Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

Livingthedream

Johntea wrote: »

Planning on Leeds > Birmingham New St day return trip next Saturday 16th, can anyone do better than the £20 ballpark I have for the return at the moment? (i.e. two £10 advance singles).

If it helps I can start my paid ticket at Wakefield since I have a all zones MetroCard for West Yorkshire and also a YP railcard.

Yes, from the East Coast Website;

0600 Leeds to Birmingham £8.25 Advance single +16-25 RC or
0708 Leeds to Birmingham £8.60 Advance single +16-25 RC

2030 Birmingham to Leeds £8.60 Advance single +16-25 RC

Total: £17.2 or £16.85 return if take 0600 from Leeds

Bogof_Babe

Arriva Trains Club 55 offer is back on. Over 55s can travel anywhere (return) for £15 between today and 19th March. This time you can book online too. For an additional amount you can extend your trip beyond the boundaries of the Arriva services. Details here:

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/club55.aspx

bungrefurb

hi all am looking for a train ticket from london (anywhere) to liverpool. I am getting £62 thats 2 singles. Anyone have any suggestions? the dates are 17 - 19 leaving london, return 24th january. Help appreciated

Bogof_Babe

www.eastcoast.co.uk

Advance Singles are available for both legs of your journey for £11 each, London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street.

Outward journey 17th Jan depart 8.15 arrive 11.07, return 24th Jan various journey times available for £11.

bungrefurb

thanks bogof_babe just booked the tickets

John89001

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

am I covered for travelling back to Southport (so that I have somewhere to sleep!) or am I expected to either hang around Chester station all night or pay my own way back to Southport?

Your rights are set out in the relevant train company's Passenger's Charter. Taking Arriva Trains Wales as an example,

Arriva_Trains_Wales_Passenger's_Charter wrote:

What we will do if things go wrong
Keeping you informed
If delays occur after your train journey has started, we will endeavour to:

• provide as much information as possible on the train
• pass messages on to people who may be meeting you or be worried about you
• get you to the destination on your ticket
• get you to your bus destination where your journey includes train/bus through ticketing
• arrange alternative transport in certain circumstances
• arrange overnight accommodation or transport home in certain circumstances
• get you back to an appropriate station if your journey is not possible
• issue complimentary non-alcoholic drinks, where refreshment facilities are provided and subject to stocks being available, if your journey is delayed by more than one hour.

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=5298

iMelancholic

I'm looking to travel from Walsall or Birmingham to either Stansted Airport or Chelmsford on Friday, but the return tickets are really expensive - is there a way of making these tickets cheaper at all? Thanks in advance!

incubus72

I've been searching for cheap train fares for next month and I have found some shall we say "unusual" pricing differences. A single from Birmingham New Street to Kirkcaldy is over £100 and yet exactly the same journey but as a single to Edinburgh and then a single from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy is only £44,that is a staggering difference.

KeithP

incubus72 wrote: »

I've been searching for cheap train fares for next month and I have found some shall we say "unusual" pricing differences. A single from Birmingham New Street to Kirkcaldy is over £100 and yet exactly the same journey but as a single to Edinburgh and then a single from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy is only £44,that is a staggering difference.

But you are not comparing like with like.

Someone turning up at New Street tomorrow can buy an Anytime Single for £100.50 which will allow them the flexibility to travel of any one of seventeen services.

Someone who can plan ahead can buy an Advance Single from Birmingham NS to Kircaldy for travel on a particular train on 23 Jan for £30.00.

An even more 'staggering' difference than your example.

Different markets, different prices.

KeithP

iMelancholic wrote: »

I'm looking to travel from Walsall or Birmingham to either Stansted Airport or Chelmsford on Friday, but the return tickets are really expensive - is there a way of making these tickets cheaper at all? Thanks in advance!

What prices have you found? What is 'really expensive' to one person may not be so to someone else.

There are £16.00 Advance Singles from Bimingham NS to Stansted available on three direct trains that day. Info from East Coast Trains.

National express coaches from Birmingham to Stansted can be as cheap as £12.