Burton-On-Trent - Gillingham, Sat 10th Aug

[JGolds]

There are 4 of us (adults) hoping to do this journey, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on getting cheap tickets, whether there's a few ranger-type tickets we could purchase to get the cost down?

Want to get to Gillingham for around midday.
Want to depart Gillingham on the 17.21 to Pancras.

Happy to travel via Tamworth - Euston on outward journey.

Want to travel via Derby on return journey as the Tamworth-Burton line closed for engineering after 20.00 that evening.

Have struggled to get the fare for less than £60 at present, but hoping to get it for less than £50.

We don't have any railcards between us.

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[maxbarnish]

Gillingham GLM in Kent or Gillingham GIL in Dorset - the route above seems to suggest the former.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

There are 4 of us (adults) hoping to do this journey, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on getting cheap tickets, whether there's a few ranger-type tickets we could purchase to get the cost down?

Want to get to Gillingham for around midday.
Want to depart Gillingham on the 17.21 to Pancras.

Happy to travel via Tamworth - Euston on outward journey.

Want to travel via Derby on return journey as the Tamworth-Burton line closed for engineering after 20.00 that evening.

Have struggled to get the fare for less than £60 at present, but hoping to get it for less than £50.

We don't have any railcards between us.

Any advice will be appreciated.

I don't think there are going to be any rovers or rangers of use. It will be GroupSave and/or Railcards that you'll want to use. Unfortunately there are downsides to both. For GroupSave, CrossCountry don't participate in it at all, whilst East Midlands Trains use a completely separate and incompatible GroupSave system to all other train companies. Meanwhile, not all tickets are even offered with a GroupSave discount at all. By contrast, the Two Together Railcard has no such acceptance issues, but it costs £30 for each pair of two people unless you have the requisite Tesco Clubcard vouchers to discount it to £10 per pair.

Given the cost of tickets, then, it is better to go for Two Together Railcards, even if you don't intend to make any further journeys this year together (if you do, you can offset the cost further). Also of note is the fact that, whilst there are engineering works occurring on the Tamworth-Burton line, there are still services to Burton from Birmingham - they are simply diverted via Lichfield.

The baseline is the price for the fastest journey, departing Burton-on-Trent at 08:49 and arriving at 12:10, returning on the 17:21 and arriving at 20:37 (out via Tamworth, return via Derby), which costs £223.80 for all of you, or £70.95 a head (including the Railcards).

If you are happy to be flexible with your timings, however, then you can depart at 09:41, arrive at 13:47, and return at 19:21, arriving at 22:35 (out via Birmingham, return via Derby). This would cost just £150.00, or £52.50 a head (inc Rcds).

These are different itineraries suggested by TrainSplit in the default settings by simply selecting "Fast", "Popular" or "Value" modes.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Gillingham GLM in Kent or Gillingham GIL in Dorset - the route above seems to suggest the former.

Gillingham in Dorset doesn't have a 17:21 to St. Pancras so it's out of the running!

 

[JGolds]

I don't think there are going to be any rovers or rangers of use. It will be GroupSave and/or Railcards that you'll want to use. Unfortunately there are downsides to both. For GroupSave, CrossCountry don't participate in it at all, whilst East Midlands Trains use a completely separate and incompatible GroupSave system to all other train companies. Meanwhile, not all tickets are even offered with a GroupSave discount at all. By contrast, the Two Together Railcard has no such acceptance issues, but it costs £30 for each pair of two people unless you have the requisite Tesco Clubcard vouchers to discount it to £10 per pair.

Given the cost of tickets, then, it is better to go for Two Together Railcards, even if you don't intend to make any further journeys this year together (if you do, you can offset the cost further). Also of note is the fact that, whilst there are engineering works occurring on the Tamworth-Burton line, there are still services to Burton from Birmingham - they are simply diverted via Lichfield.

The baseline is the price for the fastest journey, departing Burton-on-Trent at 08:49 and arriving at 12:10, returning on the 17:21 and arriving at 20:37 (out via Tamworth, return via Derby), which costs £223.80 for all of you, or £70.95 a head (including the Railcards).

If you are happy to be flexible with your timings, however, then you can depart at 09:41, arrive at 13:47, and return at 19:21, arriving at 22:35 (out via Birmingham, return via Derby). This would cost just £150.00, or £52.50 a head (inc Rcds).

These are different itineraries suggested by TrainSplit in the default settings by simply selecting "Fast", "Popular" or "Value" modes.

Many thanks for the response, will digest it and mull it over. All this for a game of football!