How to cut costs of weekly trains between Manchester and London

SavingInTheSlowLane

I'm a newbie to this and was wondering whether anyone had any tips to keep the cost down of a weekly trip between Manchester and London, leaving about 9am Monday morning and returning late Tuesday evening on Avanti trains. It's a non-negotiable (trust me, we've tried) commute for work until a new job has been found, so it could be for a year or two. I'd be so grateful for any ideas! Season tickets don't seem to exist for this sort of ticket. 

outtatune

West Midlands Rail do a £38.90 'super off peak return' between Crewe and Euston restricted to using their trains. Obviously you'll need to check that the 'off peak' times work for you, and you'll need a separate ticket from Manchester to Crewe.

It's slower than Avanti, and the trains are mainly for commuters so can get very busy.

Also I'd suggest you ask on www.railforums.co.uk as there will be experts on that site who will know far more than anyone here.

MilesT6060842

If you can drive you may find it cheaper driving part of the way (and parking in a suitable car park overnight) and taking the train the rest of the way.  Especially if you can join your first train as an "off peak".  May be able to do this with a coach as well.  Even better if you can drive to a line that isn't operated by Avanti!  

This may not be as quick as train(s) the whole way, and will take a lot of research bashing various alternatives into websites to see if you can get a good price for a fast enough journey.

For the return trip, you may be able to do a split ticket, splitting at a station which is on the boundary for the "Network Railcard", so the first ticket gets the railcard discount.  Check if there is any useful regional railcard for the second part of the trip.

jbuchanangb

You can get the round trip for £74 if you buy Advance tickets which are valid on specific trains. Maybe even less if you book a long time ahead. The £74, for example would be the 09.15 from Manchester on Monday 7 August, and the 19.53 from Euston on Friday 11 August. There are lots of ticket selling sites but https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/ is the one I used to look this up. Looked up Tuesday 8 August, and the £74 would get you on the 20.53. The 19.53 £10 more. Advance tickets is the way to go.

MilesT6060842

jbuchanangb said: 
https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/ is the one I used to look this up.

Affiliate link for Trainsplit website.  Which is fine, it will quote the cheapest mix of advance, splits (including I think a network card boundary split if you say you have a network card)

TheAble

I'd almost always choose a coach nowadays for longer distance travel. Yes it takes longer but it's hugely cheaper and nothing like as crowded. This journey can be done for around £18 return with National Express.

katejo

SavingInTheSlowLane said:

I'm a newbie to this and was wondering whether anyone had any tips to keep the cost down of a weekly trip between Manchester and London, leaving about 9am Monday morning and returning late Tuesday evening on Avanti trains. It's a non-negotiable (trust me, we've tried) commute for work until a new job has been found, so it could be for a year or two. I'd be so grateful for any ideas! Season tickets don't seem to exist for this sort of ticket. 

I have never needed to do this but a colleague, who commutes from Wolverhampton to London, buys Advance tickets well ahead of the dates she needs them. 

prettyandfluffy

Also check whether it is cheaper to buy a return ticket starting in London, this would mean a single ticket or coach for the first journey.  Sometimes this works in your favour.