Do Rail tickets have a "Holiday Premium"

Capt_Slog

I've been watching the price of rail tickets for a journey I want to make on the 31st of May, I've been doing this since the beginning of Jan. Each week I look at the price of the tickets for the maximum number of weeks ahead that I can check, which you'll probably know is 12 weeks.

Each time I do this, the tickets start off at £259, come down to £99 and then a week after they are £60*. However this time they haven't, they're still at £99 and I'm getting a little edgy, this is a journey I REALLY have to book.

So, the question is as in the title. Do rail journeys in holiday weeks carry a premium, just like any accommodation booking do in the same periods?

By the way, I've looked at all the usual tricks to get the price down, breaking the journey, railcards, etc. Nothing to be gained there.





* yes it's a joke isn't it! Other countries must fall on the floor laughing at our stupid pricing systems, I could pay £607 for the same journey :rotfl::rotfl:

Livingthedream

IMHO it's not a 'Holiday Premium' but more of supply and demand, ie cheap Advance tickets for Fridays and Sundays always sellout quicker that the same tickets for Wednesdays and Saturdays. Same for School Holidays, always harder to find cheap Advance tickets during the half terms and around main school holiday times.

If there released for the dates of your travel and they are lot cheaper than the walkon fares, then buy them before they sellout.

Have you had a look at Megabus (do trains as well) or National Express coaches as they could be cheaper.

Or you could post your journey details and see if anybody on the forum could make it cheaper for you.

wealdroam

Capt_Slog wrote: »

I've been watching the price of rail tickets for a journey I want to make on the 31st of May, I've been doing this since the beginning of Jan. Each week I look at the price of the tickets for the maximum number of weeks ahead that I can check, which you'll probably know is 12 weeks.

Each time I do this, the tickets start off at £259, come down to £99 and then a week after they are £60*. However this time they haven't, they're still at £99 and I'm getting a little edgy, this is a journey I REALLY have to book.

So, the question is as in the title. Do rail journeys in holiday weeks carry a premium, just like any accommodation booking do in the same periods?

By the way, I've looked at all the usual tricks to get the price down, breaking the journey, railcards, etc. Nothing to be gained there.





* yes it's a joke isn't it! Other countries must fall on the floor laughing at our stupid pricing systems, I could pay £607 for the same journey :rotfl::rotfl:

May31 is pretty close to a Bank Holiday.
Train timetables don't get finalised until later than 12 weeks near bank hol weekends because of possible engineering works. So Advance Singles may not become available so quickly around those dates, if at all. They are not going to offer cheap tickets on trains which might not run.

If you were to say where you are planning to travel from and to, I am sure someone will be able to help further.

But to answer your question directly...
No, holidays do not attract a premium ticket price.

Ebe_Scrooge

Depends a lot on your journey details, but have you looked at flights ? I travel from Scotland to the south coast a fair bit, and if you can book far enough in advance, a budget airline flight often comes in at a fraction of the train fare ( to say nothing of the time saving ! )

As I say, this does depend an awful lot on your locations, and whether your departure and arrival points are within a reasonable distance of an airport that the budget airlines use, but it's definitely worth a look.

dzug1

Capt_Slog wrote: »

* yes it's a joke isn't it! Other countries must fall on the floor laughing at our stupid pricing systems, I could pay £607 for the same journey :rotfl::rotfl:

Other countries have very similar systems - which they have copied from us.

Capt_Slog

Thanks for the answers so far.

I want to travel from Derby to Newquay on May31st. (a Tuesday). This is 'Whit week'.

I have looked at air travel, and indeed I've booked return journey that way, but they only have flights on Friday, Saturday and Monday.

I'm not a fan of the bus, but would put up with it if was vastly cheaper, but it comes in at £121 for two adults.

As I said before, I've watched this for a while now, and didn't notice any increases when my searches went through Easter (19th or 26th April) although those prices have now gone.

The point of this exercise is a 50th birthday treat for Mrs Slog, who knows nothing about it until the day we go.

Capt_Slog

Well, I waited it out until Wednesday 16th and then bought my tickets.

I was using the National Rail site to find my prices and they were still at £99 for the journey.

I knew that I would be directed to Cross Country Trains to actually buy my tickets, so I put in the first leg of my trip which was with them, Derby to Exeter and got a price of £45

Then I went to First Great Western and put in the detail of the next 2 legs, Exeter to Par and then on to Newquay. The price came back at £26.

Hold on, 45 + 26= 71, not £99. So I booked the two sets with the individual train companies. I checked later to find that I could have bought both sets at the Cross Country site for the same price, but not to worry. It was a relief to finally get it booked and I won't feel too ripped-off if the price does eventually go to £60, which is looking doubtful.

If there's a lesson here, it's not to trust National Rail Enquiries too far.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Capt_Slog wrote: »

Well, I waited it out until Wednesday 16th and then bought my tickets.

I was using the National Rail site to find my prices and they were still at £99 for the journey.

I knew that I would be directed to Cross Country Trains to actually buy my tickets, so I put in the first leg of my trip which was with them, Derby to Exeter and got a price of £45

Then I went to First Great Western and put in the detail of the next 2 legs, Exeter to Par and then on to Newquay. The price came back at £26.

Hold on, 45 + 26= 71, not £99. So I booked the two sets with the individual train companies. I checked later to find that I could have bought both sets at the Cross Country site for the same price, but not to worry. It was a relief to finally get it booked and I won't feel too ripped-off if the price does eventually go to £60, which is looking doubtful.

If there's a lesson here, it's not to trust National Rail Enquiries too far.

NRE will give you the price for the journey combined. As you split the tickets this will give you the price you have now found. NRE would also have shown this if you had SPLIT the tickets as you have just done.

tripled

Just don't forget that, as they aren't through tickets, if you miss a connection for whatever reason you have to pay the full fare as your advance tickets won't be valid on a later train. If you are on the last train in either direction and it is delayed/cancelled they also aren't obliged to provide onward travel further than the leg you are on.

Livingthedream

tripled wrote: »

Just don't forget that, as they aren't through tickets, if you miss a connection for whatever reason you have to pay the full fare as your advance tickets won't be valid on a later train. If you are on the last train in either direction and it is delayed/cancelled they also aren't obliged to provide onward travel further than the leg you are on.

Ouch!, that's quite a statement to make and opens a right can of worms and I'm sure there will be others posting with their point of view on this. But my opinion is that 2 advance tickets = 1 Journey in accordance with the NRCOC's

Section 19 of the NRCoC states -

19. Using a combination of tickets
You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at the station where you change from one ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.

wealdroam

tripled wrote: »

Just don't forget that, as they aren't through tickets, if you miss a connection for whatever reason you have to pay the full fare as your advance tickets won't be valid on a later train. If you are on the last train in either direction and it is delayed/cancelled they also aren't obliged to provide onward travel further than the leg you are on.

Are you sure about that?

You are allowed to have more than one ticket for a journey, and 'the railway' have to do their best to complete your journey.

Yes, I can imagine some discussion taking place, but condition 19 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage say...

19. Using a combination of tickets
You may use two or more tickets for one journey...

Let's consider your last point first... being unable to complete your journey and becoming stranded.

NRCOC condition 43 tells us, amonst other things...

43. Help from Train Companies if you are stranded
If disruption leaves you stranded before you have reached your destination and the Train Company whose trains you are entitled to use is unable to get you to that destination by other means, any Train Company which is in a position to help will, if it reasonably can, either arrange to get you to that destination, or provide overnight accommodation for you.

Remember, your destination is at the end of your journey. I.e. at the end of travel using your last ticket for that journey.

Yes, it may be difficult getting this point across, but it seems quite clear to me.

Your other point, missing a connection, is also covered by that same condition.

'The railway' have sold you multiple tickets for one journey. They have an obligation to you to assist you in completing that journey.