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Zone 1 - 6 Travelcard Saturday thing

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JamesM

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Hello,

Virgin do a Off Peak Day Travelcard on a Saturday from stations such as Crewe to London. (£34.60).

I can only seem to find one train that it is allowed on this weekend, I know it's quota controlled, but often different websites will show much higher availability.

- Anyone know how to get this ticket on sites such as thetrainline and Virgin. I can only get it on the Mixing Deck sites

- Anyone find it on anything other than the 0629?

Many thanks,

James
 
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SS4

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On the Virgin site it's available for purchase after you've selected your ticket type.

The price is no different from buying it on the day though
 

MikeWh

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The price is no different from buying it on the day though

Except that as it's quota controlled you might need to book early to get it.
 

LexyBoy

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The price is no different from buying it on the day though

It's an Advance ticket so I don't think it can be bought on the day.

To see it on National Rail Enquiries, search for the trip you want, then "Show Fares", then select "Fares with Travelcard", just above the list of trains. NRE doesn't sell tickets of course, but will redirect you to somewhere (Virgin by default) to buy - alternatively, you should be able to buy it from a station if it's shown on NRE.

For this Saturday, Crewe-London, I can see availability for the 0629, 1056, 1156 and plenty of afternoon departures.
 

RJ

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It's an Advance ticket so I don't think it can be bought on the day.

The TiS I used allowed it to be booked so long as there were reservations available (generally 3 hours prior to departure.)
 

swt_passenger

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If this is basically a quota controlled 'Advance' fare, then why the heck have they given it the same name as the normal 'outboundary' travelcard, as sold as a walk up fare all over the south east on any day of the week?
 

Paul Kelly

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Over-zealous fares simplification. Just like Saver Half being renamed to Off-Peak Single.
 

yorkie

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It's an Advance ticket so I don't think it can be bought on the day.
I think someone should write to Virgin and ask which category it comes under (we are assured there are only three). If they say it's an Advance, then you can write to them again, informing them this is incompatible with the ATOC claim that "Advance fares are Single (one-way) tickets offering great value for money on many longer distance journeys."

If anyone wishes to write such a letter, I will be happy to proof read it.

I would be very interested in the response ;)
 

raildude

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My opinion on the travelcard thingy is that Virgin want people to get a reservation down there, to prevent misuse rather than restrict trains. Some people may well travel between North West & London 1-6 more than once, or pass it to someone once they finish.

It should (or there should) (IMO) be a First Class equivalent and cost £50.00, seeing as though it is Weekend first everywhere anyway. Would free up room in Standard then on busy weekend services.
 
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RJ

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It should (or there should) (IMO) be a First Class equivalent and cost £50.00, seeing as though it is Weekend first everywhere anyway. Would free up room in Standard then on busy weekend services.

Virgin Weekend upgrade is a product that Virgin get all the revenue for. I think other TOCs who run services that convey First Class accommodation within London might have something to say about that. And it's £15 to upgrade for a one way trip, not return.
 

Deerfold

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My opinion on the travelcard thingy is that Virgin want people to get a reservation down there, to prevent misuse rather than restrict trains. Some people may well travel between North West & London 1-6 more than once, or pass it to someone once they finish.

I don't understand this. Why is this more likely on this ticket than, say, an off-peak return?

I think the number of people who want to do at least 3 single trips in a day between the North West and London is limited.
 

lemonic

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Virgin Weekend upgrade is a product that Virgin get all the revenue for. I think other TOCs who run services that convey First Class accommodation within London might have something to say about that. And it's £15 to upgrade for a one way trip, not return.

But the Virgin Saturday Day Travelcard is generally* routed Virgin Trains Only, so presumably they get all the revenue anyway? (*Not necessarily from places like Chester that may involve a connecting train provided by another operator)
 

RJ

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But the Virgin Saturday Day Travelcard is generally* routed Virgin Trains Only, so presumably they get all the revenue anyway? (*Not necessarily from places like Chester that may involve a connecting train provided by another operator)

That only refers to travel between the origin and the boundary of Zone 6. It's no different to an Off Peak Day Travelcard whilst in London. So it could be used on
any service within London which conveys First Class accommodation, such as on SWT between Waterloo and Feltham, or on FGW's Greenford trains.

 

barrykas

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The entry in The Manual implies it's a kind of hybrid of Advance and Off-Peak Day Travelcard.

Reservations are compulsory for the outward leg and must be made by 6pm the day before travel, but you can get a 50% refund (less admin fee) if you hand it in before the departure of the first reserved train.

Like a normal Advance ticket, changes are possible before the departure of the first reserved train for £10 plus any difference in fares, and if you miss the first reserved train you need to buy a new ticket.

Cheers,

Barry
 

island

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ATOC says there are only three kinds of tickets:
anytime.jpg
offpeak.jpg
, and
advance.jpg
. The new names describe when you can buy or use a ticket making it easier for you to buy the best value ticket for your journey. There's no such thing as a "hybrid" ticket; either the ticket is an Advance and can only be used on one train, or is off-peak and can be used on any train subject to the time restrictions published for that ticket.

simple.jpg
 

LexyBoy

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There's no such thing as a "hybrid" ticket; either the ticket is an Advance and can only be used on one train, or is off-peak and can be used on any train subject to the time restrictions published for that ticket.[/IMG]

Virgin do like to make up bizarre tickets which don't fit into any normal ticketing category. And then fail to clearly advertise them.

Remember that some Off Peak tickets are compulsory reservations - the Highland Sleeper and apparently soon RailSail.

Virgin just like to keep it...
 
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