Cheapest Train Fares Discussion Area

patricia1066

I will be making a few trips to Egham in peak travel. No railcards but I would like to use Oyster if possible.

I was looking for a way to avoid zone 1, and found that I can connect at Beckenham Jct to Clapham Jct.

I cannot get a price from the websites I tried. Crosscountry only connect via Victoria even when I exclude this. The Trainline shows "No tickets are available, please refine your search" when I try Beckenham Jct to Egham whatever time or date I use. No pricing info from trainline either.

Is there a problem with this route? Or should I just go to the ticket window every day?

richardw

Egham isn't on the oyster map http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/oyster-rail-services-map.pdf

dzug1

patricia1066 wrote: »

I will be making a few trips to Egham in peak travel. No railcards but I would like to use Oyster if possible.

I was looking for a way to avoid zone 1, and found that I can connect at Beckenham Jct to Clapham Jct.

I cannot get a price from the websites I tried. Crosscountry only connect via Victoria even when I exclude this. The Trainline shows "No tickets are available, please refine your search" when I try Beckenham Jct to Egham whatever time or date I use. No pricing info from trainline either.

Is there a problem with this route? Or should I just go to the ticket window every day?

The Southern site gives an anytime day return fare of £16.10 route not London.

I don't believe there are any direct trains from CJ to BJ - there's normally a change en route.

And as already said Egham is outside the Oyster zone.

silvercar

grazie wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions. It does look like it's down to peak hour travel restrictions. Unfortunately, the earliest train I can now get on a cheap ticket arrives at St.Pancras at 10.06. Apparently this isn't early enough to make the 10.30 connection from Kings Cross, so I'd have to wait for the Edinburgh train leaving at 11.00 and change again. Unfortunately, this gives only 11 minutes transfer time at Edinburgh which means you'd be pretty likely to miss the Aberdeen connection. A crazy crazy booking system!

BTW, changing the destination station makes no difference.

In reality it is a few minutes walk between St Pancras and Kings Cross, so if the first train was definitely going to be on time, you would have plenty of time to make your connection.

loulou2702

I need to get my son home from Plymouth to London for Christmas. I have waited patiently for the 12 weeks window to open and now East Coast trains are selling train tickets for Mid December. However the cheapest fare is still £27.50 ( after 1/3 off using his 16 - 25 card ). But I know that they offer these tickets as low at £8 odd

Could anyone shed light on this - do these tickets get cheaper and if so, at what stage? Thanks very much

moonrakerz

loulou2702 wrote: »

I have waited patiently for the 12 weeks window ....................
Could anyone shed light on this - do these tickets get cheaper and if so, at what stage? Thanks very much

The 12 weeks window is a bit like Easter - a moveable feast. The cheapest fares do not always appear at that point. All you can do is keep checking.
Don't forget that for Christmas cheap tickets will sell fast - it is just possible that the really cheap ones have all gone already !

loulou2702

Thank - will keep checking then.
I have been checking daily so I don't think I've missed it yet.

apt

The date EastCoast gives for cheap tickets refers to their own trains. Other train companies release tickets at slightly different dates. Currently the cheap tickets from Plymouth to London are available up to 8 December.

grazie

silvercar wrote: »

In reality it is a few minutes walk between St Pancras and Kings Cross, so if the first train was definitely going to be on time, you would have plenty of time to make your connection.

I think you've missed the point that I was trying to make. The booking system will not allow you to buy a cheap ticket for the earlier train and cheap tickets are only valid on nominated trains.

kingston_toon

moonrakerz wrote: »

The 12 weeks window is a bit like Easter - a moveable feast. The cheapest fares do not always appear at that point. All you can do is keep checking.
Don't forget that for Christmas cheap tickets will sell fast - it is just possible that the really cheap ones have all gone already !

More likely, they won't put any £8 ones on sale in the first place. Why should they, when so many people want to travel then?