Author Topic: Railway prices!  (Read 747 times)

gunwharfman

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Railway prices!
« on: 16:23:16, 01/03/20 »
I thought I would go to Maidstone, Kent on Tuesday and return on Wednesday. Both journeys to take place after 10.00hrs.

National Rail quoted me, with my Senior Railcard, £46.60.

Split Tickets quoted me, with my Senior Railcard, £68.40!

Does anyone have a 'special system' to get cheap(ish) fares?



Dread

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #1 on: 16:26:28, 01/03/20 »
Not really. Try to book at least a week ahead. Split ticket sites will add a fee so I usually just copy the info and book the tickets directly with the train company.

SteamyTea

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #2 on: 16:57:06, 01/03/20 »
I don't understand train pricing.
If I go to the Trainline site, it costs me £70.10 one way to London.
Cost £70.10 for a return.
Or if I get a Super Saver, it is £121.30.
Now I am not sure if that is 70 quid each way, I think it is.
If I take the early train, just before 5 AM, it is £147.60 one way.


I will say that the prices have dropped since I last took the train up about 4 years ago.


Megabus cost me £15 one way, but they no longer run a service.  National Express do and it is £34.40 one way.
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andybr

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #3 on: 17:24:30, 01/03/20 »
I only use the train infrequently as I find the services to/from my home to be ridiculously unreliable but when I do I follow the advice of a friend who uses them regularly and always buy my tickets at the station travel centre several weeks in advance. The staff there know the system inside out and can usually come up with prices which are much lower than I can find online.

ninthace

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #4 on: 17:45:13, 01/03/20 »
It is a 30 min drive to my nearest station and I have to cross the M5 to get there.  The station is in the middle of nowhere at some distance from the town that bears its name.  The large car park, which is a fair walk from the station, is unattended, expensive and also in the middle of nowhere.  Therefore, unless I want to get to the centre of a major urban conurbation carrying little or no luggage, why would I part with a large sum of money to use the train?
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sussamb

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #5 on: 19:31:15, 01/03/20 »
I always book long trips 3 months in advance the minute they're released, buying the Advanced tickets. My ticket York to London for example at the end of my forthcoming C2C walk cost me £18.50  O0
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pauldawes

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #6 on: 20:19:17, 01/03/20 »
I always book long trips 3 months in advance the minute they're released, buying the Advanced tickets. My ticket York to London for example at the end of my forthcoming C2C walk cost me £18.50  O0


I’ve never checked what I’m about to “say” myself...but when I discussed best way to buy cheap rail tickets...one of my mates who does a lot of travelling reckoned looking at prices 10 weeks away (i.e. 2 weeks after first release) usually got even better prices IF it’s not critical what time of day you travel.


I usually just use train line phone app...this does charge a small booking fee (usually about 30p) for tickets bought in advance..but does a reasonable job of locating different price options for travelling at different times, and splitting tickets automatically if that’s cheaper.

Little Foot

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Re: Railway prices!
« Reply #7 on: 23:57:15, 02/03/20 »
Pauldawes, you are right about train tickets being cheaper about 10 weeks in advance. I set up an alert for a trip to Glasgow in May and the prices were over £100 for my son and I return when the tickets were released. I did a dummy booking of a couple of weeks before that date, and they were about £40! Same with London. Tickets that were about £120 are down to around £35 return.

 

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