No cheap train tickets during weekends in June?

BARGAINHUNTER!

I usually book my train journeys when the tickets are released (3 months in advance) and have been able to get cheap tickets from York to Reading for £12 each way leaving on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday. I do this trip once a fortnight. I have been doing this for over a year now. However, there are no cheap tickets at all offered for the weekends during June (I can still get the cheap £12 Friday ticket but the Sundays are at full price.) Does anyone know if National Express have stopped doing cheap tickets at the weekends during the summer? It will be a real pain if they have, as it will mean that it is actually cheaper for me to drive (approx £50 petrol!!) Does anyone know of a cheaper way of making the journey as driving is a real pain!

dzug

BARGAINHUNTER! wrote: »

I usually book my train journeys when the tickets are released (3 months in advance) and have been able to get cheap tickets from York to Reading for £12 each way leaving on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday. I do this trip once a fortnight. I have been doing this for over a year now. However, there are no cheap tickets at all offered for the weekends during June (I can still get the cheap £12 Friday ticket but the Sundays are at full price.) Does anyone know if National Express have stopped doing cheap tickets at the weekends during the summer? It will be a real pain if they have, as it will mean that it is actually cheaper for me to drive (approx £50 petrol!!) Does anyone know of a cheaper way of making the journey as driving is a real pain!

The tickets may not have been released yet - weekends often come out later.

http://www.atoctravelagents.org/clientfiles/File/TOC_BOOKING_HORIZONS_31_Mar_08.htm

may help - it's not clear whether you travel via London or Birmingham. Check split ticketing at either - it may help.

Surely you must have noticed that the 3 months is an aspiration rarely achieved?

BARGAINHUNTER!

According to the National Express website the tickets have been released (it says booking up to 27 June with exception of 7 and 8, 14 and 15, 21 and 22 June which are the weekends. Never noticed that before. Will have a look on Sunday to see if the 7 and 8 June ones are on there. Perhaps they have released the weekday ones ahead of time?

BARGAINHUNTER!

I usually manage to get a train straight from York to Reading going down (if not I change at Birmingham) and coming back I usually have to change at London (depends on which offers are available on which tickets!)

dzug

You might find that Natex release tickets sooner (ie via London) than Crosscountry via Brum

BARGAINHUNTER!

Thanks - i will keep checking the website!

coral

rarely are weekend tickets released 3 months in advance. if there is planned engineering work meaning timetables are altered then they can be released anything up to a couple of weeks before hand and if this means that there will be restricted services or a big sporting event on that day it may be that cheap seats are very limited. just have to keep checking every day on both routes and see what comes up!