Hi!
Just looking at a speculative trip this week to Liverpool, from Northampton, Off peak saver, outbound is straightforward, but is it valid for a return via Chester, and BOJ there?
It says restriction CS applies, which would bar any travel via Manchester, and says any journey must call at Crewe.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
I think there might be some confusion as a result of the booking site you have looked at.
If you buy a through ticket from Northampton to Liverpool, there are three kinds of Off-Peak Return: "Any Permitted", "via Long Buckby" and "WMR & LNR only". None of those fares have restriction code CS, nor would you be told that any of them prohibit travel via Manchester*. So I suspect your booking site has offered you a combination of tickets that are 'split' at Crewe, i.e. a Northampton to Crewe ticket, and a Crewe to Liverpool ticket. This also explains why you have been told you must call at Crewe (as you need to stop at the station(s) you split at, unless using a season ticket or similar).
If you buy a Crewe to Liverpool Off-Peak Return, it will be routed "not via Manchester" and have a restriction code of CS.
CS simply means "Mondays-Fridays: Not valid on any train timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:00." So it's not actually code CS that's giving you the restriction not to travel via Manchester, but rather the route of the ticket ("not via Manchester").
Now, if you are sold an Off-Peak Return from Crewe to Liverpool, route "not via Manchester", one of the permitted routes is to go via Chester. As the ticket carries restriction code CS, there are no limitations on break of journey, hence you are perfectly at liberty to break your journey at Chester (in either direction).
*As it happens, Manchester is not on a permitted route from Northampton to Liverpool, but that is a separate issue - if there were a direct train from Northampton to Liverpool via Manchester, you would be allowed to take it.
