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[miklcct]

Interesting, thanks! And it's a proper native app, Raileasy don't do glorified-WebViews-as-apps and have no plans to start, my view is that you get really awful UX if you go down that route and 9 times out of 10 it's obvious that you have done it.

I assume that this would be helpful for e.g. users from France booking a break in London, but less helpful to @miklcct because I don't think you can override the locale's default with your own preference?

View attachment 147716

I believe that Bus Checker uses the same API as well after I emailed the developer seeing it showing miles, and I adjusted my locale from en-GB to en-HK and the app showed km afterwards.

 

[mad_rich]

Hello

I need a bit of help understanding what these two tickets actually are. This is for travel from London - Newcastle on 23 Dec. I'll actually be starting from Kentish Town, and would normally get Thameslink or tube (from Archway while KT tube is closed) to King's Cross.

The first one that the site comes up with is paper ticket Advance London Underground Zone 1 to Newcastle. The journey planner forces me to use Thameslink from St Pancras to Peterborough, then LNER.



The second one, for the same LNER service from Peterborough, has me taking the tube to Finsbury Park, then two more trains to reach Peterborough.

 

[Adam Williams]

Let's get this out of the way first: If you click "Fastest", you'll get the direct train & fare from KGX -> NCL shown in the grid.

Looking at your first screenshot: What we've offered you is a much cheaper Advance tier for which there is no availability for from KGX. However the underlying ticket type allows connecting trains, so we send you on a Thameslink connecting train to join the LNER service at Peterborough and take advantage of the cheaper advance tier. There is availability from Peterborough on the LNER train.

This costs you £47.90 instead of £83.30.

Why is it priced from ZONE U1* LONDN? The LNER fares are otherwise priced to/from KGX, so you wouldn't be permitted to walk to STP and take the Thameslink train from there.

 

[mad_rich]

Thank you, I think I'm starting to understand. It's definitely much cheaper than I can see elsewhere, so I'm quite happy for a slower option.

So I guess I can take any Thameslink from STP-PBO with £47.90 fare, not just the one shown in the itinerary. Or I could indeed start my journey at anywhere in Zone 1?

And with the £44.90 fare, I guess it has found a journey from Kings Cross, that allows travel by tube. So the relevant Advance is cheaper because it doesn’t need to include a Zone 1 ticket? If I buy this ticket, I do have to start it at KGX, and travel somehow to Peterborough. But I could presumably travel by tube somehow from King’s Cross to St Pancras? I guess I can't just start at STP.

I also see a “London Underground and DLR Zone 2” to NCL option (same 1846 departure as above) for £48.30. Does this include my tube (but not Thameslink!) from Kentish Town/ Archway? There is also “London Underground and DLR Zones 1-2” at the same price.

Indeed “London Underground and DLR Zone 2” to NCL finds me a split on the direct 1930 train. Something which doesn’t appear if I search from KGX.

Sorry for all the questions! It's just a bit mind boggling, and they all look similar but are quite different.

 

[yorkie]

Thank you, I think I'm starting to understand. It's definitely much cheaper than I can see elsewhere, so I'm quite happy for a slower option.

So I guess I can take any Thameslink from STP-PBO with £47.90 fare, not just the one shown in the itinerary.

I suggest you stick to the itinerary provided; if you want extra time at PBO, then you can specify this in advanced options, and generate your desired itinerary before purchasing.

Or I could indeed start my journey at anywhere in Zone 1?

You can start anywhere in Z1.

 

[mjc]

Is there something special on Friday 22 December that eases the off peak restrictions? Booking my commute tickets up to Christmas break and was suspicious at these tickets being cheaper than the rest; don’t want to get caught out with penalty fare etc.

 

[MrJeeves]

Is there something special on Friday 22 December that eases the off peak restrictions? Booking my commute tickets up to Christmas break and was suspicious at these tickets being cheaper than the rest; don’t want to get caught out with penalty fare etc.

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

No peak restrictions for this ticket during Xmas.

This restriction is lifted all day for the Christmas period and New Year holidays:

22 - 31 December 2023, 01 January 2024.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Is there something special on Friday 22 December that eases the off peak restrictions? Booking my commute tickets up to Christmas break and was suspicious at these tickets being cheaper than the rest; don’t want to get caught out with penalty fare etc.

Most long-distance operators (and London & South East operators with services that extend beyond the former Network SouthEast area) lift ticket restrictions over the festive period.

They may not have updated the relevant page(s) for the restriction codes on the National Rail site, but it's reflected in journey planners and on BRFares.

 

[mjc]

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

No peak restrictions for this ticket during Xmas.

Fantastic, thank you!

 

[SWT_USER]

I'm trying to book a return (1 adult, 1 child, with F&F Railcard on the 10:02 from St Pancras and 18.37 from Sheffield) for London to Sheffield tomorrow but I can't seem to get the forum site to offer me seat reservations. Is that right or an error?

 

[OscarH]

I'm trying to book a return (1 adult, 1 child, with F&F Railcard on the 10:02 from St Pancras and 18.37 from Sheffield) for London to Sheffield tomorrow but I can't seem to get the forum site to offer me seat reservations. Is that right or an error?

I found your search, and did some queries of the reservation system (only the segment from St Pancras to Derby where the first split is, but likely the same for the rest of the outbound and the inbound), it looks like this is because there are no seats left on those services

 

[SWT_USER]

I found your search, and did some queries of the reservation system (only the segment from St Pancras to Derby where the first split is, but likely the same for the rest of the outbound and the inbound), it looks like this is because there are no seats left on those services

Thanks. In practice does that mean the service is completely full so I have no chance of a seat? Or are there some seats that can't be reserved for 'on the day' customers (and if so where can these be found?)

 

[Haywain]

Thanks. In practice does that mean the service is completely full so I have no chance of a seat? Or are there some seats that can't be reserved for 'on the day' customers (and if so where can these be found?)

EMR seem to close reservations much earlier than other TOCs, possibly as early as 18:00. No reservations available means no cheap tickets. And Brentford playing away to Sheffield United probably won't help.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Just attempted to buy a LNR only off-peak LIV-EUS return with the TFL Zone 1-6 Travelcard included, (£37.75 with a Railcard, which is only a £1.40 premium over the regular off-peak return, so absolutely fantastic value).

The ONLY website I can find this ticket is the LNR's own website (which uses the Trainline system - I cannot find it on the Trainline site).

I've tried every which way to get this fare on the forum's website, but no matter what I do, it refuses to show it!

If this fare can be shown, I would use the forum's website to buy the ticket.

 

[MrJeeves]

Just attempted to buy a LNR only off-peak LIV-EUS return with the TFL Zone 1-6 Travelcard included, (£37.75 with a Railcard, which is only a £1.40 premium over the regular off-peak return, so absolutely fantastic value).

The ONLY website I can find this ticket is the LNR's own website (which uses the Trainline system - I cannot find it on the Trainline site).

I've tried every which way to get this fare on the forum's website, but no matter what I do, it refuses to show it!

If this fare can be shown, I would use the forum's website to buy the ticket.

Liverpool Lime Street to London Travelcard Zones 1-6, including only West Midlands Trains and disabling splits does it.

Make sure to pick the right railcard if you don't have a 16-25.

Liverpool Lime St > London Travelcard Zones 1-6 - Search Results | RailUK Tickets

The Split Ticketing Champions - Compare Fares and Get the Best Value For Money Through Split Tickets and Booking Cheap Train Tickets Online And On Our Mobile App, Etickets To Your Phone, No Booking Fee, Save Up To 90%

tickets.railforums.co.uk

 

[Grumpy Git]

Liverpool Lime Street to London Travelcard Zones 1-6, including only West Midlands Trains and disabling splits does it.

Make sure to pick the right railcard if you don't have a 16-25.

Liverpool Lime St > London Travelcard Zones 1-6 - Search Results | RailUK Tickets

The Split Ticketing Champions - Compare Fares and Get the Best Value For Money Through Split Tickets and Booking Cheap Train Tickets Online And On Our Mobile App, Etickets To Your Phone, No Booking Fee, Save Up To 90%

tickets.railforums.co.uk

Thank you.

Edit:

It will only work if I exclude Avanati West Coast from the search, (as well as using London Travelcard Zones 1-6 as the destination).

 

[Capt. Squirrel]

Fantastic. Nowwhere else identified a Super Off Peak/ Off Peak split saving me £25 on a London trip

 

[mad_rich]

The site has sold me a great fare for Newcastle-London on 21/12, changing at York. I wouldn't have found those splits myself.

It seems to be underselling itself on the saving though!

In the event that my first LNER is delayed such that I'd miss my connection onto LNER at York, would I be permitted to stay onboard?

 

[Gaelan]

It seems to be underselling itself on the saving though!

The site does two different things:
* find slightly slower routes that are significantly cheaper
* find ticket splits that are cheaper than a through ticket for the identical route

The "saving" shown (and indeed the "share of saving" fee) is only calculated on the basis of the latter. Presumably, if you convinced a TOC website to sell you a ticket for the itinerary shown, it'd work out to £66.20.

 

[MrJeeves]

In the event that my first LNER is delayed such that I'd miss my connection onto LNER at York, would I be permitted to stay onboard?

You'd be allowed to take the next LNER service to your destination, and if that happens to be the train you're already on, I don't see why not.

 

[yorkie]

The site has sold me a great fare for Newcastle-London on 21/12, changing at York. I wouldn't have found those splits myself.

It seems to be underselling itself on the saving though!

As @Gaelan rightly says, we come up with itineraries that other sites don't. The saving has to be based on the itinerary, even if no other site finds it. It's only fair after all, and it is better to 'undersell' than exaggerate

In the event that my first LNER is delayed such that I'd miss my connection onto LNER at York, would I be permitted to stay onboard?

Yes. If the Guard comes round before York, I'd mention the delay and just obtain permission. There's no requirement to do this, but that's what I'd do.

If they do not come round and the connection is missed, then just stay on. Without seeing the itinerary, is it from a fast onto a stopper at York? If so it's cross platform and I'd be reasonably confident it would be made even if your train is up to around 10 mins late. Any more than that and it may well be missed, though.

 

[mangyiscute]

Looks as though it's changing onto the ex-Middlesborough LNER service, which according to RTT uses platform 5 - the 06:55 is booked to use platform 3, but ultimately since they use the same line into York as long as the 06:55 comes into York first you'll make the connection.
And since that Middlesborough train is non-stop York to London, we can be sure that you haven't got any splits at stations that the train you're originally on doesn't call at, so you'd be perfectly fine to just stay on board (although it almost certainly will stop, one of those weird situations where the grand central behind it overtakes it despite both of them being non-stop, so it would just be quicker overall for no overtake to happen - interestingly, the Middlesborough train got in 15 minutes early one day last week because it just ran fast rather than being looped around all of these other trains).

 

[mad_rich]

Thanks all. I hadn't really twigged that the 'next' LNER service from YRK if I miss my connection might well be the one I'm on! Makes sense when you think about it.

I've used the 0813 from York before. I was specifically warned about it by the lounge agent, who warned that it departs from the far end of the platform (platform 3 on the day I was there) and that lots of people miss it.

 

[Egg Centric]

Ignoring the technical issues with the seat selector itself, what is the reason that split tickets often cannot book a through reservation, while booking a direct ticket can? I've no idea how all the ticketing backends work and it's such an obvious thing to do I assume that there is a good reason it's hit and miss, so this is curiosity, not a complaint.

The journeys I just booked I have had to make the seat reservations (absolutely essential as there will be a 6 week old baby) through LNER (in advance of booking the tickets through the forum site) since the seat selector didn't work for presumably the "standard' reason", which as well as "wasting" the seats we won't be using for others is not a technique guaranteed to work forever as I don't think booking seats in advance of the ticket (even by a few minutes) is technically permissible and they may withdraw that facility at some point.

 

[mangyiscute]

I don't think booking seats in advance of the ticket (even by a few minutes) is technically permissible and they may withdraw that facility at some point.

I do this all of the time, if I think I might make a journey I will book seats but not actually book any tickets. Imo it's fine as long as you cancel the reservations as soon as you know that you aren't going to use them (if you don't use them of course). For clarity on how to do this, you just put a 0 in the reference bit on the lner seat reservation service (or for all TOCs, you can book seats for free through a GWR account).
Ultimately plenty of people don't use their reserved seats and on a busy train people will happily sit in a reserved seat despite the risk of getting kicked out, so personally I don't see much of an issue with doing it.

 

[Gaelan]

I do this all of the time, if I think I might make a journey I will book seats but not actually book any tickets. Imo it's fine as long as you cancel the reservations as soon as you know that you aren't going to use them (if you don't use them of course). For clarity on how to do this, you just put a 0 in the reference bit on the lner seat reservation service (or for all TOCs, you can book seats for free through a GWR account).
Ultimately plenty of people don't use their reserved seats and on a busy train people will happily sit in a reserved seat despite the risk of getting kicked out, so personally I don't see much of an issue with doing it.

Out of curiosity, do reservations booked like this affect advance availability? Or does it just cause passengers to get “no specific seat” advances?

 

[OscarH]

Out of curiosity, do reservations booked like this affect advance availability? Or does it just cause passengers to get “no specific seat” advances?

It affects availability of advance tiers

 

[Egg Centric]

It affects availability of advance tiers

If that's the case then I guess TOCs have no incentive to stop it - the prices of advances will ratchet up more quickly than what they set...

 

[cav1975]

I generally use the forum's ticket site these days although I occasionally have to use others for reasons that I won't go into now.

I prefer to collect my tickets TOD so always print out my itinerary, either the email or by printing the booking confirmation screen from my PC.

Having printed the itinerary I then use the printed collection code to obtain my tickets from one of the machines at my local station (Yes, we have two both of which usually work).

Whaty I find is that the collection codes on the screen print or the email are in smallish type and often not in colours that show up well at 5:45 in the morning. Ticket itineraries from the other retailers that I use are in bold large font black type (recent examples attached).

Why does the forum's site use such indistinct fonts & colours?

Thanks

 

[Hadders]

I generally use the forum's ticket site these days although I occasionally have to use others for reasons that I won't go into now.

I prefer to collect my tickets TOD so always print out my itinerary, either the email or by printing the booking confirmation screen from my PC.

Having printed the itinerary I then use the printed collection code to obtain my tickets from one of the machines at my local station (Yes, we have two both of which usually work).

Whaty I find is that the collection codes on the screen print or the email are in smallish type and often not in colours that show up well at 5:45 in the morning. Ticket itineraries from the other retailers that I use are in bold large font black type (recent examples attached).

Why does the forum's site use such indistinct fonts & colours?

Thanks

Why not select etickets and print them out on your PC? There'd be no need to print the itinerary either as the trains selected are shown on the etickets.