Cheap rail fares on main lines but not on suburban lines

JohnWhite

We live in Surrey. we saw some excellent deals advertised and available, for the rail fares on the East Coast line to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. However when we investigated further it appeared the cost of a single into Waterloo then across London to Kings Cross was more that the cost of the journey all the way north on the East Coast line to one of the above destinations. Is this normal or is there a way of combining the fares you can substantially reduce yjhe cost of train journey from Surrey to Kings Cross. Any feedback on this subject will be appreciated.

dzug1

Have you actually tried pricing it as one journey? That is, Surrey station to Edinburgh? Depends where you are but it certainly works with some starting points. (I randomly tried Guildford - and I know Gatwick works)


It doesn't apply everywhere but is becoming more common than it was a year or so back..


Surrey's a big place - so I'm working in the dark here. More detail might help give a better answer

yorkie2

Indeed. Where in Surrey?

The lowest tiers of East Coast Advance fares are not available for journeys beyond London. So it may be cheaper to purchase separate tickets. However without knowing the exact details of the journey, I really couldn't give good advice.

TomLikesSausages

I have experinced the same problem we live in the Guildford area and when we look at a train journey to York on the East Coast Line, they have in the past offered return jouneys on different days for as little as £30. However the train fare from Guildford to catch the connection at Kings Cross can be a much as £20 each way, depending on the time of day you travel. We have put the information into both the Raileasy and Train Line websites, but have not come up with any significent saving on journeys to and from Kings Cross. Is there another website we should be looking at. Any advise would be appreciated.

Lukewarm13

We saw some cheap train fares advertised on Virgin from Euston Liverpool which were available when we went into their website. However when we investigated further the cost of 2 single journeys to and from Euston on South West Trains it was more than the fare to Liverpool. I do not think you can get any reduced fares on South West trains when combined your journey with Virgin (or any other rail company), or have we missed something basic.

Nada666

Have you really never travelled long-distance in Britain before? You've only noticed this now? This has been the case for ages. Even more stark if combining a long-distance coach to London with a train to your actual destination. Same can apply to flying - it can easily cost more to get to the airport than fly to Europe.

dzug1

TomLikesSausages wrote: »

I have experinced the same problem we live in the Guildford area and when we look at a train journey to York on the East Coast Line, they have in the past offered return jouneys on different days for as little as £30. However the train fare from Guildford to catch the connection at Kings Cross can be a much as £20 each way, depending on the time of day you travel. We have put the information into both the Raileasy and Train Line websites, but have not come up with any significent saving on journeys to and from Kings Cross. Is there another website we should be looking at. Any advise would be appreciated.

Book a ticket from Guildford to York - looking about 6 weeks ahead they start at £33.50 one way for the through journey including the tube across London


Don't use raileasy or the trainline - the latter at least charges extra. Use a train company site - any one will do but East Coast might be the most appropriate

dzug1

Lukewarm13 wrote: »

We saw some cheap train fares advertised on Virgin from Euston Liverpool which were available when we went into their website. However when we investigated further the cost of 2 single journeys to and from Euston on South West Trains it was more than the fare to Liverpool. I do not think you can get any reduced fares on South West trains when combined your journey with Virgin (or any other rail company), or have we missed something basic.

You must have done. Maybe trying to split the ticket when it's not necessary


Guildford to Liverpool or Manchester £16.50 one way through fare any good?



Guildford to East Coast destinations is also possible.

david39

You can find really cheap deals if you are persistent.

If you travel East Coast fairly frequently, register for their emails.
They will then advise you when their special low fares are available.
These are not the Advance Fares, but special promotional fares that are only available for something like 48 hours at a time. £10 for the fare between any 2 stations on the East Coast line is typical.

Last week I travelled to Portsmouth for £10. That was £5 by East Coast to London and £5 from London to Portsmouth on Southern, who also ran a cheap rate deal that coincided with that of East Coast. We got the return journey for the same price.

These composite deals are rare and hard to find, but well worth it.

yorkie2

TomLikesSausages wrote: »

I have experinced the same problem we live in the Guildford area and when we look at a train journey to York on the East Coast Line, they have in the past offered return jouneys on different days for as little as £30. However the train fare from Guildford to catch the connection at Kings Cross can be a much as £20 each way, depending on the time of day you travel. We have put the information into both the Raileasy and Train Line websites, but have not come up with any significent saving on journeys to and from Kings Cross. Is there another website we should be looking at. Any advise would be appreciated.

Picking a random date and time at relatively short notice, so Tuesday 25th March departing 1134, arriving 1530, and I see a fare of £32.85 on the East Coast website, with the same fare two hours later.

yorkie2

Lukewarm13 wrote: »

We saw some cheap train fares advertised on Virgin from Euston Liverpool which were available when we went into their website. However when we investigated further the cost of 2 single journeys to and from Euston on South West Trains it was more than the fare to Liverpool. I do not think you can get any reduced fares on South West trains when combined your journey with Virgin (or any other rail company), or have we missed something basic.

I'm going to make the (probably incorrect) assumption that you are also from Guildford, and go with the same day and time as my previous example and I find fares of £35 for the through journey (e.g. departing 0903, 1002, 1102, etc), or £46 in 1st class (which is well worth the extra on a weekday!).

From Euston, the fares for the same trains are £27 (£38 1st).

So it's only £8 more from Guildford, including cross-London transfer.

That may not be your origin, or day or time you wish to travel, so if you can provide more information, we can provide a more comprehensive response.