Broad Green to Leeds

[Polarbear]

Some friends of mine will be making a trip from Broad Green to Leeds in the not too distant future. I've looked at the routing guide to see whether they would be permitted to travel via Lime Street (to pick up a faster direct train) but this isn't permitted as far as I can see unless there's an easement i've missed (and realistically, i'm not expecting there to be one).

However, it appears that a return from Edge Hill to Leeds would allow a double back to Lime Street as Edge Hill is classed as part of the Liverpool Group.

Am I correct in my thinking or is there something i've missed here?

Cheers

 

[Romilly]

Both National Rail Enquiries, and the journey planner on Virgin Trains East Coast, allow Broad Green to Leeds via Liverpool Lime Street on the £30.80 offpeak day return.

There is an easement that says that travel via Liverpool South Parkway to Edge Hill may go via Liverpool Lime Street, and that the easement is valid in both directions. My guess is that the journey planners are applying the easement in relation to Manchester-Liverpool South Parkway-Edge Hill-Liverpool Lime Street-Edge Hill-Broad Green journeys.

 

[Merseysider]

The journey via Lime Street will be fine. I've found that suburban Merseyside stations are unequivocally accepted via Lime Street whether they're strictly speaking valid or not. In this case, it's valid, and the price is the same from Broad Green as it is from Liverpool, so it's incredibly unlikely your friends will have issues.

If your friends can make the timings work travelling via Warrington on the slightly slower TPE services it would save £3 each to split tickets at Warrington Central. The lack of flexibility (being unable to take the fast TPE that runs via Victoria) wouldn't be worth it in my opinion though.

 

[tony_mac]

Travelling via Lime St and Warrington is fine; doubling-back through Edge Hill is allowed as it's a group station.

Doubling-back for the fast Manchester Victoria service does not seem to be permitted, but I'm not sure it would save any time from taking the stopper to Victoria anyway.

 

[bb21]

However, it appears that a return from Edge Hill to Leeds would allow a double back to Lime Street as Edge Hill is classed as part of the Liverpool Group.

Doubling back at Edge Hill on an Edge Hill ticket would not be valid as it is part of origin group, and the Group Stations Rule only applies when the group is neither the origin nor the destination.

But a ticket from Broad Green is perfectly valid, for a number of reasons, some of which the others above me have mentioned.

Easement 700317 strictly speaking is not applicable, as it says "to Edge Hill" and not "via Edge Hill", but as Romilly pointed out, it depends on how the easement is implemented electronically. In any case you should have no problem going via Lime Street.