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Cheapest ticket between two UK stations?

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Smethwickian

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I have looked into buying an Oyster Card but I'm only in London about four or five times a year so was wondering if its worth it.

Absolutely! I don't live or work in London and my only excuse for visiting about half a dozen times a year is purely for pleasure - days and weekends out, exhibitions, getting some distance out of £10-anywhere Chiltern tickets, etc. Having used Oyster since soon after they came out, I couldn't imagine being without it now for the convenience alone, never mind cheaper prices. With auto top-up you never have to think about arriving in London on a spur-of-the-moment trip and faffing around to get a ticket or battling through the hordes of bewildered tourists that seem to clog up Tube ticket queues no matter what time you arrive in the capital!

Trust us, you'll soon forget you ever paid a deposit and will realise that it's simply not worth the bother to keep handing the card back and getting a new one each time.
 
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142094

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Manors - Newcastle and Wakefield Kirkgate - Wakefield Westgate are quite cheap. And yes I've bought the latter before.
 

ert47

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How about Acton Main Line-Finsbury Park SDS with a Young Persons discount? It will save you 5p (£3.95) and will cover you across London.

Stick your Young Persons discount on your Oyster and it'll cost you around £1.70 Off Peak and £3.10 Peak.

I travel to work from Zone 4 into Zone 1 and as I dont have to get the tube, it cost me £1.50/£3.30 one way!
 

ValleyLines142

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Absolutely! I don't live or work in London and my only excuse for visiting about half a dozen times a year is purely for pleasure - days and weekends out, exhibitions, getting some distance out of £10-anywhere Chiltern tickets, etc. Having used Oyster since soon after they came out, I couldn't imagine being without it now for the convenience alone, never mind cheaper prices. With auto top-up you never have to think about arriving in London on a spur-of-the-moment trip and faffing around to get a ticket or battling through the hordes of bewildered tourists that seem to clog up Tube ticket queues no matter what time you arrive in the capital!

Trust us, you'll soon forget you ever paid a deposit and will realise that it's simply not worth the bother to keep handing the card back and getting a new one each time.

Maybe I might consider it then. It certainly looks a lot cheaper! I'm planning on getting a 16-25 Railcard too so hopefully that might discount it even further! Can you buy a new Oyster from a staffed Tube station then?
 

MikeWh

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Maybe I might consider it then. It certainly looks a lot cheaper! I'm planning on getting a 16-25 Railcard too so hopefully that might discount it even further! Can you buy a new Oyster from a staffed Tube station then?

Yes you can. Or, to avoid delays on the day, you can order it online to arrive with some credit, and optionally, with auto topup already enabled. When you have your 16-25 railcard you'll need to take that and the Oyster to a tube station ticket office to get the discount registered. As long as you do this before you've capped for the day you'll get the reduced off-peak cap that day.
 

ValleyLines142

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Yes you can. Or, to avoid delays on the day, you can order it online to arrive with some credit, and optionally, with auto topup already enabled. When you have your 16-25 railcard you'll need to take that and the Oyster to a tube station ticket office to get the discount registered. As long as you do this before you've capped for the day you'll get the reduced off-peak cap that day.

Sounds like a plan! Might consider this then, because even though I don't live or work in London I think it would save hugely on the absolutely dire £4 (soon to be £4.40!) flat-fare system! Will enquire about this when I get off 1L74 at Paddington at 2047, if the tube ticket office at Paddington is still open at that time on a Sunday!
 

route:oxford

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There are always anomolies on NRE, this fare is reported as £0.90...

Golf Street to Carnoustie

06.02 GOF, Arrives Dundee 06.26
06.51 Dee, Arrives Carnoustie 07.03
 

Mojo

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Would the platform ticket work the barriers at both Bank and Monument though?
Yes because operationally it is considered the same station. Although not sure what the tickets have printed on them, whether it's different or not.
 

MikeWh

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Sounds like something to test! Okay, now what would Oyster do for a Bank <-> Monument journey?

Charge you for a same station exit. £2 (£1.90 this week) if between 2 and 30 minutes between touch in and out.
 

dzug2

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Ew. I think it should be £1.50 to travel in Zone 1. Not particularly looking forward for six of us to pay £24 to go from Paddington to Kings Cross.

you could do it on the bus (205) for about half that
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I have looked into buying an Oyster Card but I'm only in London about four or five times a year so was wondering if its worth it.

I visit London with about the same frequency and find one useful even though most visits I don't use it. (Using the buses free with my bus pass and only using it to get back to Paddington quickly if I've miscalculated on time)
 

ValleyLines142

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you could do it on the bus (205) for about half that
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I visit London with about the same frequency and find one useful even though most visits I don't use it. (Using the buses free with my bus pass and only using it to get back to Paddington quickly if I've miscalculated on time)

Really? I always thought it was the same for all methods of transport.
 

yorkie

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Well I thought it was £4 to go from Paddington to Kings Cross on the bus for example as well as the tube.
No. See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14415.aspx for bus fares.
Cash single £2.30 Oyster PAYG £1.35 (2012 prices).

May I recommend you visit the TfL website where all your questions on London travel should be answered. If there's anything you are still unsure of, having done some initial research, you may want to check out MikeWh's website, or post a new topic.
 

ValleyLines142

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Bus fares are £2.20 a ride cash or £1.30 with Oyster (£2.30/£1.35 from next year)

You may be thinking of travelcards?

Ah, okay then :)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
No. See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14415.aspx for bus fares.
Cash single £2.30 Oyster PAYG £1.35 (2012 prices).

May I recommend you visit the TfL website where all your questions on London travel should be answered. If there's anything you are still unsure of, having done some initial research, you may want to check out MikeWh's website, or post a new topic.

Thanks :)
 

34D

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Not particularly looking forward for six of us to pay £24 to go from Paddington to Kings Cross.

Can I be permitted to put down my 'rail' baton briefly, and suggest that you get a siz seater minicab from Addison Lee for that journey instead.
 

12CSVT

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Would the platform ticket work the barriers at both Bank and Monument though?

Yes because operationally it is considered the same station. Although not sure what the tickets have printed on them, whether it's different or not.

This has got me thinking.

Unless I'm wrong, when Crossrail is completed Moorgate and Liverpool Street will be linked by the Crossrail platforms. However you can also get a Circle Line train between the two. So what would happen if you bought a platform ticket at Moorgate, pass through the barriers and try to exit Liverpool Street ?
 

34D

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This has got me thinking.

Unless I'm wrong, when Crossrail is completed Moorgate and Liverpool Street will be linked by the Crossrail platforms. However you can also get a Circle Line train between the two. So what would happen if you bought a platform ticket at Moorgate, pass through the barriers and try to exit Liverpool Street ?

Believe you're correct about the stations being linked. However, I do not know how gatelines etc will work - ie whether you can walk from the met platforms of Moorgate to the Crossrail platform without going out of an LU barrier line and into a crossrail one.
 

tsr

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Personally I think it is ever so slightly ridiculous that an Anytime Return from Dorking Deepdene - Dorking West costs £3.20. 4 minutes for a round trip (although, admittedly, you'd probably have to wait far longer!), so that's 80p per minute for a journey which would likely be without any sensible reason.
 

VideozVideoz

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I notice the Lichfield TV - Lichfield City ticket has not gone up in price with next year's increases! lol
 

bb21

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I notice the Lichfield TV - Lichfield City ticket has not gone up in price with next year's increases! lol

Given that the majority of fares under the watch of WMPTE get revised annually at the September fare-setting round, I would hazard a guess that LM have decided it was worth synchronising the revision of fares for nearby areas to the same time.

Of course it is also entirely possible that with such a low fare, increases do not occur annually as it would represent a rather large hike percentage-wise.
 

AlterEgo

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I notice the Lichfield TV - Lichfield City ticket has not gone up in price with next year's increases! lol

Indeed.

Still £0.05 for a Child Priv ticket! :)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Of course it is also entirely possible that with such a low fare, increases do not occur annually as it would represent a rather large hike percentage-wise.

Indeed. Ticket prices can only rise in increments of five pence. A 50p ticket rising to 55p would be a 10% increase, which would no doubt be jumped on by some people...!
 
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