NXEC dies, but East Coast website still best for buying train tickets online

jamesbrownontheroad

National Express surrendered their East Coast train franchise to the government last night, so for the next few years you will be seeing those trains operated by East Coast, a Department for Transport owned vehicle.

Good news though! The excellent WebTIS booking engine of the old website has been transferred to the new website: http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/

Forget thetrainline, RailEasy, etc. This website (and that of every other train operator) does not charge for credit cards, debit cards, postal delivery of tickets or ticket-on-departure collection for station ticket machines.

Beware that although MSE has an excellent policy on not promoting or favouring any one company, as you will note in the Cheap Train Tickets guide RailEasy and theTrainLine both "help" MSE when you buy through them. It's entirely up to you whether you pay the additional fees to buy through those sites.

AirlieBird

East Coast website still the best for buying train tickets

I think London Midland, Southern and SouthEastern may quibble with that since they use the same booking engine.

Livingthedream

I find that the WebTIS booking engine used by East Coast, NXEA, London Midland, Southern and SouthEastern shows more cheaper Advance ticket fare options and as Virgin seem to have increased there cheapest Advance ticket prices on its Scotland to Birmingham route in the new year this saves me around £40
Inverkeithing to Holyhead (2adults & 2childen 1FF railcard 20th Jan) cheapest via Virgin website £60 cheapest via the East Coast website £23.50

jamesbrownontheroad

AirlieBird wrote: »

I think London Midland, Southern and SouthEastern may quibble with that since they use the same booking engine.

But don't offer the additional 10% discount on their own Advance fares... obviously only of use if you are travelling with East Coast. It's true, though, that the same platform is used by their sites, and it's incomparably better than the multi-stage booking process of thetrainline-based sites.

AirlieBird

No, but Southern go further by offering up to 40% off their own Advance fares, and a current promotion offers 50% off their off-peak tickets on their routes.