Railcards & Season Tickets

[The Snap]

Hi all,

I'm going to be needing a Season Ticket from September onwards (either a 7 day, month and other), and was wondering whether there are any discounts available with a 16-25 railcard on such tickets?

The ticket would be from MAN to SHF, probably on a weekly (day day) basis.

Also, TPE do a similar Season Ticket; is this valid on TPE services only? If I missed the fast TPE service at xx.20 am, can I use Northern or EMT with one of these tickets?

Thanks in advance,

 

[me123]

No. I'm in the same position, and sadly railcard discounts are not available on season tickets. The only exception that I know of, which will not apply to you, is the "National Entitlement Card" available only in Scotland to people aged 16-18 inclusive.

 

[The Snap]

. Well that's a bit sh*t isn't it! Oh well...

Thanks anyway!

 

[clagmonster]

The only season tickets from Manchester to Sheffield I can see are the any permitted at £110 per week, £422.40 per month. These fares are priced by TPE, so I don't think that, other than short term promotions they are allowed to sell a TPE only ticket. The any permitted ticket is valid on all operators services between Manchester-Sheffield.
You can't get any railcard discounts on seasons, other than the Scottish deal described above.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

According to the fares manual, the 7 Day Standard Season from Manchester to Sheffield is £73.30. This is valid on on train, with any operator, at any time. The £110.00 quoted on a previous post is the "7DF", which is 7 days First Class.

There is a TPE only season ticket between Sheffield and Manchester.

It is called an "Earlybird" and has some time restrictions. It is priced at £45.30. The entry from the Fares Manual is this:

Early Bird Season Tickets - First TransPennine Express

Available as either a Weekly or Monthly Ticket.

Available in Standard Class Only.

Outward travel must be on a service that is due to arrive before 07:30.

Return journey must depart between 10:00 and 16:00, or after 18:30.

The Early Bird Plus is available at £6.00 for those customers who need to travel during the peak for the day of purchase. This must be purchased before the customer boards the train.

Essentially, it is only valid on TPE services between Manchester and Sheffield, and in the morning you cannot travel on the 0720, 0820 or 0920 from Man to Shf, coming back you cannot travel on the 1610, 1710 or 1810 from Shf to Man. If you wanted to travel on these train you would need to buy a £6 "Early bird Plus" supplement from the ticket office prior to travelling. This supplement is valid for the day, both directions, so you only need to pay once per day. Again though, this would still only be valid on TPE services so you could not use EMT or NT.

Now obviously if you travelled only 4 days a week, even at peak times, you could buy an EarlyBird season for £45.30, then pay £6 each day (£24) which gives a total of £69.30, thus saving a few ££. If you travelled 5 days a week, but could restrict yourself to the time restrictions detailed above even 1 day a week, then are still saving a few ££. What you save in ££ however, you loose in flexibility.

One other point. These tickets were essentially designed for commuters into Manchester, and some literature will say you "must arrive in Manchester before 0730" for example. These tickets are however accepted the same as point-to-point season, as long as you comply with the time restrictions above depending on which way you are going. So, in theory you could travel form Man to Shf on the 1020 and come back on the 1910.

 

[clagmonster]

Appologies, I quoted the first class fares by mistake. The monthly any permitted season is £281.50.
The Earlybird ticket shows in Avantix for Sheffield-Manchester but not for Manchester-Sheffield, hence me missing it before. There is also a monthly version priced at £174. Strangely Avantix shows 'no restriction applies' which is clearly wrong.

 

[glynn80]

There is also a monthly version priced at £174. Strangely Avantix shows 'no restriction applies' which is clearly wrong.

The restritcitions listed for the Earlybird season within the FRPP are as follows:

Early Bird Season Tickets - First TransPennine Express

Available as either a Weekly or Monthly Ticket.

Available in Standard Class Only.

Outward travel must be on a service that is due to arrive at its destination before 07:30.

Return journey must depart between 10:00 and 16:00, or after 18:30.

The Early Bird Plus is available at £6.00 for those customers who need to travel during the peak for the day of purchase. This must be purchased before the customer boards the train.

An additional Early Bird Plus can be purchased for £6. This allows the customer to use the Early Bird Product in the restricted time periods on the date of purchase only. This supplement is NOT available for purchase on board train. Customers boarding without the supplement on a peak train should be regarded as not having a valid ticket and sold the full single or return ticket as applicable.

The Earlybird ticket shows in Avantix for Sheffield-Manchester but not for Manchester-Sheffield, hence me missing it before.

The Earlybird season tickets are certainly not fares that are extensive across the TPE network.

They are only available on six flows, all of them into Manchester- Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, Lancaster, Sheffield and Preston to Manchester.

 

[clagmonster]

On that basis, would I be correct in thinking that a Sheffield-Manchester earlybird season would not be appropriate for Rich, as the outward leg would be considered to be Sheffield-Manchester, which would in fact be his return leg and would have to be completed before 07:30.

 

[glynn80]

On that basis, would I be correct in thinking that a Sheffield-Manchester earlybird season would not be appropriate for Rich, as the outward leg would be considered to be Sheffield-Manchester, which would in fact be his return leg and would have to be completed before 07:30.

Correct.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Correct.

On paper, yes.

Although as I quoted in my post it is generally accepted as a point to point season in either direction, provided you comply with the restrictions for whichever way you are
travelling.

We have quite a few who do Manchester to Leeds for example. I have checked with our revenue protection team and they have the same understanding as me.
juWe[/]ourour

 

[glynn80]

Although as I quoted in my post it is generally accepted as a point to point season in either direction, provided you comply with the restrictions for whichever way you are travelling.

If this is the case, then why are the only Earlybird season flows "into" Manchester?

It is obvious this ticket is designed for commuters travelling into Manchester but for those commuters who travel outside of the peaks. If it was the situation that the ticket was a "point to point" in "either" direction then surely other flows would have been introduced by the Pricing Manager and the conditions applied to the Earlybird would never have been drawn up?

We have quite a few who do Manchester to Leeds for example. I have checked with our revenue protection team and they have the same understanding as me.

Is there a conflict between the Pricing Manager and the Revenue Protection team with regard to these flows then?

 

[The Snap]

Thanks for your comments and advice chaps.

I need to travel on the express TPE service at xx.20am, to arrive in Sheffield for Between 9 and 10, so it would be the 0720 or 0820. From what has been said above, I think the best option for me is the weekly NR season ticket priced at £73.30; that way, if I miss the express at xx.20, I can get the EMT service at xx.43 or the Northern service at xx.45 (which I'm not particularly looking forward to!).

Shame there is no railcard discount!