Split Ticketing: Report successful routes here

elainew

when we went we split at crewe too

Clawz114

Hi guys.

Great info about the ticket splitting!

Ive got a situation that id like someone to help me with if possible. I am looking to travel from HHE (Haywards Heath) to WAT (London Waterloo) on the 17th of Feb. Im going to see Avatar at the BFI IMAX cinema. I read the thing about ticket splitting and got the price down for 2 people from something like £80 to £30 (Thats, there and back)

So thats all well and good, but i wanted to ask about ordering tickets. Im using NationalRail.co.uk and ive noticed some strange things. For example, the route from HHE to WAT is perfectly fine. 1 Train to CLJ (Clapham Junction) and then 1 train from there to WAT (final destination) which is easy enough. Although, the return route is a lot different.

I first selected a train from the WAT to my home station, to see where the change was, and found it wasnt clapham junction, it was london victoria, and there were trains roughly every half an hour, with just the 1 change at Victoria. So i typed in, waterloo to victoria (indending to then split it, victoria to my home station) but it gives me a train which will be pushing it for time after the film ends, and it takes 17 minutes to get from WAT to Victoria. The other trains, ALL have 2 changes, and take between 1 hour and 20 mins, to 1 hour and 40 mins each. On closer comparison, i found that trains from Waterloo to Victoria, are different times to the trains that go to HHE, via victoria. Why is this? Surely its just the same train?

This may be an appropriate time to mention, the film STARTS at 00:20 (yes just gone midnight) and ends at 3:00 - 3:30ish (im confirming this later today)

Basically, what i want to know, is if i book a ticket for a certain time and train, do i HAVE to travel on that train, or is there a bit of leeway. Im talking 30 minutes difference from the train i book, compared to the one i get on. Its just, if i book the split tickets on the way home, the train will take about 3 hours to get home, rather than the 1 and a half hours that it would take if i were to order a non-split ticket all the way back that goes via victoria (which should be THE SAME TRAIN) but the times are different?! In other words, i want to buy split tickets, and then travel on the train i couldve booked for twice the price (at a slightly different time slot)

I dont get it, they seem to have more holes in their system than a pack of polos.

Appreciate it if someone can help me out.

KeithP

Clawz114 wrote: »

Hi guys.

Great info about the ticket splitting!

Ive got a situation that id like someone to help me with if possible. I am looking to travel from HHE (Haywards Heath) to WAT (London Waterloo) on the 17th of Feb. Im going to see Avatar at the BFI IMAX cinema. I read the thing about ticket splitting and got the price down for 2 people from something like £80 to £30 (Thats, there and back)

So thats all well and good, but i wanted to ask about ordering tickets. Im using NationalRail.co.uk and ive noticed some strange things. For example, the route from HHE to WAT is perfectly fine. 1 Train to CLJ (Clapham Junction) and then 1 train from there to WAT (final destination) which is easy enough. Although, the return route is a lot different.

I first selected a train from the WAT to my home station, to see where the change was, and found it wasnt clapham junction, it was london victoria, and there were trains roughly every half an hour, with just the 1 change at Victoria. So i typed in, waterloo to victoria (indending to then split it, victoria to my home station) but it gives me a train which will be pushing it for time after the film ends, and it takes 17 minutes to get from WAT to Victoria. The other trains, ALL have 2 changes, and take between 1 hour and 20 mins, to 1 hour and 40 mins each. On closer comparison, i found that trains from Waterloo to Victoria, are different times to the trains that go to HHE, via victoria. Why is this? Surely its just the same train?

This may be an appropriate time to mention, the film STARTS at 00:20 (yes just gone midnight) and ends at 3:00 - 3:30ish (im confirming this later today)

Basically, what i want to know, is if i book a ticket for a certain time and train, do i HAVE to travel on that train, or is there a bit of leeway. Im talking 30 minutes difference from the train i book, compared to the one i get on. Its just, if i book the split tickets on the way home, the train will take about 3 hours to get home, rather than the 1 and a half hours that it would take if i were to order a non-split ticket all the way back that goes via victoria (which should be THE SAME TRAIN) but the times are different?! In other words, i want to buy split tickets, and then travel on the train i couldve booked for twice the price (at a slightly different time slot)

I dont get it, they seem to have more holes in their system than a pack of polos.

Appreciate it if someone can help me out.

If you purchase Advance Single tickets, you need to travel on the booked train.

If its two Off Peak Day Returns you are thinking of (at £31.80 total for the two of you when booked via the website mentioned below) then you can travel on any offpeak train.
I do not know whether your trip is covered by a Day Return though.

Advance Singles are available from Haywards Heath to Victoria and vice versa for £3 each person each way at the times you want...
arr Victoria at 22:20, 22:27, 22:40 or 22:57.
dep Victoria at 04:00 or 05:02.

Maybe you need to get a taxi to Victoria for your return.

Info from the Southern Railway website and to get those £3 tickets, book there too.

dzug1

KeithP wrote: »

If you purchase Advance Single tickets, you need to travel on the booked train.

If its two Off Peak Day Returns you are thinking of (at £31.80 total for the two of you when booked via the website mentioned below) then you can travel on any offpeak train.
I do not know whether your trip is covered by a Day Return though.

Advance Singles are available from Haywards Heath to Victoria and vice versa for £3 each person each way at the times you want...
arr Victoria at 22:20, 22:27, 22:40 or 22:57.
dep Victoria at 04:00 or 05:02.

Maybe you need to get a taxi to Victoria for your return.

Info from the Southern Railway website and to get those £3 tickets, book there too.

I don't think day returns from the previous evening would be valid on the 0400 or 0502 trains - the cutoff IIRC is something like 0230


And OP you seem totally confused about Waterloo and Victoria. Not surprising - if you ask the rail site for a journey from Waterloo to Victoria in the small hours it will come up with stupid routings like starting off on the underground to Kentish Town, at times when the underground isn't running - basic reason is there ARE no trains from Waterloo at those times and it's not clever enough to have proper underground times. It screws up when you ask for journeys that are impossible and will try to give you an allegedly near alternative

If you put in Waterloo to Haywards Heath when Waterloo is closed it will route you via the underground to Victoria (or London Bridge) and then the normal train. Only the underground isn't running that early anyway, and you'll have paid for the fare which you can't use. Just get a night bus or taxi to Victoria/London Bridge and use a rail ticket from there.

Your best bet is the £3 singles Keith mentions - you haven't lost much if you buy one for both return trains. You will have to make your own way (bus/taxi) between Victoria and Waterloo - you can't get such tickets to Waterloo.

Clawz114

Thanks for the info guys.

Just found those £3 tickets you mentioned. Thanks for that, they are so cheap?!

So just to clarify, for my particular journey, i cant get a train to Waterloo because they are closed? In which case, i need to get a train to Victoria, taxi to the cinema (1 mile roughly) and then the same on the way back?

Total cost, £6 each

Sounds good to me guys.

KeithP

Clawz114 wrote: »

So just to clarify, for my particular journey, i cant get a train to Waterloo because they are closed? In which case, i need to get a train to Victoria, taxi to the cinema (1 mile roughly) and then the same on the way back?

Total cost, £6 each

Sounds good to me guys.

No problem going to Waterloo, except you won't find £3 tickets to Waterloo.
As you say, Waterloo will be closed when you want to return.

Don't forget, you must book those £3 tickets in advance from the Southern Railway website, and you must travel on the booked train.

iz007

1. Return journey from Cardiff to Reading = £52.70

2. 2 singles

Outward 12/03/10
Cardiff to Reading = £13.00

Return 14/03/10
Reading to Cardiff = £21.00

Total cost = £34.00

3. Split ticket @ Swindon

Outward: Cardiff - Swindon / Swindon - Reading = £10.00 (2 * £5)
Return: Reading - Swindon / Swindon - Cardiff = £9.00 (£5 + £8.50)

Total cost = £23.50

There is another train from Reading to Swindon on the Sunday which is £4.00 instead of £8.50 but it means changing trains at Swindon. I think for the extra £3.50 I’ll just stay on the same train, no stress.

iz007

Has anyone got any tips for a split ticket journey for Manchester to Reading? Going on 12/03/10 and returning 14/03/10

Normal return £75.00

I have done a split ticket at Birmingham which works out at over £50.00.

Downside is the return journey on Sunday takes forever as there must be some engineering works.

dzug1

iz007 wrote: »

Has anyone got any tips for a split ticket journey for Manchester to Reading? Going on 12/03/10 and returning 14/03/10

Normal return £75.00

I have done a split ticket at Birmingham which works out at over £50.00.

Downside is the return journey on Sunday takes forever as there must be some engineering works.

Try an extra split at Banbury or Leamington.

Via London might work as well - but the lack of cheap tickets between Reading and London means the London/Manchester (or Birmingham?) leg would have to be VERY cheap to compensate

iz007

Thanks, will look into that

Also come across http://splityourticket.co.uk/ which is pretty helpful.