EC Advances - London-West Yorks

[30907]

A puzzle for the experts

I am looking to book an EC Advance from London to one of Shipley, Hebden Bridge or Burnley Man Rd for Friday 13 Sept, the fares having just been released.
They are available on just about every service for Shipley at the normal lowest prices for Fridays - they are also now available to BYM, ditto (BTW why does it cost virtually the same in Standard but £5+ more in First?!) - but on hardly any services to HBD.

I've noticed this before, when checking the options 12 weeks ahead.

Does anyone know why Calder Valley stations (including Bradford Int BTW) get different treatment? After all, they're all EC&Connections, and it's the same EC train for all of them!

Thanks in advance

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Relatively sure this is to do with reservations on Northern services. York-Blackpool and Leeds-Bradford Forster Square services are still non-reservable, but ISTR Leeds-Manchester Victoria services do have reservable places.

 

[Haywain]

Relatively sure this is to do with reservations on Northern services. York-Blackpool and Leeds-Bradford Forster Square services are still non-reservable, but ISTR Leeds-Manchester Victoria services do have reservable places.

I concur with that view.

 

[30907]

Ah, thanks.

So if I can find a way of getting a non-reservable train from LDS to HBD, there should be a ticket? Will work on it, as I really want to go to Accrington but check out EC First Class as its hardly more expensive than WC Standard.

Odd that the available trains are 1435/1505/1535 off KGX which would be 1707/37 off Leeds - I suppose Northern dont sell their own Advances on those?

 

[mm333]

Weirdly, putting in Via Mirfield has brought up advance singles on three trains that day (0630, 1235 and 1535). If those are one of the trains you want to get, then the Leeds-Hebden bit is unreservable, so I think that means you can go via Bradford Interchange.

 

[30907]

Thanks.

Trouble is, I am into St P at 1157 ex Cologne/Brussels, so 1235 is tight.

Also, I really want a ticket from LOE/LNE which has to be booked over the phone, and judging by EC telesales a couple of days ago that will prove challenging (they used to have a dedicated section....). Might try ES telesales instead....

 

[johnnychips]

Trouble is, I am into St P at 1157 ex Cologne/Brussels, so 1235 is tight.

Yes it is if you don't get at the front of the customs queue, let alone if the train is a bit late.

 

[John @ home]

For Friday 13 September, Advance tickets are available at East Coast in Standard and First Class from Kings X to Hebden Bridge via York:

Kings X dep 0700 and at xx00 til 1600
York arr c. 1h 50 later
York dep c. 2h 07 later
Hebden Bridge arr c. 3h 37 later.

EDIT East Coast also offer Advance tickets on that day on these trains by that route from Kings X to any station Burnley Manchester Rd to Huncoat, but not to Accrington.

 

[30907]

Thanks

Via York ups the cost rather, so I'll ignore that.

Huncoat is a real unexpected bonus - the EC website routes me with a walk from Burnley Manchester Rd to Central, but I can't imagine the ticket itself will specify, meaning that the obvious route is via Accrington?

Of course it wouldn't be legal to finish short at ACR.

 

[IanD]

Have you considered a GC advance to Halifax and then a single for the remainder to Hebden Bridge/Burnley/Accrington?

 

[30907]

Yes, briefly, but it wasn't cost-effective and involved a 3-hour wait.

I rang ES's dedicated sales line and paid £25.10 (railcard, first class for gastronomic reasons!) for London Int-Bradford (FS, but doubt I'll have problems at Interchange) thus avoiding Raileasy's taxes and charges and saving money even compared with Kings X-Huncoat.

I've since done further tests and realised that Advances to Calder Valley stations do become available but are released a week or more late - presumably because of the Northern issue. So with luck I could have done LNE-Hebden Br for the same, which would have saved £5.

 

[Deerfold]

Thanks.

Trouble is, I am into St P at 1157 ex Cologne/Brussels, so 1235 is tight.

Also, I really want a ticket from LOE/LNE which has to be booked over the phone, and judging by EC telesales a couple of days ago that will prove challenging (they used to have a dedicated section....). Might try ES telesales instead....

What's LOE/LNE? These don't seem to be standard abbreviations - and I can't work out what they are.

 

[causton]

What's LOE/LNE? These don't seem to be standard abbreviations - and I can't work out what they are.

Presumably London International CIV / London Eurostar CIV... I'm guessing!

 

[30907]

Presumably London International CIV / London Eurostar CIV... I'm guessing!

Correctly - other way about for my fellow-pedants

@ Deerfold and others puzzled - Apologies, it's not obviously St Pancras Eurostar but it's too late to edit.