Doncaster to Chester-le-street/Newcastle query

[SuperOwl86]

Good morning everyone just looking for some advice and maybe being put straight.

Next Friday will be traveling to Chester-le-street to watch the cricket where we are going to stay the night before heading up Newcastle on the Saturday for Magic weekend where will return on the Sunday.

Just having a look at my ticket options I think two advanced for each leg comes to something like £55-60. I might be able to get that cheaper if I split i think but only had a quick look.

This is the part I may be wrong on, I take it a off peak return between Doncaster and Newcastle would be no good for the Friday and starting Saturday morning?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Romilly]

First, I get the impression that there will be two of you travelling. If the two of you will travel together by train again in the coming 12 months, you may want to think about getting a Two Together Railcard. With a 34% discount off the ticket prices, it should pay for itself on this trip and then be good for further discounts for the rest of the 12 months.

A Doncaster-Newcastle offpeak return would be good for Doncaster to Chester-le-Street on the Friday (but not leaving earlier than the 10.10) and for Newcastle-Doncaster on the Sunday. It would be valid for Chester-le-Street to Newcastle on the Saturday morning if it could reasonably be said that you were unable to complete your Doncaster-Newcastle journey on the Friday. I know that Forum members have different opinions on this, but given that you will presumably be arriving at Chester-le-Street around midday on the Friday, and will have arrived there on a train that continued to Newcastle, I can't help thinking that it might be stretching the validity a tad. Also, be aware that on a Saturday there are some 2-hour gaps between trains from Chester-le-Street and the trains can be ram-packed in the same way as a London tube train during a weekday rush hour. There, are however, frequent buses from Chester-le-Street to Newcastle.

 

[SuperOwl86]

Thank you for the reply. I will be part of a group for the weekend but I will be on my own since the others will be coming from Leeds. I do have a disabled railcard but as you pointed out its not really the correct thing to do.

Even getting a single for the saturday morning works out a lot cheaper than the two advanced singles.

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Nick66]

Very few trains stop at Chester-le-Street and, AFAIK, none of them are VTEC so you would probably be quicker and cheaper off to go to Newcastle and get a 21 bus £3.20 single/£5 day return if my memory serves me correctly. About a 10 minute walk to the bus stop from the station, if you value speed over cost you can take the Metro to Gateshead but you need to pay about £2 (could be slightly less) for the Metro and the bus is the same price. You can’t get a Transfare through ticket as you will be leaving Tyne and Wear.

 

[cuccir]

Very few trains stop at Chester-le-Street and, AFAIK, none of them are VTEC so you would probably be quicker and cheaper off to go to Newcastle and get a 21 bus £3.20 single/£5 day return if my memory serves me correctly

X21 (30 mins) or X2 (35 mins) are much quicker than the 21 (50 mins). It is a slower journey than the train, which is about 15 mins, but if you're planning your day you do have the advantage of 2 buses an hour on the X21, 2 on the X2, 8 on the 21, compared to (for exmaple) only one train at 10:03 between the 08:50 and 12:03. I would also expect the trains calling at Chester to be very busy that weekend - they're the TransPennineExpress trains that have come from the rugby league heartlands!

 

[Wallsendmag]

It's a lot less than 15 minutes from C-L-S to Newcastle, it's only 10 minutes from Durham to Newcastle

 

[transmanche]

X21 (30 mins) or X2 (35 mins) are much quicker than the 21 (50 mins).

I assume you mean Arriva's X12, not X2. Both the X12 and Go North East's X21 start at Eldon Square Bus Station (about 5 mins walking distance from St James' Park) and all journeys towards Chester-Le-Street stop by the Castle Keep at the north end of the High Level Bridge (which is about 5 mins walking distance from Newcastle station).

The X12 used to be the X2, with most journeys continuing onwards as X1 from Durham to Middlesbrough. Arriva merged both routes to become X12 a few years ago.

 

[SuperOwl86]

Thank you very much everyone for all the info it is much appreciated and will come in handy.