Preston to Aberdeen

[exile]

Rather an odd one...

A relative tried to buy a SVR (SC/TPE only) from Preston to Aberdeen this morning, from the ticket office at Preston. Not available! (though the more expensive Via Carlisle and Any Permitted ones were).

Was able to buy one on the phone and print out at the ticket machine - anyone know why the ticket office couldn't issue one?

Thanks

 

[gray1404]

The ticket should have been sold by the ticket office. Was a reason provided as to why it could not be sold? I shall be in Preston myself in a couple of days so I shall try again asking for this ticket and see if they would be willing to sell it to me. I wonder if the person didn't know how to bring up fares with route restrictions. I shall also check if it is offered on the VT branded TVMs at Preston.

 

[exile]

No reason was given. With a short time left until the train my relative decided to buy vua phone rather than enter into a prolonged discussion with the ticket clerk. The TPE tickets come up when you do an NRE search.

 

[gray1404]

In that case your relative is quite entitled to write a complaint to Virgin Trains informing them what happened and reminding them of their franchise obligation n running the ticket office that they have to sell what is asked for when available. In this case it sounds like the ticket was available.

In face it does beg the question is someone turns up at the ticket office and asked for the ticket to Aberdeen and stated they are travelling on the next TPE service and changing in Glasgow, will they be told the cheapest ticket for their journey or a more expensive one?

 

[Starmill]

It sounds a lot like the journey from Preston to Aberdeen was just stuck in, all of the itineraries that came up were using Virgin Trains, LNER or CrossCountry, and they defaulted to computer says no to me.

Which service were they after? There is an incredibly long gap in fast journeys from Preston to Aberdeen by TransPennine Express & ScotRail only because if you take the 0703 departure from Preston, you arrive at Haymarket at 0930. The connecting Aberdeen-bound train is at 1033 and run by LNER, so this ticket isn't valid.

NRE for example deals with this situation exceptionally poorly, and doesn't tell you that you can use the cheaper ticket on the 1002 stopping train from Haymarket to Dundee, for a connection onto a ScotRail train for Aberdeen that came from Glasgow.

In reality a passenger who boarded the 0703 from Preston may make the 0934 train from Haymarket to Aberdeen, on which the ticket in question would be perfectly valid, it's just that this is below the minimum connection time at Haymarket.

This means it's possible that only the 0540 and then 0905 journeys from Preston showed up on the ticket office machine. Such is the age of digital retail.

What time did your relative visit the ticket office?