Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

miller

On the dodging escalators point, a variation on Yorkie's theme:

Access the Bakerloo Line at Waterloo via the Waterloo Road ("Jubilee Line") ticket hall.
Change at Oxford Circus to Victoria Line (cross-platform easy interchange)
Change at King's Cross/St. Pancras to Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan Lines and get off at Euston Square then 5 minute Walk to Euston.

I'd have a guess that would take 40 minutes total.

xmas09

London Midland flash sale:-

http://www.londonmidland.com/days-out-and-offers/attractions-and-offers/flashsale/

Different deal every day this week, tomorrow only, London to Birmingham open return valid to end of month.

dgg

Hi, sorry it's a stupid question, but just wanted to check if you know if this is allowed.

I want to go from London to Bath Spa (off-peak/anytime) and I found out that the cheapest would be go to Dipcot Parkway and from there go to Bath Spa (changing in Reading). With that in mind I decided to check how much would be to go from London to Reading and then from Reading to Bath Spa (since the train from Dipcot would stop in Reading anyway and doing so I would avoid one extra change) and found out that a ticket Dipcot Parkway - Bath Spa (changing in Reading) was half the price of a Reading - Bath Spa.

My question is, can I buy a ticket London - Reading and one Dipcot Parkway - Bath Spa and not use the Dipcot Parkway-Reading part? Is it allowed? I found some comments about traveling short, but as far I understood this was just for the case of stoping before the ticket destination.

Thanks!

wealdroam

dgg wrote: »

Hi, sorry it's a stupid question, but just wanted to check if you know if this is allowed.

I want to go from London to Bath Spa (off-peak/anytime) and I found out that the cheapest would be go to Dipcot Parkway and from there go to Bath Spa (changing in Reading). With that in mind I decided to check how much would be to go from London to Reading and then from Reading to Bath Spa (since the train from Dipcot would stop in Reading anyway and doing so I would avoid one extra change) and found out that a ticket Dipcot Parkway - Bath Spa (changing in Reading) was half the price of a Reading - Bath Spa.

My question is, can I buy a ticket London - Reading and one Dipcot Parkway - Bath Spa and not use the Dipcot Parkway-Reading part? Is it allowed? I found some comments about traveling short, but as far I understood this was just for the case of stoping before the ticket destination.

Thanks!

Are you sure a Didcot Parkway to Bath Spa ticket is valid for travel via Reading?

If not, then if you were to buy a ticket London to Reading and another Didcot Parkway to Bath Spa, then you will have no ticket covering that part of the journey between Reading and Didcot Parkway.

p00hsticks

dgg wrote: »

My question is, can I buy a ticket London - Reading and one Dipcot Parkway - Bath Spa and not use the Dipcot Parkway-Reading part? Is it allowed? I found some comments about traveling short, but as far I understood this was just for the case of stoping before the ticket destination.

Thanks!

I second what wealdroam is saying - Reading isn't between Didcot and Bath Spa , and I'd be surprised if the cheapest tickets from Didcot to Bath spa allow you to travel back to Reading.

You need to be looking at tickets from London to didcot and Didcot to Bath, or alternatively London ->Reading, Reading -> Didcot and didcot -> bath

dgg

wealdroam wrote: »

Are you sure a Didcot Parkway to Bath Spa ticket is valid for travel via Reading?

If not, then if you were to buy a ticket London to Reading and another Didcot Parkway to Bath Spa, then you will have no ticket covering that part of the journey between Reading and Didcot Parkway.

It doesn't make a lot of sense and I may be wrong, but looks like to do a journey between Didcot Parkway and Bath Spa I would need to get the Oxford - Paddington line calling at Oxford, Didcot Parkway, Reading Station and then change to get another train in the line Paddington - Bristol Meads, calling at Paddington, Reading and Bath Spa.

So if I buy a ticket London Paddington - Reading Station for £11.7 and a Didcot Parkway - Bath Spa for £18 I would already be at Reading station to get the second train from the ticket Didcot - Bath Spa instead of paying £55 for a ticket Paddington - Bath Spa.

I'm just not sure if I'm allowed to buy a ticket which starts one station behind and not use that part of the journey.

dzug1

Depends what the ticket is - if it's an 'advance' ticket you would not be allowed to do what you are proposing. Though you might well get away with it.


If it's an off peak or anytime ticket - then yes it would be allowed if you could get an itinerary routed that way




I'm making a wild guess here - but it's possible engineering work on the line west of Didcot means you are being rerouted via Reading and the Newbury line - that could well lead to an anomaly of this sort leading to tickets being offered that are not normally valid


What date is this?

dgg

dzug1 wrote: »

Depends what the ticket is - if it's an 'advance' ticket you would not be allowed to do what you are proposing. Though you might well get away with it.


If it's an off peak or anytime ticket - then yes it would be allowed if you could get an itinerary routed that way




I'm making a wild guess here - but it's possible engineering work on the line west of Didcot means you are being rerouted via Reading and the Newbury line - that could well lead to an anomaly of this sort leading to tickets being offered that are not normally valid


What date is this?

Yeah, I think so... I will have tickets for all the journey so I can't see anything wrong.

It's for tomorrow, Saturday so Off-Peak Anytime

wealdroam

dgg wrote: »

Yeah, I think so... I will have tickets for all the journey so I can't see anything wrong.

It's for tomorrow, Saturday so Off-Peak Anytime

There are special arrangements in place for this weekend only, 23/24 August, where travel between Didcot and Bath is valid via Reading due to engineering works.

lingojingo

Hi, can anyone help me find a cheaper return from Swindon to Edinburgh, leaving after 3.30pm on Friday 5th Sept and arriving back by about 11pm on Sunday 7th Sept? I can't find it for less than £170! Usually book my tickets months in advance, but didn't know the dates for this trip until today.