Finding cheapest 'period return' destination where only 'day returns' are sold?

[megabusser]

Apologies if title doesn't make sense, not sure simplest way to word!

Basically, are there any web tools or tips to find the cheapest period return (e.g. valid for 28 days) on flows where these are not sold, but a ticket starting/finishing at a station further out could be cheaper than two singles between the actual stations you want to travel between?

e.g. From Station A to B, only day returns are sold, but station C is a few stops down the line from C and period returns are sold, so buying an A-C period return would be cheaper than singles between A and B on the separate days of travel.

 

[crablab]

Retailers are not permitted to sell tickets in this way so you won't find the likes of Trainsplit offering it.

(Splitting is fine, changing the start/end points is not)

I'm not personally aware of any tool that does this although I'm sure there are members who have their own tooling to make similar calculations.

You might consider that the publication of such a tool would be extremely helpful for revenue managers, inclined to remove such anomolies and good value fares.

 

[greaterangrier]

It is possible to query the fares database for this sort of information.
See: https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/our-services/rail-data/fares-data.html

e.g.
Here are the 3 cheapest period returns from Stevenage. An interesting result with knowledge of geography in the area...

Origin	Destination	Ticket type	Price
STEVENAGE	DULLINGHAM	OFF-PEAK R	£29.70
STEVENAGE	NEWMARKET	OFF-PEAK R	£31.40
STEVENAGE	CAMBRIDGE	OFF-PEAK R	£32.00

You might have to run the query with multiple origin stations. You could also choose stations strategically e.g. those which cross TOC boundaries/former BR sectors

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Trial and error? Manchester Stns to Buckshaw Parkway only has day returns. Anytime Day Singles are £14.10, Off Peak Singles are £13.70. For a 'period return' journey you'd need 2 x singles. The next station beyond Buckshaw Parkway is the two-and-a-quarter miles to Leyland. The Anytime Short Return from Manchester Stns to/from Leyland is £26.90. (There is a cheaper Off Peak Return, but don't think this allows break of journey on the outward leg). So, a saving of between 50p and £1.30 by what's proposed.

P.S. Best not to attempt to use the return portion of the Anytime Short Return as a quasi season-ticket!

 

[megabusser]

It is possible to query the fares database for this sort of information.
See: https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/our-services/rail-data/fares-data.html

e.g.
Here are the 3 cheapest period returns from Stevenage. An interesting result with knowledge of geography in the area...

Origin	Destination	Ticket type	Price
STEVENAGE	DULLINGHAM	OFF-PEAK R	£29.70
STEVENAGE	NEWMARKET	OFF-PEAK R	£31.40
STEVENAGE	CAMBRIDGE	OFF-PEAK R	£32.00

You might have to run the query with multiple origin stations. You could also choose stations strategically e.g. those which cross TOC boundaries/former BR sectors

Would you mind posting a bit more detail about how you generated that table? I've followed the link but can't figure out how to get the data from there. Would love to have a play about, looks like a good starting point for sure!

 

[greaterangrier]

No problem!

For the fares data, you must first register an account on the National Rail Data Portal.
Once you have an account, you obtain the fares data files using the process outlined here (Open Rail Data Wiki)
You'll then have to code something which will filter down the data to something more useful.
The documentation for the fares data is here (RDG website) - this might be sufficient to start filtering for cheaper period returns. Alternatively, you could feed that documentation to an AI and see what it comes up with.

I'm happy to share my code in PMs.


Another useful avenue to explore could be https://faremap.cjar.co.uk/
This displays how expensive fares are from a certain location as a heatmap. As most fares are generally set from clusters of stations to other clusters of stations, you can have a look at locations where the prices "step up" - this will slim down the number of locations you need to search.