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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 19, 2021 14:59:21 GMT
If you book a split ticket on the Trainline app don’t you stay on the same train for the entire journey?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2021 15:02:25 GMT
What’s going on with the trains at the moment? I booked a few nights away in London in August, just went to look at the train tickets and they all say sold out 😱 Are they stopping people getting on if not prebooked? I can book each individual stage as a single, but before the pandemic I was told that if one of those trains is late you’re not necessarily entitled to travel on the next one. If it’s booked as one journey you’re covered, if it’s split you’re not. Is that right? Does it depend on the type of ticket? (I think I might have bought those tickets in one of those sales Virgin used to do.) Loads of availability the day before, of course, so I could stick an extra night on the beginning, but that adds a lot more expense. Would more seats be available if the final stage of unlocking happens? I’m guessing that’s not likely since they seem to increasingly be referring to a third wave. The way things are going I’m starting to wonder if there’ll be some sort of restriction stopping me going at all by then. ☹️ Have you tried looking up the journey on Trainline? I had the same issue trying to book a train to Nottingham - tickets appearing as "sold out", but Trainline said that the timetable just hadn't been confirmed yet. I tried again a week or so later and I was able to prebook my seat.
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Post by marob on Jun 19, 2021 15:16:45 GMT
BurlyBeaR @mrmonotony I haven’t used the Trainline before. Was looking on Transport for Wales’ website. TfW showing the outbound journey as sold out, but Trainline has the timetable not confirmed message. But if the timetable’s not finalised I don’t understand why both websites will let me book the return leg of the journey. 😵💫
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 19, 2021 15:19:49 GMT
If you book a split ticket on the Trainline app don’t you stay on the same train for the entire journey? Normally, yes, but there are split tickets, split tickets and split tickets. I think marob was referring to the latter. LNER charge just 50p extra to travel on a local service, Grand Central charge £4, so with one I book a 'through' ticket, and with the other I make my own arrangements.
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Post by fossil on Jun 19, 2021 15:29:46 GMT
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Post by marob on Jun 19, 2021 15:39:25 GMT
I think I might’ve misused the term split ticket. Usually I’d just book a return to Euston which would mean I get a train to Chester, and then either change to one for London, or get one for Crewe and get one for London there. In the past it’s ended up a lot cheaper to just book a return from Chester to Euston. Sometimes it’s cheaper to book it from one of the villages than it is from the nearby town, sometimes doing that can make it more expensive. It’s maddening.
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Post by marob on Jun 19, 2021 15:55:47 GMT
Thanks everyone for the help. I guess I’ll have to keep trying. But the return leg of the journey being on sale already is slightly concerning.
I’m half expecting that Drakeford will have decreed I’m not allowed into England by then. He’s already advising against it.
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Post by peggs on Jun 19, 2021 20:12:07 GMT
You've got me wondering about trains. Can you just turn up at a station and buy your ticket now or has every journey no matter the length got to be pre-booked? Normally to go to London I'd buy on the day, they just walk on tickets, no reserved seating etc but just looking now showing as limited availability for standard fare and loads of fare options I've never seen before just to get a return to London. I'm not due in for several weeks and who knows if that will happen so wouldn't normally buy in advance.
Due a longer journey in august but that's to a festival so again who knows if it will happen. on trainline half the journey routes are showing unconfirmed timetables so you can't buy and the others I can't get the website to work properly, when you open a journey to see the route etc it's opening in a window that you can't scroll down. Can you buy insurance for all train travel in case you then don't travel (assuming you can't bank on the train being cancelled and thus an automatic refund?).
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Post by poster J on Jun 19, 2021 20:15:33 GMT
You've got me wondering about trains. Can you just turn up at a station and buy your ticket now or has every journey no matter the length got to be pre-booked? Normally to go to London I'd buy on the day, they just walk on tickets, no reserved seating etc but just looking now showing as limited availability for standard fare and loads of fare options I've never seen before just to get a return to London. I'm not due in for several weeks and who knows if that will happen so wouldn't normally buy in advance. Due a longer journey in august but that's to a festival so again who knows if it will happen. on trainline half the journey routes are showing unconfirmed timetables so you can't buy and the others I can't get the website to work properly, when you open a journey to see the route etc it's opening in a window that you can't scroll down. Can you buy insurance for all train travel in case you then don't travel (assuming you can't bank on the train being cancelled and thus an automatic refund?). You can just turn up, I did so a couple of weeks ago.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 29, 2023 16:40:25 GMT
Resurrecting this thread.
What the actual F is going on with Avanti West Coast? Do they want people to use their trains or not? Just doing some experimental searches in Trainline for 12 weeks in the future to see prices for Manchester/London to see what to expect when I book for Sunset Boulevard in November. You can’t book a return ticket and even singles are showing as limited availability three months ahead of the date of travel. What’s going on?
Travel experts… help!
Note: don’t suggest a coach. I can’t do 5 hours on a coach 😕
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Post by lou on Jun 29, 2023 19:01:26 GMT
Their “advance” fares are now on sale very late, particularly weekend ones - they’ve started to advertise that fact on Facebook. And very expensive still. That along with the risk of strikes has been the main reason I’ve been to London only once since the pandemic. Was usually at least once a month prior to March 2020.
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851 posts
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Post by longinthetooth on Jun 29, 2023 21:17:19 GMT
I booked an Avanti West Coast train last year. My direct train was abruptly terminated half way through the journey, so it was a free-for-all for the next available connection. Although I had purchased tickets for a direct train, complete with reservations, when I queried it with an operative at the station they all but laughed in my face and said that service hadn't been running for months.
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Post by mistressjojo on Jun 30, 2023 7:26:19 GMT
I'm travelling to Aberdeen (not to the theatre sadly) at the start of September and have only just been able to book yesterday. I was starting to get worried
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Post by crowblack on Jun 30, 2023 8:49:13 GMT
Resurrecting this thread. What the actual F is going on with Avanti West Coast? Do they want people to use their trains or not? Just doing some experimental searches in Trainline for 12 weeks in the future to see prices for Manchester/London to see what to expect when I book for Sunset Boulevard in November. You can’t book a return ticket and even singles are showing as limited availability three months ahead of the date of travel. What’s going on? Travel experts… help! Note: don’t suggest a coach. I can’t do 5 hours on a coach 😕 I haven't been able to attend any of the London shows booked since the pandemic, almost all thanks to Avanti (one was Avanti plus flu). When they are running, the weekend timetables have been very last minute and there don't seem to be any cheap seats, or if there are they must go instantly (I signed up to notification emails but didn't get them).
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 30, 2023 9:14:51 GMT
Well, this is definitely telling me not to book a hotel unless I pay even more for a cancellable rate. I haven’t been down since Sept 21 and it’s looking like Miss Scherzinger might have to get through her run without me!
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Post by crowblack on Jun 30, 2023 11:41:32 GMT
Well, this is definitely telling me not to book a hotel unless I pay even more for a cancellable rate. I haven’t been down since Sept 21 and it’s looking like Miss Scherzinger might have to get through her run without me! If you're able to travel at very unpopular times of the day/weekday you may be luckier for cheaper tickets (sorry if that's stating the obvious).
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Post by maggiem on Jul 3, 2023 15:51:08 GMT
Resurrecting this thread. What the actual F is going on with Avanti West Coast? Do they want people to use their trains or not? Just doing some experimental searches in Trainline for 12 weeks in the future to see prices for Manchester/London to see what to expect when I book for Sunset Boulevard in November. You can’t book a return ticket and even singles are showing as limited availability three months ahead of the date of travel. What’s going on? Travel experts… help! Note: don’t suggest a coach. I can’t do 5 hours on a coach 😕 Hi! I'm going to see SB in November too. In early August, I will go onto Trainline and book the super off-peak fare. You use TfW between Manchester and Crewe, and LNW between Crewe and London Euston. I've done this for all of my visits to London since August 2020. It's now about £38 return. But ... You can have a very short changeover time at Crewe going south, or it's an hour's wait (total time 4 hours 30mins). TfW going back to Manchester can be late coming in at Crewe. I still think it's worth it, as it gives me relatively cheap train travel compared to all the messing about that Avanti are putting people through.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 3, 2023 18:26:50 GMT
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Jul 3, 2023 22:41:21 GMT
I am fortunate that I enjoy travelling by train or coach almost as much as I do musical theatre. I slightly prefer to go by train but I use National Express much more post-Pandemic. The cost is usually well under half of the cheapest advance rail ticket. The price differential is greatest between London and South Wales or the West of England as GWR have no competition from Paddington. Journey times are longer of course but Victoria is my London terminal from Kent so no need to cross London by tube. I can get as far as Newcastle, Plymouth, Swansea or Liverpool for a matinee as a day trip.
I can cope with 4-5 hours in a coach if there are no comfort breaks. I always try to be one of the first to board and occupy the single front seat with loads of legroom. It has to be given up for someone with mobility issues but I've never had to do that or even been asked to move. I used to travel Megabus but with a Senior Coachcard (third off) and no booking fee National Express is always cheaper.
From London to the North West I also use LNWR to Crewe and then Northern or TFW to Manchester, Liverpool or Chester when I go there. To Yorkshire Grand Central or Hull Trains can make for a big saving over LNER if the times work. For Birmingham it's either Chiltern or LNWR again. Avanti as last resort only ! Always advance tickets when the saving is worthwhile.
I only occupy my reserved seat on a train if it is busy. Otherwise I find two unreserved seats and rarely have anyone sit next to me !
(PS Never buy through Trainline. Great source of information but always book direct with a rail operator to avoid booking fees. Trainline uses clever wording to suggest they save you money but they don't really. Also don't buy a ticket in advance unless it's actually an advance ticket. You pay the same on the day for a non-advance ticket as you do weeks or months in advance)
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Post by properjob on Jul 4, 2023 7:14:06 GMT
(PS Never buy through Trainline. Great source of information but always book direct with a rail operator to avoid booking fees. Trainline uses clever wording to suggest they save you money but they don't really. Also don't buy a ticket in advance unless it's actually an advance ticket. You pay the same on the day for a non-advance ticket as you do weeks or months in advance) That is very good advice that I was also going to post but didn't get round to so I'm just going to quote it for emphasis!
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