Mallaig to Fort William...

[1B85]

According to BR Fares, the return fares offered are:

Anytime Return (£22.30)
Anytime Day Return (£21.50)
Off Peak Return (£19.70) Restriction: 8F - Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:16 except valid on the 07:01 service from Stranraer to Ayr.
Off Peak Day Return (£15.40) Restriction: H2 - Not valid on 'The Jacobite', steam service operated by West Coast Railways.

The last one raises an interesting question, if it specifically states that you can't use this one to travel on The Jacobite, does that mean that you can use the others to take this train? West Coast Railways are quoting £49 plus booking fee for this journey... If not, why does it only say so for the last option?

 

[Jan Mayen]

Or indeed other fares, such as an Anytime Return to Whitby. Is that valid on The Jacobite and/or The North York Moors Railway? I assume not, but both are (or were) in the relevant paper timetables.

 

[RJ]

According to BR Fares, the return fares offered are:

Anytime Return (£22.30)
Anytime Day Return (£21.50)
Off Peak Return (£19.70) Restriction: 8F - Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:16 except valid on the 07:01 service from Stranraer to Ayr.
Off Peak Day Return (£15.40) Restriction: H2 - Not valid on 'The Jacobite', steam service operated by West Coast Railways.

The last one raises an interesting question, if it specifically states that you can't use this one to travel on The Jacobite, does that mean that you can use the others to take this train? West Coast Railways are quoting £49 plus booking fee for this journey... If not, why does it only say so for the last option?

I don’t think this logic would hold up to any scrutiny unfortunately!

 

[SargeNpton]

The Jacobite, and the NYMR, services are not National Rail services and no National Rail fares are valid on them.

If the all the relevant journey planners are set up correctly, those services will not be displayed.

 

[XAM2175]

Could it be that that specific restriction is there because the off-peak day return is the fare most likely to be chosen by people mistakenly thinking it's the one for the Jacobite?

 

[Flying Snail]

The Jacobite services are compulsory reservation trains so unless you can obtain a reservation to go with those tickets the lack of a specific notice barring them is immaterial.

Previous poster is probably correct, notice was placed on those tickets due to regular attempts (genuine mistake or chancers) to travel on the Jacobite is with the Day Returns.

 

[biko]

Looking at BR Fares, there are no other restrictions on the Off-Peak Day Return other than not valid on the steam train. So what's the point of the Anytime Day Return then?

 

[Haywain]

Looking at BR Fares, there are no other restrictions on the Off-Peak Day Return other than not valid on the steam train. So what's the point of the Anytime Day Return then?

Some discounts are not available on Off Peak Day Return tickets.

 

[biko]

Some discounts are not available on Off Peak Day Return tickets.

Thanks. Sounds as a ticket that is nearly never sold then!

 

[Watershed]

Looking at BR Fares, there are no other restrictions on the Off-Peak Day Return other than not valid on the steam train. So what's the point of the Anytime Day Return then?

If you fail to use ticketing facilities before boarding, you are liable to pay for the cost of an Anytime fare, even if you travel at a time that an Off-Peak ticket is valid. Of course, on that particular line it's only the termini at either end that have ticketing facilities anyway, so your point stands for intermediate Anytime Day Returns.

Up until 2014, Staff Leisure Travel (Priv) discounts were only available on Anytime tickets, so the lack of an Anytime Day Return would have meant staff having to pay for a (discounted) single each way, at concomitant cost. I'm sure there are still some other discounts that aren't available on Off-Peak fares.