Complex off-peak break of journey query

Moneyer

A detailed one to test the rail ticketing experts out there….. ;-)

Next week I need to go from Manchester Piccadilly to Hull, and on the way back (the following day) I'd like to stop off for a walk in the pennines at Marsden (which is on the route, but the express trains don't stop there).

I therefore want to go from Hull to Huddersfield, change onto the stopping train to Marsden, break the journey for a few hours, continue on the stopping service to Stalybridge, and finally get back onto the express to Piccadilly.

Any problem with doing this on the return half of an off-peak return from Manchester to Hull? And does it make a difference if any of the journey is within Greater Manchester evening peak hours?

jbuchanangb

Hello

I'm no expert but in principle there is no problem at all with breaking a journey with an off-peak return ticket.
I've looked at the train times from Marsden to Manchester, and it seems you would do better to get on a through train from Marsden to Manchester Victoria. Your ticket should be valid Manchester(all stations). But I guess you've checked the times of the connections at Stalybridge.

yorkie2

Not complex.

Break of journey (as much as you like) is always permitted on the return portion of Off Peak Returns, and the return portion, which is valid for a calendar month.

Though the ticket is called 'Off Peak Return' this is a misnomer; the conditions are the same as the old 'Saver' under British Rail. There is no time restriction whatsoever in this case.

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=0438&dest=HUL&tkt=SVR

That's the ticketing matter dealt with, now onto the 'express'...

Moneyer wrote: »

...continue on the stopping service to Stalybridge, and finally get back onto the express to Piccadilly.

From Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria, this is a fast line, taken by the fastest TransPennine Express trains (though these do not call at Stalybridge) as well as the Northern stoppers.

However Stalybridge to Manchester Piccadilly is a tortuously slow line, the trains may be branded TransPennine Express (because they are faster elsewhere), but this is not an express route. Trains often have to give way to conflicting trains at Guide Bridge, where the speed limit is about 10 or 15mph!

dggar

yorkie2 wrote: »

Not complex.

Break of journey (as much as you like) is always permitted on the return portion of Off Peak Returns, and the return portion, which is valid for a calendar month.

Though the ticket is called 'Off Peak Return' this is a misnomer; the conditions are the same as the old 'Saver' under British Rail. There is no time restriction whatsoever in this case.

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=0438&dest=HUL&tkt=SVR

That's the ticketing matter dealt with, now onto the 'express'...



From Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria, this is a fast line, taken by the fastest TransPennine Express trains (though these do not call at Stalybridge) as well as the Northern stoppers.

However Stalybridge to Manchester Piccadilly is a tortuously slow line, the trains may be branded TransPennine Express (because they are faster elsewhere), but this is not an express route. Trains often have to give way to conflicting trains at Guide Bridge, where the speed limit is about 10 or 15mph!

They also often get held up at Ardwick, if there are conflicting train movements on the running lines out of Piccadilly. If the train from Stalybridge is going onto Liverpool it has to cross most of the running lines.


On the route from Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria there is one stop at Ashton before Victoria.