Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

NEH

Livingthedream wrote: »

Oh!!... there's Transpennine train running from Edinburgh to Manchester but no Advance tickets for those services, only full price walk on tickets.



Thanx for the idea, but it now looks like Virgin have sorted out all their services for the 27th including working around Engineering works and have release some more cheap advance tickets, but have to go 'via Glasgow' to get the fare down to £11.90 (1x adult 1xchild +F&F RC) :j

That's really really good, is that one way?....Mum's got a good deal as well with her senior railcard...Just got to book her assistance on Monday as i couldn't book her train tickets till later on on Friday...

balletshoes

I'm hoping to take the Eurostar from London to Paris on Thursday March 17th next year, returning on Monday March 21st. The fare is already available for that journey on the Eurostar website, but the connecting journey from Nottingham to London and return is not.

From your experience, when is the earliest time I can book for the cheapest fares for this journey? And where should I be looking? I am going to phone Eurostar to ask if I can book the whole journey over the phone, but I'm also considering doing it separately if the through fare with Eurostar is too expensive.

The journey from Nottingham to London would be a commuter train - leaving at 5.34am, and the journey back from London to Nottingham would depart at 22.00. Would I be likely to get cheap fares (ie £24 adult return, £12 return child) on both/any of these journeys?
I could also consider travelling from Nottingham to London after 6pm on Weds 16th March, and staying overnight in London with the next travelodge sale, if that would work out cheaper than the commuter train fare on the Thursday morning.

Sorry for the saga, I'm trying to get this all sorted out as early and cheaply as possible .

wealdroam

balletshoes wrote: »

I'm hoping to take the Eurostar from London to Paris on Thursday March 17th next year, returning on Monday March 21st. The fare is already available for that journey on the Eurostar website, but the connecting journey from Nottingham to London and return is not.

From your experience, when is the earliest time I can book for the cheapest fares for this journey? And where should I be looking? I am going to phone Eurostar to ask if I can book the whole journey over the phone, but I'm also considering doing it separately if the through fare with Eurostar is too expensive.

The journey from Nottingham to London would be a commuter train - leaving at 5.34am, and the journey back from London to Nottingham would depart at 22.00. Would I be likely to get cheap fares (ie £24 adult return, £12 return child) on both/any of these journeys?
I could also consider travelling from Nottingham to London after 6pm on Weds 16th March, and staying overnight in London with the next travelodge sale, if that would work out cheaper than the commuter train fare on the Thursday morning.

Sorry for the saga, I'm trying to get this all sorted out as early and cheaply as possible .

The earliest the cheaper tickets get released is twelve weeks before travel.

This National Rail webpage will give an idea when tickets get released.

Why not have a look and see what tickets say in early December are going for now? This will give you an idea of prices.

Remember, there are usually fare increases in early January, and following recent news reports, may be higher than usual.

Livingthedream

NEH wrote: »

That's really really good, is that one way?....Mum's got a good deal as well with her senior railcard...Just got to book her assistance on Monday as i couldn't book her train tickets till later on on Friday...

Happy to read that you got a good deal for your mum, my ticket deal was one way and it's part of split ticket journey, had to split as the only direct advance ticket got me home at 23:50 earliest, which I didn't fancy with a 6 year old. Total single with split cost me an extra £5 but I can live with that.

Mids_Costcutter

NEH wrote: »

Apparently Scot Rail have to wait on Horizons to release their slots or something, any day now apparently....

NEH, just out of interest who is Horizons?

Livingthedream

Mids_Costcutter wrote: »

NEH, just out of interest who is Horizons?

IIRC it's just the name of ATOC's website that deals with Advance ticket dates.

NEH

Livingthedream wrote: »

IIRC it's just the name of ATOC's website that deals with Advance ticket dates.

Thanks for cleairng that up, I wasn't sure either mids_cost cutter....:p

wrenssplein

Hi

Im looking for a train ticket from Durham to Ashford Middlesex for 1 adult and 1 child on the 4th Dec. Ive found a price of £126.75 which leaves Durham at 7.42 and arrives at Ashford at 12.03 and then departs at 16.11 arriving back in Durham at 20.36.

Ive been reading about split ticketing but dont really understand it all as I rarely use the train. Can anyone help me find a cheaper price please.
Many thanks

clemof1

Travelling on the 16th Jan
NTA (Newton Abbot) to HWV (Heathrow T5)

I have been watching day by day as the 12 week booking window gets closer at the price of buying it "12 weeks in advance" or just buying it the day before i travel.

i can see no logic in the way it is priced?
Looking 12 weeks in advance if i split the journey it works out more expensive,
and at no point (checking every sunday in 12 weeks , i does not drop to a bargain price)

NTA - BRI (newton abbot to bristol temp meads) £10.50
BRI - PAD (bristol to paddington) £28.00
PAD - HWV (paddington to T5) £18.00 (or £16.50 on heathrow express)

Using Great West Railways and South West Trains
its £57.50 direct
£56.50 spliting
£55.00 with mixed opperators
i can see an extra saving of £1.50 if i book "heathrow express" rather than just PAD (paddington) to HWV (heathrow T5)

if i was travelling tomorrow i can go for £54 on the cheapest available or £57.50 on the standard!

I thought there was an incentive from the train companys and government to get people to use the railways , not just high and higer prices available?
at these prices as X2 are travelling it would be cheaper to get a friend to drop us off in his car..

any thoughts ? sorry if information overload!

clemo

clemof1

wrenssplein wrote: »

Hi

Im looking for a train ticket from Durham to Ashford Middlesex for 1 adult and 1 child on the 4th Dec. Ive found a price of £126.75 which leaves Durham at 7.42 and arrives at Ashford at 12.03 and then departs at 16.11 arriving back in Durham at 20.36.

Ive been reading about split ticketing but dont really understand it all as I rarely use the train. Can anyone help me find a cheaper price please.
Many thanks

whilst i am no expert ( see above ! thats me , im stuck too)

Get a pen and paper
Write as you have above where you are leaving from and going to including times of depature and arrival.

Now look at your journey again and pick a main station where it stops .

Write these times down on your piece of paper .

if you have (say) Durham 1300hr to Ashford 1500hr direct £100

or Durham 1300hr to "Split" 1400hr £40
"Split" 1405hr to Ashford 1500hr £45

We can assume this is the same train.
As the start and finish times are the same.

now check the direct price(£100)
Against the Durham to "split" £40
and "split" to Ashford price £45

£40 +£45 = £85 thus cheaper than the original booking and you are still on the same train.

Hope this helps..

clemo