between 2 November and 17 December 2009. The price of your ticket will depend on how many zones you cross…


Travel within one zone – tickets from £6*
Travel across two zones – tickets from £9*
Travel across three zones – tickets from £12*
Travel across four zones – tickets from £15*


To see where you can go and what your ticket will cost, look at the zones marked out on the map. Then download your voucher before you book online.

mollygrub

I am hoping someone can assist me please... I am trying to look at tickets from Wellington, Shropshire to Bristol Templemeads on a Friday in December leaving after 6ish and returning the next day (Saturday) after approx 9pm. This is for 2 return tickets for adults and we dont have any rail cards or anything. We can do any Friday in November or the 4 or 11 December.... I am really struggling and have tried all sorts of options but tied myself up in knots now! Can anyone please point me in the right direction please as I really dont want to drive down as I usually do.... Thanks in advance!

KeithP

mollygrub wrote: »

I am hoping someone can assist me please... I am trying to look at tickets from Wellington, Shropshire to Bristol Templemeads on a Friday in December leaving after 6ish and returning the next day (Saturday) after approx 9pm. This is for 2 return tickets for adults and we dont have any rail cards or anything. We can do any Friday in November or the 4 or 11 December.... I am really struggling and have tried all sorts of options but tied myself up in knots now! Can anyone please point me in the right direction please as I really dont want to drive down as I usually do.... Thanks in advance!

Just looked at 20/21 Nov and 27/28 Nov and there are plenty of £13 each way Advance Singles at the times you want. This compares favourably with the walk-up Off Peak Return fare of £45.80.
I would avoid 20/21 Nov though because there is a bus between Gloucester and Birmingham on the Sat.

Details from the NXEC website.

silvercar

Trying to get a single ticket from London Euston to Manchester Picadilly on monday 19th Oct. I know I've left it late. Ideally I want to leave London about 5-6pm.

The wierd thing is that I tried a few sites and when I absentmindedly looked for a return, it suggested two singles, but the price for the outward part of the single was less than the cheapest single price I could find available when I just looked for a single. So I went back and tried to get the single without the return and the cheap fare had gone.

Could it be that the system lets me have half a cheaper return fare for the outward single if I am matching it with a very cheap advance single for the return journey?

Of course I can't now remember how I did it and can't recreate it.:(

PS All with a 16-25 railcard.

KeithP

silvercar wrote: »

Trying to get a single ticket from London Euston to Manchester Picadilly on monday 19th Oct. I know I've left it late. Ideally I want to leave London about 5-6pm.

The wierd thing is that I tried a few sites and when I absentmindedly looked for a return, it suggested two singles, but the price for the outward part of the single was less than the cheapest single price I could find available when I just looked for a single. So I went back and tried to get the single without the return and the cheap fare had gone.

Could it be that the system lets me have half a cheaper return fare for the outward single if I am matching it with a very cheap advance single for the return journey?

Of course I can't now remember how I did it and can't recreate it.:(

PS All with a 16-25 railcard.

Many trains on that evening with Advance Singles at good prices...
Dep Euston 18:35, Advance Single = £18.50.
Dep Euston 19:15, Advance Single = £14.50.
Dep Euston 19:30, Advance Single = £15.50.
Dep Euston 19:55, Advance Single = £14.50.

All these fare are with railcard.

Go to Virgin's website for these prices.

silvercar

KeithP wrote: »

Many trains on that evening with Advance Singles at good prices...
Dep Euston 18:35, Advance Single = £18.50.
Dep Euston 19:15, Advance Single = £14.50.
Dep Euston 19:30, Advance Single = £15.50.
Dep Euston 19:55, Advance Single = £14.50.

All these fare are with railcard.

Go to Virgin's website for these prices.

Thanks for that.

Odd that if I go to the main virgin site and look for tickets, a return ticket gives me a cheaper outward journey than the single. Whereas your link (ie best fare finder - virgin trains) gives me the higher outwards matched with a cheaper return part.