Sail Rail Woes

NLC1072 · 25 Sep 2018

These tickets are so hard to get hold of.

I turned up to C2C Barking, staffed by C2C as it is classed as a national rail station where you should be able to buy sail rail tickets. They couldn't issue them. I rang the C2C ticket line to get some who put me through to the trainline - this is where I should of hung up. I booked ticket for collection at Barking on the trainline. I get the tickets from the clerk via the ticket on departure system and theyre for tomorrow. I had asked for the 28th. I ring the trainline -they tell me "these tickets are non refundable". But I asked for the 28th!!!... Long argument later they agree to change the date for the 28th. They then ask I buy new tickets and send the old ones back in the post which will take 10 days for refund. I only had £60 to begin with!!! Effectively it means I now can't travel and will have to find somebody else with money on their bank card to pay for them, or wait an extra nine days until I can travel for the refund to come through (and I live in Ireland!)...

Then they only sell the standby tickets rather than the advance ones, which they should be selling as the standby ones are meant to be for on the day and cost an extra £8 odd.

Where could I of got the advance sail rail tickets rather than the standby ones?

RailUK Forums

Starmill · 25 Sep 2018

Oh dear. This sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I'm sorry it has not been easy for you to get the tickets you require. Unforuntately some ticket offices in London have a reputation for poor service. I don't see why Barking can't sell these (although if there is a reason e.g. reservations are not available there then please do correct me).

Can you tell us which itinerary you want to travel on? https://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/SailRail/ is a good place to start at least. Are you traveling via Holyhead? Fishguard?

The banking issue I sympathise with deeply. Short term liquidity problems are very real for a lot of people. The only advice I can really think to give is to ask friends or family (perhaps someone has a credit card?).

Starmill · 25 Sep 2018

I can see a Barking to Rosslare Europort itinerary at 0549, SailRail Standby at £49.70 on 28th September.

NLC1072 · 25 Sep 2018

Starmill said:
Oh dear. This sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I'm sorry it has not been easy for you to get the tickets you require. Unforuntately some ticket offices in London have a reputation for poor service. I don't see why Barking can't sell these (although if there is a reason e.g. reservations are not available there then please do correct me).

Can you tell us which itinerary you want to travel on? https://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/SailRail/ is a good place to start at least. Are you traveling via Holyhead? Fishguard?

The banking issue I sympathise with deeply. Short term liquidity problems are very real for a lot of people. The only advice I can really think to give is to ask friends or family (perhaps someone has a credit card?).

Itinerary is 05:49 BKG departure, for the ferry via fishguard on stena line to Rosslare Europort/Harbour.

I have the money, it's just all in Euros!

I don't see why not either, sail rail doesnt require reservations etc - as can be seen when stena issue the tickets - its just a rote out ticket on carbon paper...

Haywain · 25 Sep 2018

NLC1072 said:
Itinerary is 05:49 BKG departure, for the ferry via fishguard on stena line to Rosslare Europort/Harbour.

I have the money, it's just all in Euros!

I don't see why not either, sail rail doesnt require reservations etc - as can be seen when stena issue the tickets - its just a rote out ticket on carbon paper...

Some stations will accept Euros. The LNER ticket office at King's Cross is an example that isn't too far from Barking.

Starmill · 25 Sep 2018

That sounds like it's worth investigating. Also, there must be somewhere in London that can buy Euro banknotes at a decent ish rate?

Haywain · 25 Sep 2018

Probably not much in it. LNER set a rate for accepting them which tends to be reasonably competitive.

Bletchleyite · 25 Sep 2018

FWIW Loco2 can do them online I believe.

James H · 25 Sep 2018

I recently bought Rosslare Sailrail tickets through the Virgin Trains website.

danm14 · 25 Sep 2018

NLC1072 said:
I don't see why not either, sail rail doesnt require reservations etc - as can be seen when stena issue the tickets - its just a rote out ticket on carbon paper...

The handwritten, undated, no reservation carbon paper booklets are only issued in Ireland.

If the ticket is issued in the UK it's issued as a UK train ticket valid for a specific date with a compulsory ferry reservation (and compulsory train reservations for the advance).

NLC1072 · 26 Sep 2018

danm14 said:
The handwritten, undated, no reservation carbon paper booklets are only issued in Ireland.

If the ticket is issued in the UK it's issued as a UK train ticket valid for a specific date with a compulsory ferry reservation (and compulsory train reservations for the advance).

That's brilliant info.

However the advanced should ut still of been available until 18:00 the day before and wasn't. It isn't to do with quota because the only quota used is for the ferry which also governs the availability of standby. I wanted the advance ticket because I literally can't travel on any other trains that would get to the port earlier than the 05:49 from BKG. I managed to get a sail rail ticket in the end from ATW online after I'd borrowed a bank card from a friend. But only the standby tickets were available for some odd reason.

paddington · 26 Sep 2018

The other day I bought one from Man Picc with no fuss, but I wrote down exactly which ticket and ferry/trains I wanted and the price (from brfares) on a piece of paper which I gave to the clerk.

paul1609 · 26 Sep 2018

NLC1072 said:
That's brilliant info.

However the advanced should ut still of been available until 18:00 the day before and wasn't. It isn't to do with quota because the only quota used is for the ferry which also governs the availability of standby. I wanted the advance ticket because I literally can't travel on any other trains that would get to the port earlier than the 05:49 from BKG. I managed to get a sail rail ticket in the end from ATW online after I'd borrowed a bank card from a friend. But only the standby tickets were available for some odd reason.

I think that the Ferry companies allocate a quota of their foot passenger capacity for sail rail traffic. So its quite possible for this quota to have been sold out prior to 18.00 without the ferry being full. I think you are probably expecting a fully integrated ticketing system for travel to the irish republic that the traffic flows don't justify.

bangor-toad · 26 Sep 2018

Hi,
I had a rather different experience recently. I needed to buy a Sailrail ticket in early August. This was for an anytime single from Haywards Heath to Belfast using Stena Cairnryan - Belfast.

I actually bought it from the Guard on the train. It was a Southern service to Eridge and he was able to sell me a SailRail ticket from a station on a different line and for the next day. It was simple and quick.
Maybe it was simpler as it was the 'Anytime' ticket rather than an 'Advance'?

(Also - a big thumbs up to the Guard on that service. He was really very pleasant and helpful to me and everyone else I saw him interact with.)
Cheers,
Mr Toad

NLC1072 · 26 Sep 2018

paul1609 said:
I think that the Ferry companies allocate a quota of their foot passenger capacity for sail rail traffic. So its quite possible for this quota to have been sold out prior to 18.00 without the ferry being full. I think you are probably expecting a fully integrated ticketing system for travel to the irish republic that the traffic flows don't justify.

Yes but if the quota was full the system wouldn't sell me the more expensive standby ticket, reservations on the ferry are compulsory. If that was the case and the ferry quota was full it would refuse to sell me a ticket outright. And if they're going to offer sail rail tickets, yes I do expect a fully integrated system from where it is advertised as being sold from (all national rail stations).

James H · 26 Sep 2018

I think - certainly on the Rosslare Ferry - the quota of advance Sailrail tickets is limited.

I had to buy standby tickets even when I was booking several weeks in advance, though advance tickets were available for some dates prior to my day of travel

paul1609 · 26 Sep 2018

NLC1072 said:
Yes but if the quota was full the system wouldn't sell me the more expensive standby ticket, reservations on the ferry are compulsory. If that was the case and the ferry quota was full it would refuse to sell me a ticket outright. And if they're going to offer sail rail tickets, yes I do expect a fully integrated system from where it is advertised as being sold from (all national rail stations).

I imagine the rail reservation system splits the ferry companies quota in to two, one for advances, one for walk ups. Its probably not a dynamic interface.
Where is it advertised as available from all national stations?

NLC1072 · 28 Sep 2018

paul1609 said:
I imagine the rail reservation system splits the ferry companies quota in to two, one for advances, one for walk ups. Its probably not a dynamic interface.
Where is it advertised as available from all national stations?

it used to say that on The Manual

paul1609 said:
I think that the Ferry companies allocate a quota of their foot passenger capacity for sail rail traffic. So its quite possible for this quota to have been sold out prior to 18.00 without the ferry being full. I think you are probably expecting a fully integrated ticketing system for travel to the irish republic that the traffic flows don't justify.

paul1609 said:
I imagine the rail reservation system splits the ferry companies quota in to two, one for advances, one for walk ups. Its probably not a dynamic interface.
Where is it advertised as available from all national stations?

Sail Rail Woes

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