im looking to travel to Leicester on 21st April from st Pancras and travel back on 28th to st Pancras but I notice there is engineering works on the East Midlands line I’m wondering if I can use my super off peak return via Birmingham new street from Leicester or is this ticket EMT only many thanks !
The ticket isn't routed EMT-only, and in theory you could use Thameslink to Bedford, but the permitted routes prevent you from using it on lines other than the Midland Main Line.
There will always be replacement bus services in operatijk, but admittedly these are likely to be much slower and more inconvenient than even taking a circuitous route (such as via BHM).
If you are happy to travel in the off-peak period (generally lunchtime to mid-afternoon or late evening is cheapest), you would be best off getting Advance tickets to and from New Street - these are currently available at the lowest tier, £8.00 each way for the faster Virgin Trains West Coast service or £6.00 for the slower West Midlands Trains/London Northwestern Railway service, when travelling at these kinds of times.
And then there's a variety of different tickets you could use to get to Leicester - either a plain off-peak return for £18.70, as Advances only a few pence less than this, or there are a variety of cheaper 'loophole' tickets if you are willing to take the risk that they are incorrectly rejected and you are forced to buy a new ticket and then you have to try new get this back...
If you would be willing to go via Nuneaton, it would be slightly cheaper as the Off-Peak return from there to Leicester is £15.70, though the Advances for the service from London (West Midlands Trains) are still £6.00 each way.
