bizarre pricing

oscarward

Hi

Not looking for a definitive answer but puzzled by rail pricing

I have to go to N Middx hospital tomorrow for a meeting @ 10:30

Traveling from Wolverhampton I get the following prices from the National Rail travel Planner (with a senior rail card)

Wolves to Silver St £115 return

i.e wolves - Euston - seven sisters tube - silver st

or on the same trains

Return to Euston £33.45
Return tube to seven sisters £9
seven sisters to silver st return £3.15

By comparison I can get a return to Leatherhead (inc tube transfer) for £37.45

So puzzled by the difference in pricing.

Cycrow

I noticed something similar i was going back home for christmas, and the train journey from central london cost £6 one way, but if i included the tube to get into central london, then it would cost me £40 instead for one way, even thou i can use my oyster card and cost less than £5.

wealdroam

oscarward wrote: »

Return to Euston £33.45

That's because Virgin Trains allow anyone with a railcard to use offpeak tickets without a time restriction.

agrinnall

It's probably best not to try to work out why tickets are priced the way they are, unless you want to be at North Middlesex Hospital again to be treated for an exploding head!

LimeLight

Yep, i'm getting a train to Scotland tomorrow and the direct fare is £71ish but if i get a ticket to Falkirk then a ticket to my onward station, it works out at £56ish

yorkie2

My advice for a passenger who holds a Railcard, and wishes to travel on Virgin Trains services to, from, or via London at times when Off Peak Return (SVR) fares are normally barred, without restriction is as follows:

Purchase an Off Peak Return (SVR) ticket from the station your Virgin Train departs from, to London Terminals (ie, London Euston). This is valid on any Virgin Trains service, at any time within the validity period. Peak restrictions are not applicable to Railcard holders on Virgin Trains.

Then, depending on the destination, purchase another ticket from London. If the destination is within London Zones 1-6 and you returning the same day, you may be best off with a Zones 1-6 Travelcard, priced at £5.90.

If you are travelling within London, and you travel to London every so often, but will not be making enough journeys for a Travelcard to be best value, then you can obtain an Oyster Card, which I recommend you register (you can do this online), and you can also take your Railcard and Oyster Card to any LU station and get a Railcard discount loaded onto your Oyster Card. You need to keep your Oyster card topped up, this can be done 'manually' from a machine (or ticket office) or can be done online (I travel to London roughly once every month or two, and have enabled auto top-up so I never have to worry about it).

If travelling beyond London, the short (10 minute) walk to St Pancras may be your best bet, as fares from London St Pancras can be cheaper than using the tube, e.g. London St Pancras to Brighton.