Edinburgh - Halifax on Saturday

[rosscbrown]

Hi everybody,

I'm heading down to Halifax from Edinburgh on saturday and I want to take the 0612ish train down.

I'm being quoted £72 for two singles - will I be cheaper splitting tickets on this. If so, where abouts?

Ross

 

[John @ home]

Hi everybody,

I'm heading down to Halifax from Edinburgh on saturday and I want to take the 0612ish train down.

I'm being quoted £72 for two singles - will I be cheaper splitting tickets on this. If so, where abouts?

Ross

Is this one single in each direction or two people going in the same direction?

 

[rosscbrown]

Two people going the same direction. No return needed.

 

[Death]

If ye know anyone else who's also going that way on the same day, ye could always see if GroupSave is available for that route. If ye got one other person on and split it between the three of ye, it'd work out to about £48,- each.

By the by: Looking at Avantix shows the cheapest available single fare (Not including advance tickets) to be £80.70 for an Any Permitted route. I take it ye are looking at Advance tickets there?

Addendum: Actually, a quick look at Avantix manages to get that down to £44.20 each if ye travel via Preston and Burnley - Which'll save ye £55.60 off those pricy East Coast fares ye were looking at! 8)

Here's the list (Priced per person, no railcards):

• £30.40 - CDS: Edinburgh --> Preston. Route: Carlisle. Restrictions: B1.
• £13.80 - SDS: Preston --> Halifax. Route: Burnley. Restrictions: None
• £44.20 - Total fare per passenger. Saving £27.80 per passenger.
  Period returns available along same split route, starting at £69.80 per passenger.

There might be a better way of splitting it for cheaper fares, but I'd say this is a good start!

That said, the fares I've given ye might not be valid that early (Though it's worth checking). Also, don't forget that there might be strikes on this weekend, so check before travelling!

 

[yorkie]

The Off Peak Day (CDR/CDS) fares on that route are excellent value. While not valid until 0930 on weekdays they are valid at any time at weekends of course. They are available only as far as Pleasington. The price almost doubles if you go on to Cherry Tree... (map) So anyone for Cherry Tree and beyond should split tickets.

The fare from Blackburn is indeed £13.80 via Burnley, and if you wish to go via Manchester then the fare would be £16.20.

In all these cases a return is just a few pence more than a single!

 

[Death]

In all these cases a return is just a few pence more than a single!

That's something I've never quite been able to understand in all my years of using both the railway and my local Stagecoach bus network. hock:

After all...A return fare involves carrying the passenger twice the distance of the relevant single fare, and therefore it would (In theory) cost twice as much to accommodate them.

If a return cost 1.5x the price of a single, then I would understand that perfectly as it'd give passengers an incentive to give the railway or whoever their cash up front, which (When considering the vast number of return ticket sales) would generate more fiscal interest for the company in question...But with the difference between them often being less than a quid, is it any wonder why I havn't bought a single ticket (Save one VT Advance) for any flow longer than 20 miles?

 

[yorkie]

After all...A return fare involves carrying the passenger twice the distance of the relevant single fare, and therefore it would (In theory) cost twice as much to accommodate them.

They don't price it as the cost of accomodating passengers. It's all market based pricing based on supply and demand.

What's the alternative to a single? For short distance journeys, it's a taxi. For long distance journeys it's a plane. For medium distance then the alternative may be a coach but coach travel in this country can be two or three times the journey time of the train. So there's no practicable alternative.

If someone wants to get from Edinburgh to Halifax one way, that person has a need to do that journey and is going to pay whatever the price.

If someone is doing a return trip, then they could either choose not to make the visit, or they could drive, hire a car, take a coach, etc..

The only alternative I can think of when doing a single would be if you can hire a car and leave it somewhere else. Perhaps some places allow that, I'm not sure.

 

[jopsuk]

"one way" care hire is typically available from the main large companies- but at an extra fee.