MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Train Tickets Article Discussion

bluestaff

sorrry i suppose it would help if u knew details lol

traveling from boston lincolnshire to hayle in cornwall also needs to be return. thanx again

mystra

Not sure if this have been mentioned before but may be of use...


If you're in no hurry to get to London, London Midland are really cheap, my boyfriend travels from Stoke-on-Trent to London at the weekends to see me in London (til he can find a job here). The most he's paid is £22.50 for an open return (off peak) he usually pays about £14.50 now as he bought a railcard (if he went with virgin it would cost £35ish). Sometimes they have a sale and he's got here (and back on an open return) for just £6. The downside is that it takes much longer than if he went on the Virgin Train as it stops everywhere! But with a good book or some music to listen to it's not a bad sacrifice to make! You buy the tickets in advance online as you can't buy them at the station but don't necessarily have to get on a certain train at a certain time (obviously it has to be the London Midland train). You can just about find these fares on trainline.com and the like (there's a tiny text button saying look for slower/overtaken trains but easier to just go direct to the London Midland site

So that may be useful for anyone in the Midands wanting to go to London

dzug1

mystra wrote: »

Not sure if this have been mentioned before but may be of use...


If you're in no hurry to get to London, London Midland are really cheap, my boyfriend travels from Stoke-on-Trent to London at the weekends to see me in London (til he can find a job here). The most he's paid is £22.50 for an open return (off peak) he usually pays about £14.50 now as he bought a railcard (if he went with virgin it would cost £35ish). Sometimes they have a sale and he's got here (and back on an open return) for just £6. The downside is that it takes much longer than if he went on the Virgin Train as it stops everywhere! But with a good book or some music to listen to it's not a bad sacrifice to make! You buy the tickets in advance online as you can't buy them at the station but don't necessarily have to get on a certain train at a certain time (obviously it has to be the London Midland train). You can just about find these fares on trainline.com and the like (there's a tiny text button saying look for slower/overtaken trains but easier to just go direct to the London Midland site

So that may be useful for anyone in the Midands wanting to go to London

Useful info, which is posted here from time to time.

But you CAN buy the tickets at the station - or some of them. The £14.50 one for certain. Just ask for a London Midland only return or you will automatically be sold a Virgin one

KeithP

Probably time for a reminder for London Midland's Great Escape promotion.

From their website (where there are further details)...

Simply travel after the morning rush between 29 May and 6 June to go anywhere on London Midland trains for just £10 – or treat yourself to first class for just £20.
Visit as many or as few places as you like – the price covers your travel all day. To make it even better value, you can even travel home in the evening rush hour.

Day trip London to Liverpool return for £10 anyone?

KeithP

bluestaff wrote: »

Hi ev1 we go on holiday in 7wks sisters b/f cant make it so she will av to travel by train so cheapest tickets iv found for one adult and one child with family railcard is £105.80 just wondered if iv missed anything.


we travel on 02/07/2010 and back on the 09/07/2010

thanx in advance.

bluestaff wrote: »

sorrry i suppose it would help if u knew details lol

traveling from boston lincolnshire to hayle in cornwall also needs to be return. thanx again

That £105.80 ticket is a Super Off Peak Return with railcard.
Valid on several trains.

If you are prepared to travel on specific trains, the fare can be reduced to around £60 - £70.
Look for Advance Singles from Boston to Exeter St.Davids, for about £25 each way. Together with Advance Singles Exeter St.D to Hayle at £5 - £6 each way.

Without dates its difficult to be more precise.

Have a play on East Coast Trains website.

stueylala

Is it just me who think whoever came up with the train fares are sick in the head? Why are they so expensive? It puts my right off taking the train and really people should be encouraged to take public transport over using the car to help the environment.
I bought an advance ticket to London from Manchester which was £40 return. I bought it in advance to make it as cheap as possible. But after realising the train times were no good, I was stuck because any other train time costs a fortune and is just a waste of money. So now I'm no longer able to get the train, the seat is free for someone else to use, so the way I see it, I should be able to get my money back. However, Virgin trains say that "because the train fare was heavily discounted as an advance ticket, I am no longer entitled to a refund". Personally I don't feel that £40 is small enough for them to keep.

Cheers for reading

wealdroam

stueylala wrote: »

Is it just me who think whoever came up with the train fares are sick in the head? Why are they so expensive? It puts my right off taking the train and really people should be encouraged to take public transport over using the car to help the environment.
I bought an advance ticket to London from Manchester which was £40 return. I bought it in advance to make it as cheap as possible. But after realising the train times were no good, I was stuck because any other train time costs a fortune and is just a waste of money. So now I'm no longer able to get the train, the seat is free for someone else to use, so the way I see it, I should be able to get my money back. However, Virgin trains say that "because the train fare was heavily discounted as an advance ticket, I am no longer entitled to a refund". Personally I don't feel that £40 is small enough for them to keep.

Cheers for reading

So you bought a ticket without realising it was non-refundable?

After having bought the ticket, you realised you had bought a ticket for the wrong train?

Is that right so far?

Pretty much the same as most airlines I think. Their cheapest tickets are non- refundable. If you want the flexibility of a refundable ticket from an airline, that too usually costs a fair bit more.

Sorry, I cannot understand how the train company has done anything wrong.

BTW... welcome to the forums Stueylala.

Sarahjovi

Hi

I just have a couple of questions. We are planning to book Advance tickets from Milton Keynes to Blackpool. This will involve a change of train at Manchester. As we have to take specified trains, if the train from MK to Manchester is delayed (for any reason) and we miss the specified train to Blackpool, will we have to buy new tickets, or will the train company honour the ticket as the connecting train was late? The train companies are Virgin Mk to Man and Transpennine Express Man - Blackpool.

Also is 15 - 20 minutes enough time to disembark and find the next train at Manchester Picadilly with husband and 2 kids (11 and 14) in tow?

Many thanks for any help.

Sarah:D

dzug1

Stueylala

It's not just you but look at the other side of the coin.

You as tax payer are not willing to pay the extra subsidies that would be required to make that encouragement onto public transport. At least the last government thought you were not, and the new government is even more likely to think so. You also wouldn't look kindly on the say doubling or trebling of petrol prices or high motorway and other road tolls if pressure were applied from the other direction.

And the seat is not there for someone else to use - you've reserved it. Even if you cancel there's no saying it will be sold - or that it won't be sold twice over to walk on passengers one of whom would have to stand.

So could the system be different? Probably. If it is different though it's not just going to be discarding the bits you don't like about what happens now - there are going to be unintended and unpredictable side effects that people are at least going to have to try and second guess.

a01020304

I am trying but failing to find a cheap ticket to London, the prices I am finding are soooooo expensive

Has anyone any suggestions or know cheap prices

Manchester to London
Dates either 27th or 28th May 2010
Ideally return
Travelling 9.35am train and coming back after 4pm