Split 1st Advances on through train

[lightbulb]

Good evening all,

I'm booking 1st class tickets for an elderly gentlemen with limited mobilty (and a Senior Railcard) between Basingstoke and York outward on 23rd July on the 1019 BSK - YRK, and returning 27th July on the 1444 YRK - Reading, connecting with the 1952 RDG - BSK.

The outward train has been booked, with assistance requested, at £77.20 (1st Advance). However, there are no Advance tickets for the return journey, just the FOS at £151.15 rte + ANY PERMITTED, (which I assume is valid via RDG).

Having checked the calling points of the 1444 YRK - RDG, I've come up with the following splits:

YRK - Chesterfield £18.75 1st Advance
CHD - Burton-on-Trent £14.50 1st Advance
BUT - Leamington Spa £18.40 1st Advance
LMS - Banbury £7.05 FDS
BAN - Oxford £4.15 Ist Advance
OXF - RDG £5.30 1st Advance
RDG - BSK £9.50 FCR (cheaper than the FDS)

This gives a total of £78.80, saving £72.35.

For each Advance ticket there are currently 4 seats available. If I were to book these tickets, I am concerned that YRK - CHD will use the 1st of the available quota, CHD - BUT the 2nd, BUT - LMS the 3rd, and BAN - OXF the 4th, leaving no availability for OXF - RDG. I'm hoping that it doesn't work that way, and that the system will recognise that there is no overlap, so allowing those five Advance tickets to take just one place out of the quota, in effect leaving three still available for other passengers.

I also assume that each ticket will generate a seat reservation, presumably in five different seats. As the gentleman is elderly with limited mobilty, changing seats without assistance will be an impossibility. Many years ago (last century!) I recall that seat reservations could be sold for £1, (even without a ticket), and last year, travelling on Virgin Trains East Coast, I was able to cancel various seat reservations for a group of four which were booked separately (as each passenger started from a different destination) and to rebook reservations together. Does any such facility exist for Cross Country Trains?

Finally, if all this should prove possible, how would I book assistance without generating separate (and fictional) requests for each leg of the journey?

 

[yorkie]

You are confused about the quotas.

I can't find availability of the £14.50 fare for CHD-BUT.

You will have to go to a station or use telesales if you want the seats of your choice, or alternatively you could book online (there are sites that will do this in one transaction) and get a separate reservation.

 

[Merseysider]

Trainsplit.com will sort that out, with a single seat throughout where possible, and may indeed find a cheaper split. It will charge a small fee based on the overall saving.

Requests for assistance can always be made on the telephone.

 

[lightbulb]

I am indeed confused about the quotas, and was hoping that any reply might explain how it works!

CHD - BUT for £14.50 on the Cross Country Trains website here:

 

[W-on-Sea]

On the two occasions I've used split ticketing to buy multiple advance tickets with reserved seats on the same train (in fact on this very route, with Cross Country), I was allocated the same seat for each section of the journey that was on the same train. Not sure if that it is the norm or if I was exceptionally lucky.

 

[lightbulb]

Trainsplit.com will sort that out, with a single seat throughout where possible, and may indeed find a cheaper split. It will charge a small fee based on the overall saving.

Requests for assistance can always be made on the telephone.

Thanks. Trainsplit.com has come up with a more expensive split (I've given the destination as RDG, as it insisted on changing trains at BHM):




Is there a way of forcing it to search at the split points I wish? I see it only allows up to 3 via points, and I have 4 (to RDG, 5 to BSK).

 

[Tetchytyke]

If you are happy to do this manually online, the XC website has a seat selector. You can ensure you stay in the same seat using it. Its what I normally do when travelling XC using splits.

 

[Starmill]

Trainsplit.com has come up with a more expensive split (I've given the destination as RDG, as it insisted on changing trains at BHM):

Can you write out what itinerary you would like please, and what Trainsplit is showing you when you search?

 

[yorkie]

As for how quotas work, our Fares Guide has a good explanation.

Thanks. Trainsplit.com has come up with a more expensive split

Actually it seems to be unable to offer some of the Advance fares, which will need further investigation.

(I've given the destination as RDG, as it insisted on changing trains at BHM):

Did you try all the different modes? If it's in 'Fast' mode it won't add a change at BHM if it is quicker to stay on the same train.

Also if you do not want to change at any particular station, you can specify this under Advanced options.

I specified changing at: RDG and avoid completely: KGX and it gave me the itinerary you requested.

Note that there is no point purchasing a 1st class ticket for Reading to Baskingstoke, unless the passenger wants to wait for the next Voyager. The train in your itinerary is a GWR Turbo (standard class only).

Is there a way of forcing it to search at the split points I wish? I see it only allows up to 3 via points, and I have 4 (to RDG, 5 to BSK).

Only one via (change at) point is needed, so no need for more than three. But, for the record, the three via points are in addition to 3 avoid points and you can either exclude TOCs of your choice, or you can only include particular TOCs of your choice. You can even exclude modes such as London Underground transfers. You can also specify the maximum number of changes (e.g. one in this case!)

When you specify a via point, you will see that you can change this to Stop/Change at, or Change at. Likewise, avoid can be changed to Don't stop at or Don't change at.

 

[yorkie]

Can you write out what itinerary you would like please, and what Trainsplit is showing you when you search?

The itinerary appears to be a very slow one:

http://www.fastjp.com/#journeys?ori...h:&odate=20180726&otime=1445&maxres=1&maxch=1

York 1444
Reading 1910

Reading 1935
Basingstoke 2004​

 

[FQTV]

If you are happy to do this manually online, the XC website has a seat selector. You can ensure you stay in the same seat using it. Its what I normally do when travelling XC using splits.

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that CrossCountry only allows (unless it has changed very recently) the same seat to be reserved three times on a through service, irrespective of whether the bookings are made online or at a ticket office.

Booking an adjacent seat for some of the split sectors is the easiest workaround, safe in the knowledge that no-one else can book the ‘prime’ seat that you’re trying to stay in throughout.

 

[Tetchytyke]

perhaps worth mentioning that CrossCountry only allows (unless it has changed very recently) the same seat to be reserved three times on a through service

I did not know that. Useful.

 

[Merseysider]

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that CrossCountry only allows (unless it has changed very recently) the same seat to be reserved three times on a through service...

Still the case

 

[Deafdoggie]

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that CrossCountry only allows (unless it has changed very recently) the same seat to be reserved three times on a through service, irrespective of whether the bookings are made online or at a ticket office.

What is the reason for that? To discourage split tickets, or overload on their reservation system?
If, purely an example, I reserved a seat (on the same train) Man picc-stockport and Stockport-Macclesfield, and Macclesfield-SOT, does that mean that seat would then be "Available" all the way to Bournemouth? Or can the dreaded ten minute reservations still be applied?

 

[[.n]]

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that CrossCountry only allows (unless it has changed very recently) the same seat to be reserved three times on a through service, irrespective of whether the bookings are made online or at a ticket office.

That probably explains why I have never managed to made a TMR between Brockenhurst and Bournemouth!

 

[50010 Monarch]

Still the case

Not sure if that is still the case.

I travelled from Newcastle to Stourbridge Junction yesterday which involved four different tickets and on the XC service from Newcastle to Birmingham I had the same seat reserved each time. The Derby to Stourbridge ticket was not an advance however (the others were) so maybe this explains it.

 

[Merseysider]

Not sure if that is still the case.

I travelled from Newcastle to Stourbridge Junction yesterday which involved four different tickets and on the XC service from Newcastle to Birmingham I had the same seat reserved each time. The Derby to Stourbridge ticket was not an advance however (the others were) so maybe this explains it.

That’s odd.

I’ve booked several journeys on XC lately, primarily between Manchester and Bristol. I can reserve the same seat on the XC seat selector for Manc-Stoke, Stoke-Wolves, Wolves-Cheltenham but not Cheltenham-Bristol despite the seat being free for the whole journey.

On the way back it’s the same; fine for the first three segments but the seat selector I can’t select it for the final segment; Stoke-Manc.

Either way, their seat selector isn’t working entirely perfectly!

 

[50010 Monarch]

My booking done via the ATW website & not the XC seat selector so perhaps this is the explanation.

 

[FQTV]

My booking done via the ATW website & not the XC seat selector so perhaps this is the explanation.

When I have enquired, ticket offices have not been able to issue a reservation more than three times on the same service themselves, and have not been able to issue a fourth reservation for the same seat that I have already reserved online three times.

Does anyone know if Arriva Trains Wales uses a different booking platform?

My assumption has always been that it's the Voyager and Super Voyager booking system, with its scrolling displays, that does not permit or is programmed to limit the number of reservation messages that can be displayed and therefore accepted.

 

[Wallsendmag]

It could be as simple as the seat not being in the same allocation for that leg of the journey

 

[Edyhun]

Hello just to add to this have just booked Cross Country split ticketed journey of 5 sectors, only able to reserve same seats on CC website for 4 parts. Not a major issue, just have to shift across the aisle for half an hour.

 

[yorkie]

Hello just to add to this have just booked Cross Country split ticketed journey of 5 sectors, only able to reserve same seats on CC website for 4 parts. Not a major issue, just have to shift across the aisle for half an hour.

You might not have to move. If you can say when the journey is exactly I can check available seats for you. (If you do not wish to publish it on the forum, you can send me a direct message)

It could simply be that your first seat has reached the reservation limit and that no-one can further book that seat.