All-Day Off-Peak tickets

[samuelmorris]

Looking up the various costs for a potential job I might be given next month that sees me up and down the country visiting offices in a dozen or so different cities to install equipment. I spotted with a couple of the journeys an odd ticketing anomaly that's caught my attention before, but I never thought to ask.

In most cases, tickets after a certain peak period, perhaps 8am, 9am, 9.30am etc. are labelled as 'off peak' and those before are labelled 'anytime' - which I understand, fairly straightforward.
However, in certain cases, such as for example these two:
Shenfield - Great Yarmouth
London Euston - Birmingham New Street

If I stick those in the journey checker, the 'off-peak' goes as far back as the start of service and 'anytime' doesn't show up unless you look at the 'other fares' page on the NR website.

Can anyone explain to me why it seems possible to use an off-peak even for a 7:30 or 8:00am departure in these certain cases?

 

[Sleepy]

I have looked at Shenfield - Great Yarmouth, and East Coast site does not show as valid before 0930 ? Perhaps you put a weekend date in.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Historically long-distance fares only had peak restrictions if you were travelling to, from or via London. This is still the case in some places, particularly long-distance fares priced by Arriva Trains Wales, Transpennine Express, Northern, and some fares priced by Virgin that avoid London. There's nothing strange or unusual about it.

Regarding the two examples, for Shenfield to Great Yarmouth there are Off-Peak fares routed "NOT VIA LONDON" that are not valid before 09:00. There are also more expensive Off-Peak fares routed "✠ANY PERMITTED", which are only restricted if you are travelling via London or Stratford - but not if you avoid London - so I'm guessing this is what you're looking at.

For London to Birmingham, I have to presume you're looking at railcard-discounted fares and so taking advantage of the special Virgin easement:

Holders of Off-Peak ticket types SVS/SVR, which are discounted using 16-25, Senior, Disabled Persons, HM Forces and Family & Friends Railcards and Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, can travel on Virgin Train services at any time, provided that all travel is on Virgin Trains services only. This easement does not apply for journeys wholly between Milton Keynes Central/Northampton and London Euston in either direction.

 

[samuelmorris]

Thanks for the info - that's interesting about the Virgin services, you're right - this was with a 16-25 railcard applied (last few months I can get away with that!) - makes a fair bit of sense, because the anytime fares are IMHO really quite excessive on the WCML. I tend to turn my nose up at people perpetually complaining about rail fare increases but when I saw the anytime fares to places like Birmingham and Manchester it really did take me by surprise.

As for the Shenfield - Great Yarmouth, no this is using the nationalrail site rather than East Coast and it still displays off-peak fares on a weekday. I don't see any sign of 'not via London' here?

 

[Mojo]

As for the Shenfield - Great Yarmouth, no this is using the nationalrail site rather than East Coast and it still displays off-peak fares on a weekday. I don't see any sign of 'not via London' here?

That's because, as Indigo2 said, it is the +Any Permitted Off-peak Return that has no time restrictions in the morning peak, if you do not travel via London. The Not Via London Off-peak Return does have such restrictions.

Not Via London is displayed, it is £28.65 and is shown for the bottom two trains on your list.

 

[samuelmorris]

Understood, thanks for clearing that up - I wasn't aware the 'Any Permitted' tickets would have different time restrictions (or lack thereof, as the case may be) to the not via London tickets, that would explain it.