Birmingham - Banbury - Heyford via Oxford?

[class175]

Hi All

So I recall hearing that one can double back on certain routes a long time ago, and wondered if the route mentioned (Birmingham New St - Banbury - Heyford) is valid if we went and did a Break of Journey at OXF (where we actually want to go), or have those loop-holes been closed now?

Cheers
-M

 

[bb21]

This is not permitted from what I can see.

 

[Starmill]

There are probably more legitimate ways to reduce the cost of Birmingham to Oxford journeys. Check out trainsplit, and it might help you to consider traveling with a Chiltern only ticket between Birmingham and Banbury if you can use them.

 

[martinsh]

This thread might be of use to you...

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=128918

In addition Birmingham - Banbury Offpeak Rtn is £19.20, and Chiltern only Day Rtn is about £14.

 

[kieron]

So I recall hearing that one can double back on certain routes a long time ago, and wondered if the route mentioned (Birmingham New St - Banbury - Heyford) is valid if we went and did a Break of Journey at OXF (where we actually want to go), or have those loop-holes been closed now?

One common way for a double back like that to be available is for (in this case) Heyford to be a station associated with Oxford (something you can check on the list here), and for the cost of a a Birmingham-Heyford single to have been higher than an equivalent Birmingham-Oxford one in 1996.

You can check this on farehistory.info, and ATOC (the rail industry's trade body) has a page here which they promote as providing an equivalent calculation.

It doesn't say that Birmingham-Heyford via Oxford is valid, but it's there for if there are any other tickets you're wondering about.