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best options: between cranfield and old street

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jon76

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I need some advice on the best commuting options available to help me decide where to base myself.
I am currently based in London and working in Old street. However my girlfriend is about to start working in Cranfield, Bedford.
Not particularly familiar with the transportation infrastructure in bedford, but I'm guessing she will need a car. Are there buses that run this route? Would it be possible to commute?
So question is, where would be the best location to base ourselves, so that I can get to work in a timely and cost efficient manner, while the gf isnt put out either.
Any advice or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jon
 
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yorkie

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Cranfield appears to be in the middle of nowhere, and I doubt it's on many bus routes. It is on the V2 route to Bedford I managed to find out. So it may be best if you live in Bedford then neither of you needs a car.

If she'd going to drive anyway then Flitwick is closer to London (but there doesn't appear to be a direct way of getting to Cranfield by road). Bletchley is another possibility but despite it being closer to London than Bedford, a season is only fractionally cheaper so probably not worth the hassle unless you particularly want to live there.

A season from Flitwick isn't that much cheaper than Bedford and it has the disadvantage of not being able to use fast trains, so Bedford may be the best choice.
 

googolplex

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If I recall, the buses to Bedford aren't that frequent, and take a while (as well as being quite expensive).
There is also the MK Metro Service 17A which runs between Milton Keynes train station and Cranfield, however that isn't particularly frequent.

I know quite a few people who commute from Flitwick or Harlington train stations into London, usually driving from the village in which they live.
Alternatively living in villages along the Bedford-Bletchley line could be a possibility, with journey times around 20 minutes to Bedford or Bletchley - Stewartby has good bus connections to Cranfield, and the village is close to the train station.

I would however suggest having at least one car, as it is very hard to get around the area without one.
Is your girlfriend going to be working in Cranfield or at the university?
 

jon76

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Thanks for the replies guys.
It looks like theres not much point in living in between. The cost is only marginally lower and may not have the express line.
Will definitely be getting a car anyway, so might as well save on petrol by living closer to Cranfield.
I think Milton Keyes looks promising as there is a express service to Euston and I believe the season pass is about 350.
Unfortunately I will have to tube it from Euston to Old Street, not sure how much more that will cost.
It sounds like a big town, so hopefully its a pleasant enough place to live.
What kind of options are available to package this in the most economical way?
If you bought a 6 month pass and for some reason no longer required it, would you be able to get a refund?
Gf will be working in Cranfield.
 

glynn80

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If you bought a 6 month pass and for some reason no longer required it, would you be able to get a refund?

If you purchased a 6 Month Season Ticket from Milton Keynes to Euston, you would be entitled to a refund so long as the ticket had more than seven days validity remaining.

The FRPP (The Manual) state the following on the issue:

FRPP said:
The National Rail Conditions of Carriage (Condition 36) states that a refund will only be made if the ticket handed in:

· has three or more days validity remaining before it expires in the case of a 7-Day Season Ticket

· has seven or more days validity remaining before it expires in the case of a monthly or longer Season Ticket.

Refunds are calculated from the date the Season Ticket is handed in.
 

tony_mac

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clagmonster

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The 7 day travelcard season from Milton Keynes costs £117.80. A month costs £452.40 and a year costs £4712. This would include your train travel from Milton Keynes to Euston and also unlimited travel within the travelcard zones, including you travel from Euston to Old Street.
From Milton Keynes to Euston, 7 days is £96.20, a month is £369.50 and a year is £3848.
A weekly zones 1-2 travelcard costs £25.80 a month £99.10 and a year £1032. This would cover unlimited travel within the travelcard zones, including you travel from Euston to Old Street.
In all cases, it would be cheaper to purchase the inclusive travelcard. Different lengths of validity are available, and you receive a Network Gold card.
 

Mcr Warrior

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It may also be possible to buy season tickets with dual route availability - i.e. valid on the London to Milton Keynes line and on the London to Bedford route.

Not sure of the cost, perhaps someone can advise.
 

yorkie

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NRES says "Season tickets with 'Dual Route Availability' If two railway lines run close to each other (for example, Bedford on the East Midlands Trains runs very close to Milton Keynes of the West Coast Mainline), it may possible to buy season tickets with dual route availability - i.e. valid on the London to Milton Keynes line and on the London to Bedford route."
 

Mojo

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If you are driving to a station, bear in mind the (sometimes extremely high) cost of parking at railway stations. Even out of town 'Parkway' stations can sometimes be quite costly.
 

glynn80

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NRES says "Season tickets with 'Dual Route Availability' If two railway lines run close to each other (for example, Bedford on the East Midlands Trains runs very close to Milton Keynes of the West Coast Mainline), it may possible to buy season tickets with dual route availability - i.e. valid on the London to Milton Keynes line and on the London to Bedford route."

The OP is in luck as this is in fact exactly the case.
FRPP said:
From: Milton Keynes
also available at: Bedford Stations

To: London Terminals (98.10)
To: [ZONE] R1256 LONDN (122.90)

The 7DS fare is slightly higher for the dual availability ticket than of that restricted to just the WCML.

In the case of the fare to London Terminals, the difference is £1.90.

In the case of the fare to Zone R1256 LONDN, the difference is £5.10.
 
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