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Southampton to Manchester via Birmingham or London

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PhilipW

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Q: Is it possible to get a Southampton to Manchester walk-on off peak return that allows you go travel via Birmingham one way and via London the other way ?

I ask because
a) I am travelling north on Thursday, day of tube strike so going via Birmingham is best
b) I am returning on Sunday when there is a bus replacement service between Leamington and Oxford.

So travelling up via Birmingham and returning via London seems like a very reasonable option. I would like to think that the UK rail industry allows you to do this at no extra cost.
However I am not so sure. In fact I fear not and that it is only allowed by buying two singles and greatly increasing the cost. Not good.
 
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Adam0984

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You just buy the via London ticket at £109.10 and that's valid via Birmingham/ Not London because of the higher price
 

glbotu

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Split your ticket into singles?

Off-Peak Single, Southampton - Birmingham
Off-Peak Single, Birmingham - Manchester
Off-Peak Single, Manchester - London Euston
Off-Peak Single, London Waterloo - Southampton
 

PhilipW

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You just buy the via London ticket at £109.10 and that's valid via Birmingham/ Not London because of the higher price

Thanks Adam,
That's good news.

I still have a niggling doubt.

If I buy a 'via Birmingham' ticket at the slightly higher price I presume then that most of the money will go to Cross Country. If I then travel back to London on a Virgin service on a ticket that says 'via Birmingham not London', will the Virgin ticket collector be OK with that. I hope so, but I wonder, even if in the circumstances this is perfectly reasonable route to take.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Split your ticket into singles?

Off-Peak Single, Southampton - Birmingham
Off-Peak Single, Birmingham - Manchester
Off-Peak Single, Manchester - London Euston
Off-Peak Single, London Waterloo - Southampton

... but that bumps the price right up.
 

John @ home

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The two tickets under discussion are:My advice is that you buy the lower price ticket and use this to travel on the outward leg of the journey via Birmingham. Then buy an excess fare ticket to convert the return leg only to a "Route ✠VIA LONDON" ticket. For a change of route excess fare for one leg only of a return journey, this will cost half the difference, that is £0.75.

You can buy the excess fare ticket at a ticket office, e.g. Manchester Piccadilly, or on the train. It's the same price. Our experience is that some ticket offices have difficulty issuing excess fare ticket, but that knowledge of the procedure is generally better with on-train staff.

Your entitlement to an excess fare is set out in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage:
13. The route you are entitled to take

(e) If you make your journey by a route other than those referred to in (a) and (b) above, you will be liable to pay an excess fare. This excess fare will be the difference between the price paid for the ticket you hold and the price of the lowest priced ticket(s) available at a ticket office for immediate travel that would have entitled you to travel by that route.
The excess fare ticket will show "Route ✠VIA LONDON", which entitles you to use it for the cross-London connection by tube.
 
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deep south

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Thanks for the suggestion, Romily, but I can't plan that far out. I can probably confirm my plans the week before - at best, and I would like some flexibility.
 

Bletchleyite

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Must admit I'd pay the £0.75 difference for the via London ticket rather than the other one plus an excess (and use it via the cheaper route if desired[1]) - it isn't worth 75p to me to have to queue again at a ticket office for the excess. However, if you are fine with doing that, John provides the best answer (provided Advances aren't a viable option and splitting isn't cheaper).

[1] A more expensive geographically routed ticket is valid via the cheaper route. I suspect this one and similar ones are only not "+ Any Permitted" because were it not explicitly routed via London it wouldn't have a Permitted Route via London.
 
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Hadders

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No need to queue again. You can buy the excess at the same time as you buy the original ticket.
 

First class

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The excess ticket will also not work LU barriers and you will need the staff to let you through.

For 75p, I think it's worth having a ticket that works the barriers and enables a single, simple transaction.
 

Hadders

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I've had change of route excess tickets that work the Underground barriers.
 

deep south

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Barriers? yesterday my Chesterfield > Southampton Airport via London Advance ticket didn't work the barriers at St. Pancras, or Waterloo. And I didn't have a chance to see if they would work on the underground due to the strike...
 
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