Train journey including underground

I had similar query the other day (in fact when I initially saw it I thought admin might have stolen it for a thread..lol)... albeit on cost... so I agree with the above posts... if you need a transfer in London that'll be included (but check - it should be shown in itinerary) if you buy the journey A to D (which requires A to B and C to D trains) rather than separating the tickets...and the tickets will be marked with a symbol to show can use underground for connection... but you may find buying the individual tickets for A to B and C to D and then using Oyster or equivalent much cheaper. As example I'm looking at Newcastle to Cornwall... it mirrors the journey you are suggesting and is charged at, as example, £66.50 if bought with underground transfer included... yet the individual tickets for A to B and C to D are as little as only £20 and £22.50 respectively meaning you're in effect paying as much as £24!!!! for what otherwise could be a £2.40 Oyster or contactless journey on underground. Seems like madness to me. But then as a train amateur I also had to point out yesterday that CrossCountry were apparently selling tickets for a train that doesn't exist.

If your ticket is marked with the maltese cross (dagger) symbol it will include cross-London travel on the Underground.

jack_pott wrote: »

Almost every train journey I make involves crossing London on the tube, and I've never yet had a ticket that doesn't include it in the price.

Have you ever looked at the prices if you bought the tickets without the tube... because I am staggered at the savings I can get Newcastle to London then London to Cornwall. If you get the first leg for £20 (which is definitely possible early booking) and the second leg typically £22.50... they charge £66.50 for the whole journey including the tube connection... i.e. the most expensive part of this trip seemingly becomes the almost negligible distance between two walkable (for me) tube stations. I should say that if the first leg goes up to £28 and I think £36 then still £66.50 is charged.. but still that's a lot more for the tube than by Oyster. I can't believe that I arranged my wife's train travel on the continent after research lasting around 30 minutes... I've been on weeks trying to understand the British railways for this trip it seems.

jack_pott wrote: »

So is that saving because you booked early or because you split the ticket? Whenever I've tried looking for split tickets I've lost the will to live before I found any savings.

Well a bit of both probably...the good prices for the individual train legs is because of early booking... especially the first one as it is a popular route Newcastle to London. Not sure if it is technically ticket splitting (if my understanding of that is correct... and it may not be) in my example.... as you'd in effect be buying the same tickets except the inclusion of the underground transfer which instead you'd have to alternatively arrange... Oyster at £2.40 in this case. So I've found that inclusion of the underground element in the train booking to be of highly variable effective charge albeit probably consequentially of other complexities of how they charge for journeys. I've also found general ticket splitting of limited value... but probably because of early booking so lowest prices for splitters to compete with. Splitters I've tried do not pick up on the underground element issue yet it could bring huge savings.... approx. a third for the tickets I'll be buying. I asked in another thread if I was missing something from my consideration... nothing was suggested... so £2.40 instead of £24 it is.