Exeter - Cambridge - Newport - Exeter

[StarryNight]

Hi,

Looking to do a rather convoluted journey this weekend, and just wanted to check my reading of the Routing Guide + various ticket rules is correct.

Basic outline is going from Exeter St. Davids to Cambridge on Thursday 10th, then from Cambridge to Newport on the 12th, then Newport to Exeter on the 14th.

My current battle plan is to do something like:
10th:
- Exeter to Paddington
- Kings Cross to Cambridge

12th:
- Cambridge to Kings Cross
- Paddington to Newport

14th:
- Newport to Bristol Parkway
- Parkway to Exeter

Using an OPR from Exeter to Cambridge and another OPR from Bristol Parkway to Newport. My thinking being that the Bristol Group is a valid route (specifically it's on routes GW and WR at least) from the London Group to the Exeter Group, so I can validly use the return half of an EXD-CBG ticket via Bristol Parkway, and clearly a Parkway-Newport ticket is valid between, well, Parkway and Newport

My question, really, is is this allowed? Essentially I'm breaking my return journey without getting off the train at Bristol Parkway and switching to a different ticket, then doing the same thing in reverse a few days later.

I would just buy a pile of advance tickets, but I need a bit of flexibility in the timings

Apologies if this is badly explained, or if there is actually a simpler way!

Thanks!

 

[island]

Do you mean Newport Gwent, Newport Essex, or Newport Pembrokeshire?

There are no OPR tickets available from Exeter to Cambridge nor Bristol Parkway to any of the Newports. Did you mean SVR (off-peak return)?

 

[Romilly]

Welcome to the forum.

On the basis that you are referring to Newport (Gwent), and Offpeak Return tickets (or Super Offpeak Returns if the slightly tighter time restrictions work for you), I think that the answer to your question is that what you propose is fine so long as the train you take from Paddington to South Wales is timetabled to stop at Bristol Parkway (i.e. isn't merely routed to pass through Bristol Parkway without stopping). So on Saturday 12th you would need to get the through trains leaving Paddington at 30 minutes past the hour but no later than the 1930.

 

[StarryNight]

It is Newport Gwent, yes. As someone who grew up in South Wales I always forget how many Newports there are!! I'm afraid my terminology is a bit erratic, I essentially discovered the Routing Guide and worked out how to use it myself a while back. This particular journey slightly perplexed my partial understanding though

If you don't mind me asking, what's the difference between an OPR and an SVR? I always assumed they were the same thing...

 

[Romilly]

As I understand it, a simplified explanation is that the tickets that are now called Offpeak returns used to be called Savers (and those Offpeak Returns that are labelled Super Offpeak Returns used to be called Super Savers) and, although the names changed as part of ticketing "simplification", the abbreviations didn't.

As regards your journey, your Exeter-Cambridge and Newport-Bristol Parkway legs are making straightforward use of your tickets (outward part of Exeter-Cambridge ticket, return part of Bristol-Newport ticket). Cambridge-Newport will be a single journey making use of part of the validity of the return part of your Exeter-Cambridge ticket (you are breaking that journey en route at Bristol Parkway) and making use of the whole of the validity of the outward part of your Bristol-Newport ticket. Using two tickets for a single journey is permitted under condition 19 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage but, in this case, only if your train stops at the station where you switch from one ticket to another. Finally, your Bristol-Exeter journey will be a resumption of your broken Cambridge-Exeter journey, and will use the remaining validity of the return portion of your Exeter-Cambridge ticket.

By way of a further edit, I also think that you will need to ensure that your Newport-Exeter journey goes via (and calls at) Bristol Parkway - there are trains from Newport to Bristol that don't go to Parkway.

 

[StarryNight]

I see.

Thanks for the help, doing the journey this way is saving me more than 50 % compared to buying 3 singles

 

[bb21]

If you don't mind me asking, what's the difference between an OPR and an SVR? I always assumed they were the same thing...

OPR is the code for Super Off-Peak Return, whereas Off-Peak Return mostly derived from the former Saver Return (hence the code SVR). Confusing?!

It isn't a major issue but we do ask that people use the official codes and not invent abbreviations due to the potential for confusion in some cases, but it is an easy mistake. (For example, asking for advice on how to get from Norwich to LLS.) At least you know now.

 

[StarryNight]

In my defence I was half right then I am getting a Super Off-Peak Return for the Exeter-Cambridge bit (the additional restrictions are not an issue).

 

[island]

In my defence I was half right then I am getting a Super Off-Peak Return for the Exeter-Cambridge bit (the additional restrictions are not an issue).

That would be an SSR, actually.

It's all unnecessarily confusing

 

[StarryNight]

I'll stick to words from now on...!

Whilst we're talking about abbreviations, what are the correct three-letter abbreviations for "Anytime" singles and returns? I'm thinking I might as well get a full set

 

[bb21]

SOR/S - Anytime Return/Single - previously named Standard Open Return/Single
SVR/S - Off-Peak Return/Single - Saver Return/Single
BVR/S - Off-Peak Return/Single - Business Saver
SSR/S - Super Off-Peak Return/Single - SuperSaver Return/Single
OPR/S - Super Off-Peak Return/Single - did not exist prior to "simplification"
SDR/S - Anytime Day Return/Single - Standard Day Return/Single
CDR/S - Off-Peak Day Return/Single - Cheap Day Return/Single
SCO CBA/B SOB/A - Various Super Off-Peak Day Return/Singles - did not exist prior to "simplification"

Just a selection of Standard Class fare types.

 

[StarryNight]

:neutral: Sometime I regret asking questions...

What on earth is a Business Saver?

Thanks, though. This has been nothing if not enlightening!