Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

jenny_f

anyone know the cheapest way to go from york to stansted airport (avoiding london).

cheers

dzug

jenny_f wrote: »

anyone know the cheapest way to go from york to stansted airport (avoiding london).

cheers

The cheapest train ticket changing at Peterborough is £10.65 each way on a GNER Advance ticket. Saver return (any off peak train, buy on the day) is £64

You can also do it by coach changing at Milton Keynes but that takes twice as long and is only marginally cheaper (£59.50) than the saver ticket on the train

Whats_my_age_again

Hi I am looking to travel by train from Aberdeen to Bristol in June. When is the best time to look to purchase tickets, ie. when will they be at their cheapest. At the moment on Virgin I can get an Advance Single for my journey back for £40 but can't get similarly low price for journey down (it was coming out at around £80).

Also am I likely to get a ticket any cheaper than £40 each way?

echox22

Couttsy wrote: »

Hi I am looking to travel by train from Aberdeen to Bristol in June. When is the best time to look to purchase tickets, ie. when will they be at their cheapest. At the moment on Virgin I can get an Advance Single for my journey back for £40 but can't get similarly low price for journey down (it was coming out at around £80).

Also am I likely to get a ticket any cheaper than £40 each way?

Mate, the cheapest way I can think to do this since you are booking well in advance (and it is a very roundabout way):

Train Aberdeen to Edinburgh Waverley; £15 at the trainline (use code LTTL5D, do not use credit card). It may be cheaper to use GNER website if you catch a GNER train (10% off tickets), but probably not if you book now.

Megatrain Edinburgh Waverley to Manchester Piccadilly from £2.50.

Arriva Trains Wales Manchester Piccadilly to Newport, Gwent (or Cardiff), £15, buy on the trainline using the same code. If you have a young persons railcard DO NOT USE as this will make the tickets £18 and not eligible for £5 discount. NB YOU MUST BOOK THESE TICKETS BEFORE LATE MAY otherwise the price will go up. I just checked and you can book them for June though.

First Great Western Newport, Gwent or (Cardiff) (Newport should take less time) to Bristol NOTE: most of the trains go to PARKWAY, but a few go to Temple Meads for the same price. The bus fare from parkway souldn't be extortionate though. Around £8 if you book in advance.

ALL PRICES QUOTED ARE RETURN=c.£40 RETURN

This may or may not help, depending on whether you want to go a roundabout route and change a lot of times. I actually don't know if it is logistically possible so PLAN your journey meticulously, and buy as early as possible. If one of your trains is late I don't know if they will let you on a different service for the next part of the route but you can plead your case.

Any further questions post here. Regards.

dzug

Couttsy wrote: »

Hi I am looking to travel by train from Aberdeen to Bristol in June. When is the best time to look to purchase tickets, ie. when will they be at their cheapest. At the moment on Virgin I can get an Advance Single for my journey back for £40 but can't get similarly low price for journey down (it was coming out at around £80).

Also am I likely to get a ticket any cheaper than £40 each way?

The cheapest possible Virgin fare is £24 each way.

The time to buy if you can is when the cheap fares come out - they don't normally get added to later. They are all published at once - obviously the cheaper ones go first.
Occasionally weekend fares will come out later than weekday ones - if engineering work is late in being finalised.

Whats_my_age_again

Thanks for replies - I will thank you when I get home - work PC does not allow me to do it!

Does anyone know when the £24 fares would be come available? I am looking to go down on the 19th June. The £24 fares are listed on Trainline but there is not an option to select them - have I missed the boat or am I too early?

dzug

Couttsy wrote: »

Thanks for replies - I will thank you when I get home - work PC does not allow me to do it!

Does anyone know when the £24 fares would be come available? I am looking to go down on the 19th June. The £24 fares are listed on Trainline but there is not an option to select them - have I missed the boat or am I too early?

Are there any other (more expensive) cheap fares listed and available on 19 June? The answer is yes, (£40 or £41) so you have missed the boat.

They become available 8-12 weeks in advance. The £24 ones may well be few and far between.

AP

Tips for local rail travel around Sheffield:

Download the Avantix Traveller program from this website for future research and reference:

http://www.theticketcollector.co.uk/wordpress/2007/03/08/advantixtraveller/

(Suggest cut and paste the link onto the browser or highlight address and press return if forbidden message comes up)

This is essentially the National Fares Manual and contains all the rail fares between any two stations in the whole country.

Sheffield to Doncaster: Standard Day Single £3.50
Dore (one stop before Sheffield) to Bentley (one stop after Doncaster): Standard Day Single £2.50

Sheffield to Swinton: Cheap Day Return £3.00
Dore to Mexborough (one stop after Swinton): Cheap Day Return £2.90

Sheffield to Wakefield Stations: Cheap Day Return £6.50 (not via Doncaster)
Sheffield to Castleford (two stops after Wakefield): Cheap Day Return £6.00 (any permitted route)

Doncaster to Leeds: Standard Day Return £9.10
Split ticket between:
1. Kirk Sandall (one stop before Doncaster) to Wakefield Stations: Standard Day Return £6.30, and
2. Wakefield Stations to Cross Gates (one stop after Leeds): Cheap Day Return £2.15
Total = £8.45

Sheffield to Leeds: 1 month season ticket £168.20 (or £165.60 for not via Doncaster)
Sheffield to Howden (via Leeds): £157.10

Sheffield to Baildon: Standard Day Single £9.80
Split ticket between:
1. Dore to Wakefield Stations: Standard Day Single £5.80
2. Wakefield Stations to Baildon: Standard Day Single £2.90
Total = £8.70

Sheffield to Manchester Stations: Cheap Day Return £13.60
Sheffield to Stalybridge (via Stockport): Cheap Day Return £12.70 - under National Routeing Guide Easement no. 36 - 'Journeys from Stockport to Stalybridge may go via Manchester. Journeys via Stockport and Stalybridge may go via Manchester. These easements apply in both directions'

Sheffield to Birmingham Stations/Aston (return on the same day): Standard Saver Return £30.80
Split ticket between:
1. Derbyshire Wayfarer (valid between Sheffield and Burton on Trent): £7.90
2. Derby to Shenstone: Cheap Day Return £6.60 (any permitted route) - under National Routeing Guide Easement no. 97 - 'Journeys from Lichfield Trent Valley, Lichfield City, Shenstone, Blake Street, Butlers Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green, Chester Road and Erdington to Derby or via Derby may go via Birmingham. This easement applies in both directions.'
Total = £14.50

NB. Tested and worked on 05/05/07 with tickets inspected at Birmingham New Street and Aston stations

Details of all National Routeing Guide Easements can be found on:

http://www.atoc.org/rsp/_downloads/R.../easements.htm

trubster

<H1>Forbidden

You do not have permission to access this document.

Web Server at theticketcollector.co.uk

</H1>Doesnt seem to work with the top link, please post the link in parts so it does not have the ..'s in

Think this will work, here goes

Download atoc_fares_cdrom_win_98.zip

AP

trubster wrote: »

</H1>Doesnt seem to work with the top link, please post the link in parts so it does not have the ..'s in

Think this will work, here goes

Download atoc_fares_cdrom_win_98.zip

The link in parts is as follows:-

https://www.theticketcollector.co.uk/

wordpress/2007/03/08/advantixtraveller/