Train travel - any ideas please?

WorriedByDebt

Hi,

I travel regularly to pick up and drop off my kids. I need to travel from Driffield North Humberside to St Neots.

I've bought a Friends and Family railcard which reduces the cost of travelling with the children, but now that the rail companies are all split up across the country, it doesn't seem that I can buy a rail card that would allow a single adult to travel more cheaply across network areas.

Anyone have any ideas how I can do this as cheaply as possible?

Thanks,

WBD

slyracoon

Travel at Off Peak times.

Get a 16-25 railcard if you are under 25.

Get a 7 day or monthly travel card. (This normally works out cheaper if your making the same journey more than 3 or times times a week).

pmm1981

Plan your journeys in advance, i've put a random date in for March (4th and 7th) and advance singles are available for £15.60 out and £9.35 back so a return fare of £24.95

dzug1

WorriedByDebt wrote: »

it doesn't seem that I can buy a rail card that would allow a single adult to travel more cheaply across network areas.


Thanks,

WBD

There isn't such a beast - nor was there ever that I know of

Advance booking is the main way of reducing fares.

Mids_Costcutter

I know this doesn't help you now, but Railfuture, the rail campaign group, has been calling for a national railcard for a number of years.

In 2003 the Railway Consultancy produced a detailed report on the benefits of a railcard for the whole of the UK, available to all and offering discounts on off-peak travel. The research identified that the best option was a £20 card with 30% savings. The train companies would make an estimated extra £55 million as a result of increased travel.

Further information on the case for a national railcard can be found at:

http://www.railfuture.org.uk/tiki-index.php?page=National+Rail+Card

However the response from the rail operators (ATOC) was negative claiming that they could lose money!

WorriedByDebt

slyracoon wrote: »

Travel at Off Peak times.

Get a 16-25 railcard if you are under 25.

Get a 7 day or monthly travel card. (This normally works out cheaper if your making the same journey more than 3 or times times a week).

Unfortunately I would probably have more luck trying to convince someone I could use a senior's card than a 16-25! 25 seems like an age ago!!

WorriedByDebt

pmm1981 wrote: »

Plan your journeys in advance, i've put a random date in for March (4th and 7th) and advance singles are available for £15.60 out and £9.35 back so a return fare of £24.95

Thanks for your help. Part of the problem (and I stupidly didn't enter this earlier) is that I have to travel from Driffield on a Friday afternoon to pick up the kids, then return to Driffield with them. Then make the reverse journey again on the Sunday.

By the time you add it all up it's cheaper to take the car (which I can get to average 60+mpg on that trip) as far as I can see so far.