Traveling by Train.

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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monxton
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Joined: 12 Mar 2010, 12:42pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by monxton »

skicat wrote:
monxton wrote:although there are many websites where you can buy train tickets, there is only a small number of different train booking software systems behind the scenes. All of the train booking websites use one of these systems with their own branding. The reason this is interesting is that only one of these systems has the facility to let you book a bicycle place at the same time as your journey and seat reservation
I don't think that is correct. I booked a cycle reservation on the ScotRail site about 4 months ago, and another on the First Great Western site more recently. They both appear to use the same system, which I think is the same one as East Coast.

You've muddled up the two things I was trying to distinguish. I think we're agreeing: the East Coast reservation system is rebranded and used behind the scenes by other train operating companies as well as by East Coast Trains. You can recognise it by the "Mixing Desk" term. I guess which system is used may depend on the current operator of the franchise. I'm glad to hear its being used by ScotRail and FGW for their reservation systems too, because that makes things better for cyclists. It's also to be found at RedSpottedHanky, which used to be the cheapest of the UK-wide booking sites, but is now no better than the others.
Bicycler
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Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

I'll add First Transpennine Express to the list
skicat
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Joined: 21 Jun 2011, 1:09pm
Location: NCN52 / SL8

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by skicat »

monxton wrote:You've muddled up the two things I was trying to distinguish. I think we're agreeing:


Ah, now that I re-read your post a little more slowly, I see your point. I agree. We are in agreement :lol:
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get
Bicycler
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

A word on tickets. It is often worth booking well in advance (tickets available roughly 12 weeks in advance). Special discounted Advance tickets are sold as singles so you need two but often they work out much cheaper than the standard Off Peak ticket. They are limited in number though and require you to catch the particular train you booked on (which you will want to do anyway with a bicycle reservation). Currently the cheapest return from York to Dumbarton is £95, the cheapest Advance tickets are about £20 (each way).

I hope I'm not making unfair assumptions but if you are over 60 you are eligible for a Senior Railcard. These allow you to save 1/3 on most rail fares including Advance tickets. The cost is £30 for one year (or £70 for 3 years) so if your ticket(s) would have come to £90+ one would pay for itself in savings on that one trip.

If you aren't comfortable booking all this online then a booking clerk at any train station booking office should be able to get all this booked for you (best to go at a quiet time).
Ron
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Ron »

The sheer volume of tips and advice on this thread proves, I think, that rail travel in the UK is just too complex an issue for mere mortals. Particularly if these mortals don't want or can't afford to pay the maximum fare! :D
Bicycler
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

Admittedly I'm a bit of a train nerd. If the OP or anyone else would like help ascertaining the cheapest tickets for their trip, please PM me and I will do my best to help.
Sherpa
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Joined: 15 Sep 2014, 5:07pm

Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sherpa »

It is defiantly worth shopping a round for your tickets from what I have found over the last few days. It appears that you can get a substitutional discount with only 8 weeks notice! for instance, looking at prices on the National Rail Enquiries web site for the end of January this morning (I'm not intending to travel in January just fact finding) it is showing a price of £ 55 return from Doncaster Dumbarton. (Prices for beyond that are not shown and will probably be more) I was redirected to the East Coast booking web site and the same journey comes in at £46.10 & that was not the cheapest price on offer! If I was willing to take a later train on the return Journey and change 5 times :!: it comes down to £40.05. I am quit sure I could not drive to Dumbarton in my T5 for that price. The price for departure today on National Rail Enquiries web site is showing £72.70 return again not the cheapest on offer. It all looks good in theory and the prices are looking good this far north. I will be, come the warmer months, letting the train take the strain.

Andy
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Sweep
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sweep »

Ron wrote:The sheer volume of tips and advice on this thread proves, I think, that rail travel in the UK is just too complex an issue for mere mortals. Particularly if these mortals don't want or can't afford to pay the maximum fare! :D


I agree totally.

Now and again the oddities pay off.

Last year I booked a ticket from London to a small Lancashire town via Manchester - beyond Manchester.

Christmas Eve which I would have thought was super super peak.

For some reason it was only £16, even though to travel less distance ie: just to Manchester, or Preston taking the other route, would have been more.

Figure that out.

As it was the Virgin train to Manchester was late, meaning I arrived in said NW town an hour late.

Got a refund form and got the entire amount back - so the trip cost nowt.

Do check the delay compensation schemes - I think it's 50 per cent back if 30 mins late, 100 per cent if an hour.

I get the feeling that this scheme isn't as well known as it might be and the Virgin rep at Manchester Picadilly looked rather peeved when I asked for one.

Main drawback is that the refund comes in rail vouchers which are tricky to use for later online discounted tickets.

Luckily I discovered that they can be used to put credit on a London Oyster card.
Sweep
Bicycler
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

Main drawback is that the refund comes in rail vouchers which are tricky to use for later online discounted tickets.

Contrary to what The Trainline and their ilk would have us believe, tickets that are available online are (with very few exceptions) also available to purchase at any railway station (not London Underground) with a booking office. You can find a ticket online and purchase it at your local station with your vouchers.
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Sweep
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sweep »

Thanks for that bicycler.

I had some sort of dim idea that that might be the case.

If doing this what info do you quote to the ticket office to get the price you have found on line?

This might be handy if ever need a ticket in said NW small town - in the past I have had to book a ticket online and then pedal 20 miles to Preston to pick them up from the machine there - even though I would be departing from said very local small station - manned but no computer networked ticket machine for spewing out online booked tickets.

all the best - your knowledge on these matters is invaluable and I was kind of expecting you to be along.
Sweep
LollyKat
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by LollyKat »

Sweep wrote: - in the past I have had to book a ticket online and then pedal 20 miles to Preston to pick them up from the machine there - even though I would be departing from said very local small station - manned but no computer networked ticket machine for spewing out online booked tickets.


You know you can get tickets posted to you? (I know it costs £1 but the convenience might be worth it)
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Sweep
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sweep »

Yes I do - in fact I used that system before a lot.

Since the networked ticket machines came in though I have developed a preference for getting the things in my mitts (well in advance of travel).

Tickets through the post always made me feel a bit worried even though I never had a problem.
Sweep
Bicycler
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

You shouldn't need to bring anything along. Ticket office staff are required to be impartial and sell you the cheapest appropriate ticket for your journey. If there happens to be an Advance ticket available for the train(s) you wish to take then this should be offered to you automatically.

The advantage of looking at prices online is that you know in advance which trains to ask for and the price of the ticket. You can also take time to research savings through things like split tickets which a booking clerk at a station understandably does not have the time to do. They can, however, sell you whichever tickets you have decided on.

I've had very few problems doing this but there are some potential problems:

The complexity of the system means that booking engines occasionally don't agree; some will offer tickets which aren't strictly valid (though once issued they will be honoured) and others won't recognise a valid ticket. You sometimes even get differences between different online booking engines. Anyway, there's a small chance of the system used at the booking office not recognising a ticket which was showing as available online. If you had a printout of the itinerary shown on the online booking site this may convince a clerk to look harder to see if they had made a mistake or oversight, but it won't help in a case of "computer says no".

A tiny number of operator-specific tickets and occasional promotional offers are only available through that operator's website so not available at booking offices. Conversely some good value local tickets are not available online, for example the Greater Manchester Rail Ranger offers £5 unlimited off-peak travel throughout the GM area (it can be a good split ticket).

Lastly, there's always the chance that somebody may book the last Advance ticket between the time of you searching online and you getting to the station.

You know you can get tickets posted to you? (I know it costs £1 but the convenience might be worth it)

If you are starting from a station without collection facilities some websites will send tickets by 1st Class post for free. East Coast is one which springs to mind. I have a miserly objection to paying fees to book or receive tickets :oops:
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Sweep
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Sweep »

Now that I didn't know bicycler.

Is there something to click/tick or does it default to that?

I usually use East Coast booking.

All the best from a fellow miser :)
Sweep
Bicycler
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Re: Traveling by Train.

Post by Bicycler »

It's a tick box on the delivery options page below the option to collect from a machine. They will only offer the post option if you are booking several days in advance: http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/rail-travel/ ... y-options/
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