Train - Norwich - to London

TheOne

Hi, I tried searching but couldn't find much about this route. I'm wanting to go to London for the day with a friend (who is a uni student), and the train prices just seem rediculously expensive. Looking on 'One' website or thetrainline.com for a weekday in March, just after easter they both come up with the same prices of between £41 and £46 EACH! I tried splitting the journey with Norwich to Cambridge, Cambridge to London (Apparently for Cambridge to London you can get for £6.00 single, but then buying Norwich to Cambridge is works out about the same with all the tickets together)
and it's about the same going Norwich - Colchester, Colchester - London
Is there a way to get them any cheaper? Do I try 'splitting' at every station (ie Norwich - Diss, Diss - London. Norwich - Ipswich etc etc). In comparison to the train prices National Express do the trip for as little as £33.00 for 2 people!! Why is the train so expensive?! :mad: (But the coach does take around 3 hours!)

Looking to go fairly early in the morning (between 07.00 and 09.00) and return about 22.00 - 23.00
Any ideas? Thanks!

suffolkb

I chose a day at random - March 26. If you use onerailway.com and click on the `2 singles may be cheaper` link, I found that it`s £12 to leave at 0800 and £6 to come back at 2130.
Why not make a break of it. The travellodge at Kings Cross has twin or triple rooms for £29. Have a nice time.

dzug

That early arrival is what's doing it - travel after the morning peak and it should be a lot cheaper.

Jem8472

yes its the early travel.

If you miss the morning rush hour then it should be about £6.00

Just search one railway. I do not find the trainline much good TBH
I just had a look and the £6.00 ones are gone for an 8am train (in at 9:56) but there are £12 tickets. The 23:30 back you can get £6 tickets.

dont know if this link will work
http://www.onerailway.trainsfares.co.uk/Buy_Tickets/Matrix/display_matrix.asp?expand=True&T2ID=3301_200811214206

AirlieBird

Use the ticket booking engine on https://www.nxeastcoast.co.uk. You can still see and book tickets for 'one' (which is also operated by National Express and if all goes according to plan will probably be rebranded National Express East Anglia by the time you come to travel on it).

The advantage of the nxeastcoast.co.uk is that it shows all possible tickets and all trains on one page unlike thetrainline (which is what 'one' currently uses), and best of all it has a 'Find me the lowest fare' function. This will show a grid of outbound and return trains with the cheapest combination of tickets available.

Using the "Find me the lowest fares" feature the cheapest you can get for the times you are looking at is £18 - by booking two single fares. This is leaving on any train after 8am, which is the earliest the £12 becomes available, and returning on any direct train after 8pm. Note with these advance tickets you must travel on the trains you are booked on, but all this is explained on the ticket information when you select your ticket and a train.

TheOne

I can't believe how much ticket prices vary. It seems like a right con!! If you want to get the absolute cheapest fares you have to go late afternoon or something, and its how the same journey is different prices for the same service on different days. If you look today it might be £12.00 for said journey but if you look tomorrow it might be £20 for the same journey, and it how they list the prices: Oh sorry there's no £12.00 single seats/tickets left on this train/journey now, but you can have a £39.00 single if you like!! What a rip off!
Oh it looks like my friend will be travelling from leicester, which will be £21.00 out and £7.00 back. He says he's getting a student railcard, but when you check the times and prices 'Student' isnt one of the railcards listed, unless it's 'young persons railcard', though isnt that only up to a certain age?
Then you've got undergound travel, is it cheaper to buy a UG ticket with your train ticket or is it the same?

alanrowell

TheOne wrote: »

I can't believe how much ticket prices vary. It seems like a right con!!

It's called "yield management" and isn't a con - would you rather not have the option of having cheap fares?

unsure

We regularly travel to London from Norwich and very seldom have to pay anything like the advertised standard fares. If you book far enough ahead you can generally get singles for either £6 or £12. The return fare is usually under £20. Incidentally, my wife who is a bit technophobe allways rings Norwich station and she still manages to get the lowest prices ( being a good MSEr I always check!) In fact I'm going today and the fare will be £12 each way because I had to book at quite short notice. Yes, you do have to travel out of the rush hours but the savings are significant. It would cost me a lot more in petrol, parking and hassle to drive the 200 mile round trip in a day.

Also if your train is late don't forget to get a claim form and send it off...you'll get a voucher yopu can use to lower the cost of your next trip!

dzug

TheOne wrote: »

Then you've got undergound travel, is it cheaper to buy a UG ticket with your train ticket or is it the same?

It's usually cheaper to buy it with the train ticket (if the option is offered). It's usually cheaper still to get a PAYG Oyster card

Cash tube ticket - £4
With rail ticket - typically £3 but can vary
With Oyster - £1.50 in zone 1.

dzug

TheOne wrote: »

I He says he's getting a student railcard, but when you check the times and prices 'Student' isnt one of the railcards listed, unless it's 'young persons railcard', though isnt that only up to a certain age?
quote]

There's no such thing as a student railcard - it's what the young persons railcard is sometimes loosely referred to. You're eligible if you're aged between 16-25, or over the age of 26 and in full-time education.