[Trivia] Most Expensive Diagram To Ride On All Day

tbtc · 16 May 2019

The longest single journey in the UK is Aberdeen – Penzance. The longest diagram in the UK is the 390 that does something like Manchester – London – Glasgow – London – Liverpool in the same day (I'm sure someone will correct me!). Other trains don’t travel as far but may rack up lots of short journeys during the day (e.g. shuttling up and down a branchline).

But which diagram would be the most expensive to follow over a calendar day? Say you have a favourite train/ unit/ coach and want to spend as long as possible on it on the same day.

You have to board the train at its first scheduled public stop, you have to be on it during all scheduled journeys open to the public during the daytime (i.e. no requirement to be on it during ECS moves, but if it runs ECS between public services then you’d have to get to the next station to resume the journey on your favourite train so that you don’t miss any public services that it runs).

(for arguments sakes… say this applies to an adult with no Young Person/ Old Person discounts but is able to purchase any discounted rover/ PTE tickets… say you are going to do it a month in advance so can take advantage of the cheapest available advance tickets currently on sale on that date… say a day is 04:00 until 03:59 unless your favourite train is operating the Sleeper).

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Brissle Girl · 16 May 2019

A Heathrow Express diagram on non-discounted return fares (£37), would cost £37 each hour for up to 18 hours.

Dr Hoo · 16 May 2019

If you rode on the Stourbridge Town shuttle all day (at typically 12 single trips per hour) and *refused* to buy a ticket at all you could theoretically rack up well over £100,000 in fines.
I am sure that one of the Forum’s fares experts will provide the exact figure.

Kite159 · 16 May 2019

Brissle Girl said:
A Heathrow Express diagram on non-discounted return fares (£37), would cost £37 each hour for up to 18 hours.

That is what I was thinking as well, going backwards & forward between Paddington & Heathrow several times will soon add up

mrcheek · 16 May 2019

maybe you could split tickets, in order to increase the price!

JeffH16 · 16 May 2019

Kite159 said:
That is what I was thinking as well, going backwards & forward between Paddington & Heathrow several times will soon add up

I mean, you could just get a Heathrow Terminal 5 to Paddington weekly season for £64 (according to nationalrail.co.uk) so it wouldn't actually have to cost you very much

Kite159 · 16 May 2019

JeffH16 said:
I mean, you could just get a Heathrow Terminal 5 to Paddington weekly season for £64 (according to nationalrail.co.uk) so it wouldn't actually have to cost you very much

That isn't that bad considering the premium it costs

tiptoptaff · 16 May 2019

Kite159 said:
That isn't that bad considering the premium it costs

Only it isn't valid on Heathrow Express

DynamicSpirit · 16 May 2019

tbtc said:
The longest single journey in the UK is Aberdeen – Penzance. The longest diagram in the UK is the 390 that does something like Manchester – London – Glasgow – London – Liverpool in the same day (I'm sure someone will correct me!). Other trains don’t travel as far but may rack up lots of short journeys during the day (e.g. shuttling up and down a branchline).

But which diagram would be the most expensive to follow over a calendar day? Say you have a favourite train/ unit/ coach and want to spend as long as possible on it on the same day.

You have to board the train at its first scheduled public stop, you have to be on it during all scheduled journeys open to the public during the daytime (i.e. no requirement to be on it during ECS moves, but if it runs ECS between public services then you’d have to get to the next station to resume the journey on your favourite train so that you don’t miss any public services that it runs).

(for arguments sakes… say this applies to an adult with no Young Person/ Old Person discounts but is able to purchase any discounted rover/ PTE tickets… say you are going to do it a month in advance so can take advantage of the cheapest available advance tickets currently on sale on that date… say a day is 04:00 until 03:59 unless your favourite train is operating the Sleeper).

Do you have to buy the cheapest ticket available to you? Or are you allowed to decide that you want to travel first class and you really need turn-up-and-go fares? (If the latter, I imagine some long-distance trains travelling into London in the morning rush hour would set you back quite a bit... though even so, I'm not sure if it'd be possible to match Heathrow Express)

Lockwood · 16 May 2019

Dr Hoo said:
If you rode on the Stourbridge Town shuttle all day (at typically 12 single trips per hour) and *refused* to buy a ticket at all you could theoretically rack up well over £100,000 in fines.
I am sure that one of the Forum’s fares experts will provide the exact figure.

Given the fares down here for single station jumps, I was thinking about this just for standard travel coming up that much.

I picked one of the diagrams off of the 442 thread and started to play with that. I got bored looking up loads of individual fares.
Going with first class...
0545 POO - WAT = £100.40 (£110.60 for individual singles)
0800 WAT - PMH = £64.90 (£76.30)
1015 PMH - WAT = £64.90 (Assuming £76.30 - lost patience)
1230 WAT - PMH = £64.90 (Assuming £76.30)
1445 PMH - WAT = £64.90 (Assuming £76.30)
1700 WAT - PMH = £64.90 (Assuming £76.30)
1915 PMH - WAT = £64.90 (Assuming £76.30)
1700 WAT - POO = £98.70 (Assuming £110.60)

Gives a total of £588.50, or an estimated £679 for a load of singles
I was surprised to see that you can get first class advance from Portsmouth to London for £25.
Also surprised to see Fratton to Portsmouth & Southsea was £4.60 and PMS to the harbour £4.40.
I'd guess that a stopper would cost a small fortune, but the insanely high fares that would create would ironically be invalid on the fast.

Master29 · 16 May 2019

Surely if you went anytime tickets only it wouldn`t necessarily have to be the longest journey. There`s a few eye watering ones out there. I think I could get to Melbourne and back cheaper on some London to Scotland or even the West Country fares I`ve seen.

Master29 · 16 May 2019

Dr Hoo said:
If you rode on the Stourbridge Town shuttle all day (at typically 12 single trips per hour) and *refused* to buy a ticket at all you could theoretically rack up well over £100,000 in fines.
I am sure that one of the Forum’s fares experts will provide the exact figure.

The trouble is with that I wouldn`t want an expensive journey coupled with a potential six months of bird. :lol:

Fawkes Cat · 17 May 2019

Dr Hoo said:
If you rode on the Stourbridge Town shuttle all day (at typically 12 single trips per hour) and *refused* to buy a ticket at all you could theoretically rack up well over £100,000 in fines.
I am sure that one of the Forum’s fares experts will provide the exact figure.

It seems to me that in the real world, rather than getting a huge fine anyone trying this would get
- completely ignored (we're too busy), or
- an indulgent pat on the head (they're harmless), or
- arrested (a liability on my train).

LAX54 · 17 May 2019

But of course in theory it would never cost more than £525 2nd class, as you'd buy an all line rover

and valid for 7 days too so you could do the same trip everyday !

StarCrossing · 17 May 2019

swills said:
But of course in theory it would never cost more than £525 2nd class, as you'd buy an all line rover and valid for 7 days too so you could do the same trip everyday !

Not necessarily true - the all line rover does have some time restrictions on it (e.g. out of Euston in the morning).

ForTheLoveOf · 17 May 2019

swills said:
But of course in theory it would never cost more than £525 2nd class, as you'd buy an all line rover and valid for 7 days too so you could do the same trip everyday !

Wouldn't be valid on weekday arrivals into London before 10am on certain TOCs, plus not valid on the Heathrow Express either!

Steve Harris · 17 May 2019

ForTheLoveOf said:
Wouldn't be valid on weekday arrivals into London before 10am on certain TOCs, plus not valid on the Heathrow Express either!

Jesus.

The ALR has really gone downhill since I last had one 15 odd years ago.

It's a shame there's not such a thing as a rail enthusiasts trade union to stop the erosion of benefits of certain tickets.

Qwerty133 · 17 May 2019

Any diagram that stays on the same line all day is capped at the cost of a weekly between the 2 ends and most diagrams that don't go through major cities during the morning peak are capped by the all line rover. Therefore I imagine that the most expensive is likely to be an XC diagram that passes new street a couple of times in morning peak.
For example, the Stourbridge shuttle could be done for no more than £9.60 all day (based upon the 7 day price between Town and Hagley as there is no season price between the town and junction).

adrock1976 · 18 May 2019

When I first saw this thread, the diagram that comes to mind is the one that starts at Bounds Green Depot or Ferme Park and runs to London Kings Cross, then a return trip to Edinburgh Waverley, and a return trip to Leeds, then back to Bounds Green or Ferme Park.

I cannot remember the exact diagram number, but the train for this particular diagram I believe is out for around 19-20 hours or so.

allaction · 18 May 2019

Brilliant!

It’s threads like this that make it worth the £49.99 weekly subscription to the Forum.

Dai Corner · 18 May 2019

allaction said:
Brilliant!

It’s threads like this that make it worth the £49.99 weekly subscription to the Forum.

Should I start a thread on the longest, shortest or most interesting journeys with a fare of £49.99?!

cactustwirly · 18 May 2019

One of the old GWR HST diagrams would be a contender.
Some sets did Penzance - Paddington - Bristol/Cardiff/Swansea - Paddington - Plymouth

Kite159 · 18 May 2019

Qwerty133 said:
Any diagram that stays on the same line all day is capped at the cost of a weekly between the 2 ends and most diagrams that don't go through major cities during the morning peak are capped by the all line rover. Therefore I imagine that the most expensive is likely to be an XC diagram that passes new street a couple of times in morning peak.
For example, the Stourbridge shuttle could be done for no more than £9.60 all day (based upon the 7 day price between Town and Hagley as there is no season price between the town and junction).

An anytime West Midlands Daytripper is £9 which will save you 60p on your trips back and forward on the 139

185143 · 20 May 2019

I wonder about the XC Voyager I've just alighted at Plymouth? Works down from Bristol in the morning peak, then forms the 09:25 Plymouth-Aberdeen.

Fawkes Cat · 20 May 2019

185143 said:
I wonder about the XC Voyager I've just alighted at Plymouth? Works down from Bristol in the morning peak, then forms the 09:25 Plymouth-Aberdeen.

But long distance fares tend to be fairly cheap per mile. So isn't the 'winner' going to be something working fairly short trips, but a lot of them? And given the restrictions in the rules at the top of the page, won't we want something in an area not covered by any sort of rover ticket?

Lockwood · 20 May 2019

That XC service, getting a single ticket between stations?

221129 · 20 May 2019

185143 said:
I wonder about the XC Voyager I've just alighted at Plymouth? Works down from Bristol in the morning peak, then forms the 09:25 Plymouth-Aberdeen.

Then works Aberdeen back to Edinburgh

ComUtoR · 20 May 2019

Assuming that the single trip is the only one its diagrammed for the day. Accepting that to travel on a specific day and at a specific time you have to book a specific ticket....

Train : The Belmond Royal Scotsman,
Date : 30th August 2019,
Departs : Edinburgh Waverly 13:45. Makes a stop at Craigendoran. Then arrives at Spean Bridge for the evening.

£16,720

The train continues for the week BUT to get that first 24hrs you still have to pay the price.....

Lockwood · 20 May 2019

221129 said:
Then works Aberdeen back to Edinburgh

Bristol - Plymouth, £124 first anytome
Plymouth - Aberdeen, £370
Aberdeen - Edinburgh, £86.20

Total for day as 3 tickets, £580.20.

Starmill · 20 May 2019

I misread this title, twice, as 'Most Expensive Dragon To Ride On All Day' :lol:

[Trivia] Most Expensive Diagram To Ride On All Day

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