MSE News: Split ticket app reveals hidden cheaper rail fares

jamesd

Beating TicketySplit. Maybe.

Swindon to Manchester Picc via Crewe quoted: £192 split: £61 Saving: £131

Possibly beaten by the same day off peak web only day single from thetrainline that costs £54.60, travel via London. Buy this from your web-enabled phone. Checking times in the evening produced the result that it's not available for this journey, can't tell if it was due to the time I was checking.

Anytime single fare costs £75, travel via London not allowed, can be purchased on the same day, plenty of availability. Discount cards usable with this ticket. Off peak single with no discount is £108.20. Anytime Single via London costs £191.50.

Tamworth to Weymouth Gloucester £89 £56 £33

Possibly beaten by Off-Peak Day Single (web only) at £46.20 via London, can be purchased on day of travel. Checking times in the evening produced the result that it's not available for this journey, can't tell if it was due to the time I was checking.

Anytime single costs £88.50 (not via London), off peak via London £91.40 adn Anytime single £141.


Bournville to Penryn (Cornwall) Cheltenham Spa £135 £73 £6

Best still available today £135 but that may be because I'm searching at 6:40PM. The split fare is available though can't be completed today because of the train times.


London Paddington to Westbury (Wilts) Theale £84 £27 £57

Best still available £29.60 for a super off-peak single.

Glasgow Central to Sheffield Chorley £104 £60 £44

Best still available £104.30 off-peak single.

I stopped there because it's not worth continuing at this time of day, too few trains left.

dzug1

You shouldn't be able to buy an off peak web only day single on its own - only if you buy a similar (or advance) single for the return journey.

Does thetrainline ignore this restriction?

jamesd

It lists it as a possible ticket option but then says not available for the journey when you try to check availability. Thanks for explaining what was happening and that it wasn't just the time at which I was checking.

That means that TicketySplit will probably include those as an option once it can handle return journeys. Until then it looks like a case to be aware of. No surprise that an app described as incomplete is incomplete.

Mrs_Arcanum

Would be handy for us on line irregular train users to know what stations a particular train stops at to work out our own split tickets. Single from Oxford to Leicester I have split into 3 and saved £10 (Now totals £40 at peak time rather than £50). I am sure I could save more if I knew where the Birmingham to Leicester train stopped.

JezR

Only having one split is a significant weakness in this but I guess it has to start from small steps. For example from Didcot to Sheffield the cheapest fare is to split at Banbury, Birmingham, and Derby.

dggar

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Would be handy for us on line irregular train users to know what stations a particular train stops at to work out our own split tickets. Single from Oxford to Leicester I have split into 3 and saved £10 (Now totals £40 at peak time rather than £50). I am sure I could save more if I knew where the Birmingham to Leicester train stopped.

The National Rail journey planner will allow you to find out the calling points for any journey shown. Click on the i (information)
icon.

dzug1

dggar wrote: »

The National Rail journey planner will allow you to find out the calling points for any journey shown. Click on the i (information)
icon.

And many of the train companies have .pdf timetables on their websites so you can see it for a selection of trains all at once.

fandroid

The MSE guide to splitting tickets misses out the ways that a Network Railcard can be used to reduce overall fares for a journey that passes outside the Railcard's area of validity. Book one leg with the discount, and then book the other leg without. For instance, Banbury is in the Railcard zone, so by splitting there, a cheaper overall journey results. Similarly, the same trick works by splitting at Northampton, Bedford, Exeter (via Basingstoke) and even Worcester!

fandroid

I left Colchester off my list of Network Railcard valid stations (for the Ipswich & Norwich route). The same tricks apply for all of these routes if you are a SE Annual Season Ticket holder and have a Gold Card. If in doubt about where it can be done, the Network Railcard leaflet has a map showing the area of validity (it's usually in the racks in just about any SE station)

alanrowell

dggar wrote: »

The most logical station is Middlesborough where there is a change of train operationg company.

However doing it at a station where you change trains means that if you miss the train then you aren't covered. Thus you "change" somewhere that means you stay on the same train - eg from Leeds to Edinburgh the "logical" change point would be York if you can't get a direct train but it's often better to change at Berwick-upon-Tweed where you just stay on the train and (in theory) move seats.