Liverpool to Reading splits?

[gray1404]

Anyone know of any good splits for Liverpool to Reading return. Date not yet known. 1 disabled persons railcard. Happy to travel via London or avoiding London.

Thanks

 

[JonathanH]

Anyone know of any good splits for Liverpool to Reading return. Date not yet known. 1 disabled persons railcard. Happy to travel via London or avoiding London.

Thanks

Banbury will feature in any splits and looks like Wolverhampton.

 

[Haywain]

Banbury will feature in any splits and looks like Wolverhampton.

Banbury looks like Wolverhampton?

Anyone know of any good splits for Liverpool to Reading return. Date not yet known. 1 disabled persons railcard. Happy to travel via London or avoiding London.

You could try Trainsplit - that will give you a good idea of what the options might be.

 

[NorthOxonian]

You could try Trainsplit - that will give you a good idea of what the options might be.

One option which it won't reveal (if this is a day return and at off-peak time) is the West Midlands day ranger, which would cover you between Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent and Leamington Spa, and costs £18 ish (with your railcard). I believe this undercuts even the best splits on that route.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Banbury looks like Wolverhampton?

It's not nearly as awful, that much is for sure

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Travelling on WMT via London is cheapest but quite a slow way of doing things.

If it's a day trip, the cheapest way is likely to be to get a Liverpool to London Zones 1-6 LNR/WMR only Off-Peak Day Travelcard (£33.65), plus a Boundary Zone 6 to Reading Off-Peak Day Return (£8.50). Total £42.15.

Would be even slightly cheaper with a Super Off-Peak Return issued to Euston - £23.75 - then using your Railcard discounted Oyster card as far as West Drayton (£2.05 Off-Peak), touching out and then switching to a West Drayton-Reading Off-Peak Day Return there (£8.50 again). Total £36.35.

But that is a much slower way of doing things (as you'd have to take a TfL Rail stopper and drop back one at West Drayton). Plus the Super Off-Peak time restrictions into London, and in and out of Paddington, make a day trip virtually impossible or else pointless.

If you're after a period return ticket, probably still cheapest to go LNR via London but obviously Travelcards can't be issued as Period Returns so you'd have to get a Zones U12* to Reading Off-Peak Return, or else simply use Oyster across London.

 

[LexyBoy]

Sent you a PM with one option - not as cheap but more flexible.

 

[The Ham]

A split at Banbury when using XC is always worth trying.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

How about £24.30

Liverpool to Stafford with Avanti
(just £5.30)
Stafford to Reading with Crosscountry
(Stafford to Coventry £5.30)
(Coventry to Banbury £5.60)
(Banbury to Reading £8.10)

All using advanced disabled railcard tickets

 

[gray1404]

Thanks guys. For clearification outward and return journeys both on different days.

 

[David Goddard]

One option which it won't reveal (if this is a day return and at off-peak time) is the West Midlands day ranger, which would cover you between Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent and Leamington Spa, and costs £18 ish (with your railcard). I believe this undercuts even the best splits on that route.

That's what I would use for a flexible day return. Recommended it to a friend going the other way round for football and saved him the cost of his match ticket!
Combination of advances normally works well for out and back on different days. I always check using Birmingham as a split, as Banbury-brum picks up the cheaper AP fares that I assume Chiltern price

 

[gray1404]

Travelling on WMT via London is cheapest but quite a slow way of doing things.

If it's a day trip, the cheapest way is likely to be to get a Liverpool to London Zones 1-6 LNR/WMR only Off-Peak Day Travelcard (£33.65), plus a Boundary Zone 6 to Reading Off-Peak Day Return (£8.50). Total £42.15.

Would be even slightly cheaper with a Super Off-Peak Return issued to Euston - £23.75 - then using your Railcard discounted Oyster card as far as West Drayton (£2.05 Off-Peak), touching out and then switching to a West Drayton-Reading Off-Peak Day Return there (£8.50 again). Total £36.35.

But that is a much slower way of doing things (as you'd have to take a TfL Rail stopper and drop back one at West Drayton). Plus the Super Off-Peak time restrictions into London, and in and out of Paddington, make a day trip virtually impossible or else pointless.

If you're after a period return ticket, probably still cheapest to go LNR via London but obviously Travelcards can't be issued as Period Returns so you'd have to get a Zones U12* to Reading Off-Peak Return, or else simply use Oyster across London.

As outward and return journeys are on different days. Sounds like the cheapest combo would be
Liverpool to Euston WMT Super Off Peak Return (or lowest tier advances)
plus
London to Reading Off Peak Return
either using oyster between Euston and Paddington or making sure one of the above tickets is to/from London U Zone 1

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

As outward and return journeys are on different days. Sounds like the cheapest combo would be
Liverpool to Euston WMT Super Off Peak Return (or lowest tier advances)
plus
London to Reading Off Peak Return
either using oyster between Euston and Paddington or making sure one of the above tickets is to/from London U Zone 1

Yes, that's correct. Contactless can now be used to Reading (Oyster still only as far as West Drayton, the last station in Zone 6) but as you may be aware, you still can't get Railcard discounts on contactless so a paper ticket is cheaper.

As a Railcard discounted Zones U12* to Reading Off-Peak Return is £23.75, the contactless fare to Reading (£13.00 Off-Peak) isn't worth your while.

 

[gray1404]

LT Fares and TfL Single fare finder is giving a London Paddington to Reading Off Peak Single using Contactless fare at £10.60 so that works out at £21.20
Plus 2 x Zone 1 singles with railcard discount is £3.20 (£1.60 each way) so, you are right, the Off Peak Return is better. It is a shame that Oyster isn't accepted as far as Reading, in line with Contactless, as the Railcard discount would have been useful. However, I would save £0.75 using Oyster on the Underground and a separate London Paddington to Reading Off Peak return as the latter is only £19.80

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

LT Fares and TfL Single fare finder is giving a London Paddington to Reading Off Peak Single using Contactless fare at £10.60 so that works out at £21.20
Plus 2 x Zone 1 singles with railcard discount is £3.20 (£1.60 each way) so, you are right, the Off Peak Return is better. It is a shame that Oyster isn't accepted as far as Reading, in line with Contactless, as the Railcard discount would have been useful. However, I would save £0.75 using Oyster on the Underground and a separate London Paddington to Reading Off Peak return as the latter is only £19.80

Not worth it IMO because you are then liable to be delayed or stranded without recourse if there is a problem with the Tube on the day. Much better to buy your ticket in advance.

 

[gray1404]

Good point. Tbh, given the Liverpool to London Super Off Peak Return (WMT/LNW Only) doesn't allow departures between 1600 and 1900 and the easement for the 1847 no longer exists, I'll most likely go for 2 x lowest tier advances. I'll use the Super Off Peak as a back up though if Advances aren't available.

Seems like the situation regarding needing tickets covering the entire journey still exists and protection is lost if using Oyster between London Terminals.

Are there likely to be any problems with the barrier staff at Paddington or Reading using the Off Peak Return at certain times of the day (that they wrongly assume as peak)?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Good point. Tbh, given the Liverpool to London Super Off Peak Return (WMT/LNW Only) doesn't allow departures between 1600 and 1900 and the easement for the 1847 no longer exists, I'll most likely go for 2 x lowest tier advances. I'll use the Super Off Peak as a back up though if Advances aren't available.

Seems like the situation regarding needing tickets covering the entire journey still exists and protection is lost if using Oyster between London Terminals.

Are there likely to be any problems with the barrier staff at Paddington or Reading using the Off Peak Return at certain times of the day (that they wrongly assume as peak)?

You don't lose protection merely due to the fact you're not using a paper ticket. You lose the protection because you don't "buy" the ticket until you touch in. So if everything goes up the creek and you don't touch in until that point, it's not an unexpected delay from the railway's perspective.

If you bought a Travelcard for your Oyster in advance then you would not suffer this issue, but of course Day Travelcards can't be added to Oyster.

 

[gray1404]

Looking at doing this trip again but avoiding using WMT/LNW between Liverpool and Euston as it takes too long.

It will NOT be a day trip so will be coming back a different way. So in terms of the cheapest splits vs the Liverpool - Reading "not via London fare" am I right in saying it is best to split at Wolverhampton and Banbury? Hopeing someone might know something cheaper

It is not possible to check on Train Split at the moment as its not able to show walk up tickets, only advances, as it involves travel on XC.

Thanks.

 

[The Ham]

Looking at doing this trip again but avoiding using WMT/LNW between Liverpool and Euston as it takes too long.

It will NOT be a day trip so will be coming back a different way. So in terms of the cheapest splits vs the Liverpool - Reading "not via London fare" am I right in saying it is best to split at Wolverhampton and Banbury? Hopeing someone might know something cheaper

It is not possible to check on Train Split at the moment as its not able to show walk up tickets, only advances, as it involves travel on XC.

Thanks.

Definitely try splitting at Banbury when using XC and passing through.

 

[gray1404]

Cheapest I've been able to come up with for walk up tickets avoiding London (bearing in mind this is NOT a day trip. It will be a few days) is:

Liverpool to Birmingham New Street - Super Off Peak Return £33.00 (£21.80 with Railcard)
Birmingham New Street to Banbury - Off Peak Return £21.40 (£14.15 with Railcard)
Banbury to Reading - Off Peak Return £26.00 (£17.15)
TOTAL £80.40 (£53.10 with Railcard)

Anyone able to beat this or find anything better if I change the splits slightly? Thanks

 

[mmh]

Cheapest I've been able to come up with for walk up tickets avoiding London (bearing in mind this is NOT a day trip. It will be a few days) is:

Liverpool to Birmingham New Street - Super Off Peak Return £33.00 (£21.80 with Railcard)
Birmingham New Street to Banbury - Off Peak Return £21.40 (£14.15 with Railcard)
Banbury to Reading - Off Peak Return £26.00 (£17.15)
TOTAL £80.40 (£53.10 with Railcard)

Anyone able to beat this or find anything better if I change the splits slightly? Thanks

I'd look at replacing the Liverpool to Birmingham ticket with a pair of "Anytime Advance" singles, which would take the price down to £22 without railcard discount. They're advance tickets but restricted to the day not a specific train and valid on any LNWR/WMT service. If you know the date you're returning and able to book in advance I think that'

 

[gray1404]

Thanks. I'll know ahead of time when the outward date of travel is, but not the return.