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Avanti extends off peak to all day Friday

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CHAPS2034

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From an article by Simon Calder, Avanti are getting rid of the morning peak bands on Friday morning now.


https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...s-rail-friday-avanti-west-coast-b1754743.html

Fares on Friday morning peak express services on the West Coast main line will fall by up to two-thirds from today.

Avanti West Coast, which runs services from London Euston to the West Midlands, northwest England and Scotland, has followed the conventional practice of charging very high fares for trains before 9.30am.

But the train operator has now stopped charging £129 for a one-way trip from Birmingham New Street and London – on Fridays at least.

The fare falls from £129 to the off-peak rate of £61 – a reduction of 53 per cent.

Between London and Manchester Piccadilly, the £180 Anytime fare before 9.30am drops to the same as Saturday or Sunday: £64.40, representing a fall of 64 per cent.

While all non-essential journeys are banned in England until 3 December, the Avanti policy will continue into 2021 and possibly beyond.

Sarah Copley, executive director, commercial at Avanti West Coast said: “Removing the Friday morning restrictions gives customers more freedom to choose when they travel and when lockdown measures ease, make the most of their extended weekends and days out.

“Just as importantly it allows us to spread demand and maintain social distancing onboard our services. This will help our customers who decide to travel, to travel with confidence.”

The train operator, which took over from Virgin Trains a year ago, stresses that the move is temporary.

But The Independent understands it will extend at least until the end of January 2021. Given long-term trends in passenger behaviour, Friday may be permanently deemed an off-peak day.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the rail industry was reporting significantly lower passenger numbers on peak-hour trains on Fridays.

The move comes days after the number of trains linking London with Birmingham and Manchester was cut by one-third as passenger number slumped.
 
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Jamesrob637

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Why? The prices have just been reduced by more than half.

Off-peak Manchester to London for example is still perilously close to three figures nowadays. You can always combine a one-way Advance with a one-way off-peak.
 

Peter Mugridge

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Does this mean that if I am using an off peak return from Epsom to Manchester ( £64.90 with railcard ) on a Friday, I no longer have to wait until the 09.40 from Euston? I could leave as early as I could get to Euston?
 

Watershed

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This bit of the Avanti director's quote really stuck out:
Just as importantly it allows us to spread demand and maintain social distancing onboard our services
They don't seem in a tearing hurry to extend this measure across the rest of the week, even though it would have exactly the same effect on social distancing (if not greater).

Odd, isn't it, how social distancing is important on a Friday, yet charging extortionate Anytime fares is more important on other weekdays.

It's far from the only time that commercial considerations have outweighed the importance of social distancing etc. during this pandemic. For example, refusing to declassify First Class (at the very least following short-forms).
 

Bletchleyite

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It is quite possibly because literally nobody does outward business travel on a Friday morning. It just isn't a thing and hasn't been for years. I suspect trains were running very nearly empty.
 

jfollows

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Does this mean that if I am using an off peak return from Epsom to Manchester ( £64.90 with railcard ) on a Friday, I no longer have to wait until the 09.40 from Euston? I could leave as early as I could get to Euston?
Restriction 9I applies:
Not valid on trains timed to depart:
  • London Euston after 04:29 and before 09:26 or after 15:00 and before 18:45 (Restrictions do not apply on Fridays)
This seems clear enough, but to state the obvious, yes, you can leave as early as you can get to Euston.

EDIT - subject to any other conditions imposed by the railcard, of course
 
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Peter Mugridge

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Restriction 9I applies:

This seems clear enough, but to state the obvious, yes, you can leave as early as you can get to Euston.

EDIT - subject to any other conditions imposed by the railcard, of course

Disabled railcard in my case, so no time restrictions or minimum fares on that. :)
 

Bletchleyite

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There's a bit of an irony in this that in BR days SuperSavers weren't valid on Fridays or summer Saturdays. I guess travel patterns have changed, particularly in relation to people "weekly commuting" being able to do Fridays from home.
 

voyagerdude220

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It is quite possibly because literally nobody does outward business travel on a Friday morning. It just isn't a thing and hasn't been for years. I suspect trains were running very nearly empty.
Pre-covid I've used the 05:13 Lancaster to Euston a few times, mostly on Fridays and First Class was surprisingly quiet, maybe about 50% full (although I usually sit in coach G on a 11 car or H on a 9 car) but Standard seemed very busy.

Up until a few years ago Virgin used to offer cheaper First Class advance tickets on this train on Fridays only at around 50-75% of the cost of using it Monday to Thursday. Later services were "normal" price though.
 

janb

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Yes.
2019 it was from Monday 23rd.
2018 it was from midday on Friday 21st.
2017 it was from midday on Friday 22nd.
etc.

The only difference this year is Fridays not having restrictions anymore so they can say from Friday 18th rather than from Monday 21st or from midday on Friday 18th.
 

Mag_seven

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Notably the commuter and regional operators tend not to do so, which does confuse some people.

Particularly when they introduce Saturday timetables during the week and some routes are bustituted due to engineering works but peak time fares and restrictions still apply!
 

Trackman

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Yes.
2019 it was from Monday 23rd.
2018 it was from midday on Friday 21st.
2017 it was from midday on Friday 22nd.
etc.

The only difference this year is Fridays not having restrictions anymore so they can say from Friday 18th rather than from Monday 21st or from midday on Friday 18th.
Are the cheap 1st upgrade dates different?
I'm sure I travelled on the 24th in 2018 and there was no weekend upgrade so to speak.
 

infobleep

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Particularly when they introduce Saturday timetables during the week and some routes are bustituted due to engineering works but peak time fares and restrictions still apply!
I use to find that annoying. One year I was working on 27 December but had no way of getting home on 26 December as no trains running. I had a Network 5 day away break but couldn't use it on 27 as u needed to travel during the peak period to reach work.

Lesson learnt. Never work on the 27 if you don't have a season ticket and you need to be in the office.
 

janb

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Are the cheap 1st upgrade dates different?
I'm sure I travelled on the 24th in 2018 and there was no weekend upgrade so to speak.
Can't remember tbh. I note Avanti have opened this years for reservation, and weekend upgrade is available throughout.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Yes, it's usual for the IC operators to lift restrictions between Christmas and New Year and often a bit beforehand too. Notably the commuter and regional operators tend not to do so, which does confuse some people.

And yet the Labour party is lobbying the government for DfT to "abolish peak fares" over the 5-day Covid relaxation, to reduce congestion.
Avanti from Euston will be the most critical route, with King's Cross closed over the post-Christmas period.

Labour also want the King's Cross work postponed. Coronavirus: Suspend peak rail fares over Christmas, says Labour - BBC News
Labour also argued that planned engineering works on the East Coast Mainline - which will close London King's Cross station for six days from Christmas Day - should be delayed from 27 December.

Peter Hendy has his work cut out to satisfy the media wolves on this one.
 

Jamesrob637

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I use to find that annoying. One year I was working on 27 December but had no way of getting home on 26 December as no trains running. I had a Network 5 day away break but couldn't use it on 27 as u needed to travel during the peak period to reach work.

Lesson learnt. Never work on the 27 if you don't have a season ticket and you need to be in the office.

27th is weekend this year and Bank Holiday for at least the next two years!
 
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