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Any hopes of reducing Birmingham stns to London stns tickets price?

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TSR :D

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From currently £15-£20 to under £10 for two with one disabled railcard?

I'm asking this because I had a £9 ticket yesterday but couldn't buy it as I had to leave for few hours, only to return that the ticket had raised to £19! (Chiltern ticket).

Also, if there are no tickets under £10, then I'll buy £20 one (Virgin only). But, which times in the day (9:00AM to 3:00PM) are least busy so I will be guaranteed to get a seat on the virgins train? As it will be my first time on the Virgin trains.
 
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island

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If you book a £20 ticket on Virgin it will come with a reservation, but out of the times you mentioned, before 0926 is least busy because most off-peak tickets aren't valid.
 

yorkie

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I'm asking this because I had a £9 ticket yesterday but couldn't buy it as I had to leave for few hours, only to return that the ticket had raised to £19! (Chiltern ticket).
That will be an Advance ticket, they are available subject to availability and can sell out at any time. Simply do a search on the Chiltern website to see what Advance tickets are available at the time & date you wish to travel. Virgin will cost a bit more. The tickets for either company should generally be available on any website.

I suggest you read the full Advance T&Cs to ensure that these non-refundable, booked train only, tickets are suitable for you.
 

TSR :D

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If you book a £20 ticket on Virgin it will come with a reservation, but out of the times you mentioned, before 0926 is least busy because most off-peak tickets aren't valid.
If I remember correctly, it was advance ticket.
That will be an Advance ticket, they are available subject to availability and can sell out at any time. Simply do a search on the Chiltern website to see what Advance tickets are available at the time & date you wish to travel. Virgin will cost a bit more. The tickets for either company should generally be available on any website.

I suggest you read the full Advance T&Cs to ensure that these non-refundable, booked train only, tickets are suitable for you.
Checked it, Chiltern ticket are hovering around £19 while Virgin has risen from 20 to 26.
I understood the T&Cs of Advance tickets and I have always used it without any problems.

Since Virgins ticket has risen in price, looks I'll have to buy Chiltern advance ticket.
 

island

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Are you coming back by train? An off-peak return might be better value.
 

OwlMan

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If you book a £20 ticket on Virgin it will come with a reservation, but out of the times you mentioned, before 0926 is least busy because most off-peak tickets aren't valid.

Friday is Good Friday - there are no time restrictions on off peak & super off peak tickets.
 

LexyBoy

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(Super) Off Peak Returns are priced as follows (with Railcard):
Any Permitted - £31.00
Via High Wycombe - £16.50
London Midland Only - £13.20
 

Wolfie

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Have you looked at London Midland - slower than Virgin but take roughly the same time as Chiltern. They have a 50% off offer on certain tickets currently - if they don't price Birmingham to London it might pay to price from a near-by station which they may well price eg the Hawthorns, Smethwick Rolfe Street. Hope this is some help.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Rats, just looked and saw that 50% off sale ticket availability starts Saturday!!!

No LM Advance tickets seem to be available for Good Friday but what NRE describes as "off peak returns" (I believe they are actually LM's super offpeak rtn) start at £20.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
NB prices quoted are without a railcard.
 

MKD

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If you are planning any more journeys between Mon 9th April & 31st May then worth having a look at the London Midland Sale on their site: eg Birmingham New Street to London Euston for 2 Adults with 1 Disabled Railcard can travel for as little as £4 each way = total of £8/return - on specific direct trains that take around 2h15m +/- a bit.

http://www.londonmidland.com/sale

MKD
 

Class172

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(Super) Off Peak Returns are priced as follows (with Railcard):
Any Permitted - £31.00
Via High Wycombe - £16.50
London Midland Only - £13.20
What exactly does via High Wycombe mean, as I've often come across it when checking prices. Is it effectively Chiltern Railways only or does it mean something else (yes I realise it's valid via Wycombe)?
 

Jordy

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It means its valid on trains via High Wycombe, regardless of operator, although in reality this only only Chiltern most of the time.
 

island

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Friday is Good Friday - there are no time restrictions on off peak & super off peak tickets.

True in this case, though possibly not in general (and I don't want to reopen that can of worms).
 

Class172

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It means its valid on trains via High Wycombe, regardless of operator, although in reality this only only Chiltern most of the time.
Thanks for clarifying it, I was finding it a bit confusing as only Chiltern run that way.
 

TSR :D

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Okay, now I've decided to buy super off peak return on selected trains for £33.

Thank you guys :)
 

calc7

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A Birmingham Stations to London Terminals ticket can be used on any itinerary which passes through High Wycombe (train need not stop there) within the validity of the ticket.
Typically most passengers will take a direct Chiltern Railways service, but in reality different TOCs can be used for different parts of the journey, including CrossCountry (Birmingham to Banbury), London Midland (Birmingham to Coventry or Birmingham to Dorridge/Leamington Spa), Virgin Trains (Birmingham to Coventry) and First Great Western (Banbury to Kings Sutton).
 

yorkie

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Don't they leave the Chilterns before HW?
If you're asking if they go via Oxford & Reading, the answer is no, they definitely go via High Wycombe!

Route-specific fares are valid on any operator and are merely tied to routes passing through the named station, nothing more, nothing less. They can be excessed to another route on payment of the difference in fares between the ticket held and the appropriate ticket (half the difference in the case of one portion of a return ticket).

Some unknowledgable Virgin Trains staff have indicated that Virgin Trains may not honour their contractual obligations to honour High Wycombe tickets on trains that go via High Wycombe. We will be checking, and we'll be contacting Customer Services in the event that they are not honoured, but I am sure they will.
 

bb21

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Some of us have been informed incorrectly at several Virgin Trains-operated ticket offices that Route Via High Wycombe tickets are not valid on the diverted services on Sunday 8th April, however staff at one particular ticket office have advised that they were sold and valid on previous occasions when Virgin Trains services were diverted via Chiltern Mainline.

We will indeed be checking on the day. ;)
 

Clip

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Some of us have been informed incorrectly at several Virgin Trains-operated ticket offices that Route Via High Wycombe tickets are not valid on the diverted services on Sunday 8th April, however staff at one particular ticket office have advised that they were sold and valid on previous occasions when Virgin Trains services were diverted via Chiltern Mainline.


Indeed they were and I managed to use one and the guard did indeed let me stay on the train and didnt have aproblem with it.
 

dvboy

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Are Virgin running via High Wycombe on Sat 14th April, as RSH mobile app suggested that a via High Wycombe ticket was valid on a return VT service on that day.
 

TSR :D

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How does Virgin run on that route? Wouldn't they need diesel train? I think most of the trains they use on BHM to EUS is pendolino which is electric?
 

SS4

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How does Virgin run on that route? Wouldn't they need diesel train? I think most of the trains they use on BHM to EUS is pendolino which is electric?

Either voyagers or a drag from a diesel loco
 

calc7

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Last time I went on the diversion they used a SuperVoyager. We got to just after Princes Risborough and a Brummy bloke exclaimed "We're going the wrong way! I haven't seen either Milton Keynes or Watford!"
 

island

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How does Virgin run on that route? Wouldn't they need diesel train? I think most of the trains they use on BHM to EUS is pendolino which is electric?

There's always the Pretendolino! :D
 
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