Crazy Ticket Pricing

[Terry R]

I am Planning to take a return journey to Edinburgh from Boston via Grantham.

Just been on National Rail to check prices for the times I wish to traveL.

Buying First Class return from Boston would cost £533.20

If a buy the first class tickets in two stages for the same time. Boston to Grantham would cost £9.60 return and Grantham to Edinburgh would cost £191.60 return.

A saving of £341.60.

I would have expected a possible slight differencE but not that much.

Is there anyway this discrepancy can be highlighte?

 

[skyhigh]

It's already fairly well-known that split ticketing can deliver substantial savings over the through fare price.

The forum's site (tickets.railforums.co.uk) may even be able to beat the price you've found yourself.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@Terry R. Welcome to the forum. Just to double check, are these rather eye-watering ticket prices that you're quoting (in particular from Grantham to/from Edinburgh) essentially for 2 x 1st class (booked trains only) Advance singles, whereas from Boston to/from Edinburgh, they are for 2 x (flexible) Anytime 1st class singles, which are often considerably more expensive than Advances?

 

[Terry R]

Hello MCR

Just re-checked on the National Rail app and you are spot on. Boston is an anytime ticket. The app would not let me select any other option from Boston.

Cheers Sky h, I will check out the forums ticket site.

 

[Starmill]

I would guess what's happening is that the quota for the first class advance ticket is either unavailable completely on those EMR services, or it has unfortunately already sold out. This would mean no option other than the first class anytime.

Luckily for now standard class super off peak fares are available, but probably not for much longer. On most LNER services you can simply sit in first class and pay the £45 upgrade onboard.

 

[redreni]

Of late I've noticed advances not being available as through tickets to my actual destination. Where previously they'd have been sold as advances valid on "[relevant train company] & connections", now you get offered a split on sites like Trainsplit or a ridiculously-priced walk-up through ticket on most TOC websites.

As it happens I usually prefer to split the ticket anyway because of the railway's latest anti-passenger wheeze - rigorous enforcement of the "booked train(s) only" restriction on advance tickets even on local stopping trains used to connect to the main intercity leg of the journey. I don't think the rules have changed but enforcement habits have and you can no longer be certain you'll be allowed to deviate from your itinerary without hassle. Consequently I'd rather book it as separate tickets, with an advance for the intercity leg of the journey but flexible tickets for the local connections. Or, for the final leg of the journey, I often wait and buy the ticket on the day (enabling me to get a cheap, short-notice advance single on Northern once I know which train I want to get and am confident it's running).

For any local trains that I'm using to connect onto an intercity train for which I have bought an advance ticket, however, I always make sure I buy the flexible ticket for the local train at the same time as the advance for the intercity train and that I have an itinerary for the through journey. That way I can always take an earlier train to the station where I pick up the intercity train, but I'm also protected in the event the local trains let me down and cause me to miss my booked intercity train, as long as I don't miss the local train shown on my itinerary (which will be the last one with a valid connection onto my booked intercity train). (By "protected" I mean I'm entitled to use my ticket on the next intercity train - as long as it's the same operator - and if faced with a long wait I'm entitled under PRO to be re-routed, albeit the entitlement to be re-routed can be a lot harder to vindicate).