East Coast price change?

[FlippyFF]

Hi All,

Since January I've been making a once a month trip from Kings Cross to Conisbrough and return on an Anytime ticket, generally leaving on the 07:05/07:35 and coming back around 17:00 the same day or the following day. The ticket has cost £187.00 for travel by East Coast and connections. I've tried to book for this coming week (or my boss has) and now we're being quoted £210.00 for an 'Any permitted ticket'. Even on the East Coast website I can't get the £187.00 fare, has the price gone up or is there another reason for the change?

Also, does 'Any permitted' mean I can use Hull Trains?


Many thanks in advance,

Simon

 

[lemonic]

The EC & Connections ticket for £187 is no longer available to purchase as of 18 May - it is not in the fares database anymore. The £210 'Any Permitted' ticket was also available before 18 May, so its price has not increased, but for you in effect there has been a price rise.

The Any Permitted ticket does allow you to take Hull Trains services.

 

[brompton rail]

BR Fares says that the £210 Anytime Return is correct. However by booking KX to Doncaster Anytime the fare is £196, and Doncaster to Conisbrough is £4.10 Anytime DAY return (or £3.40 Off Peak - after 0930)

If your times fit with Hull train departure from KX and an evening return then Hull Train ONLY fares are quite a lot cheaper.

And yes, Anytime, Any Permitted tickets are valid on Hull Trains, Grand Central and East Coast, as well as via East Midlands Trains via Sheffield.

 

[yorkie]

You don't have a Season ticket (e.g. Ashford to London) to cover part of your journey by any chance?

 

[codenamecuebal]

there's a ticket that exists if you go one station further to mexborough - an EC & connections for £185 with restriction code BR. i am not well versed enough to say if that would be valid for your journey or allow the same flexibility, however I'm sure someone here will know.

- ignore this, i checked the wrong date

 

[brompton rail]

there's a ticket that exists if you go one station further to mexborough - an EC & connections for £185 with restriction code BR. i am not well versed enough to say if that would be valid for your journey or allow the same flexibility, however I'm sure someone here will know.

BR Fares state that Mexborough fare in £210, same as Conisbrough. As stated above EC & Connections fares don't seem to be available now for Walk Up tickets, only for Advanced. £186 Anytime Fare to Mexborough is available via Chesterfield but no fares for Conisbrough. Anyway journey times are longer with a change at Sheffield.

 

[codenamecuebal]

BR Fares state that Mexborough fare in £210, same as Conisbrough. As stated above EC & Connections fares don't seem to be available now for Walk Up tickets, only for Advanced. £186 Anytime Fare to Mexborough is available via Chesterfield but no fares for Conisbrough. Anyway journey times are longer with a change at Sheffield.

Apologies. I looked at the wrong date.

 

[FlippyFF]

You don't have a Season ticket (e.g. Ashford to London) to cover part of your journey by any chance?

I do....

 

[MikeWh]

I do....

Is it just Ashford to London Terminals or does it also include zones 1-6?

 

[bb21]

I do....

Between which two stations?

 

[FlippyFF]

between which two stations?

afk - z1-6

The KGX - CNS ticket is booked through our office travel portal which seems complicated enough, without trying to include my gold card into the mix (which I don't think would help price wise?)

 

[MikeWh]

afk - z1-6

The KGX - CNS ticket is booked through our office travel portal which seems complicated enough, without trying to include my gold card into the mix (which I don't think would help price wise?)

It might. With a season ticket covering one part of the journey you can split your fare into any number of other tickets without the train needing to call at the changeover stations. The first bit (BZ6-Huntingdon) might be able to have the gold card discount applied. I'll guess someone is looking into the possibilities as I type.

 

[yorkie]

See Wakefield - London KX - 19c split

 

[bb21]

If this is for expenses, then you will need to consider whether your company would accept splits, and if so, how many for one journey.

I would say keep the number low, but even if you just split once, at Huntingdon, the price comes down dramatically.

For example,

Boundary Zone 6 - Huntingdon
Route Any Permitted
Anytime Day Return
£19.70

Huntingdon - Conisbrough
Not Via London
Anytime Return
£81.00

That saves you over half, and as MikeWh pointed out, you can use an East Coast service that does not call at Huntingdon.

 

[yorkie]

I concur with bb21. Check that a combination of two tickets (also known as "splitting" the fare) is acceptable to your Finance department, if claiming expenses.

That is a valid combination of tickets for one journey, as described in the NRCoC, Condition 19(c).

....one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.

I also agree that keeping it simple is going to be best - the savings are substantial with the above combination, and any further savings will be negligible and probably not worth the hassle.

 

[calc7]

How amusing that the withdrawal of this EC&Connections fare is actually going to cost EC £90 per trip from FlippyFF rather than gain them the £20 or so they hoped!

 

[FlippyFF]

Thanks for all the information everyone.

Can the National Rail website work out / display these boundary zone 6 - {destination} fares or is that from somewhere else?


Simon

 

[bb21]

Online journey planners cannot display itineraries for Boundary Zone fares, nor can they retail them.

Since you have a season ticket, you can purchase the Hadley Wood - Huntingdon ticket and use it in the same way instead for the same price.