Stratford (on Avon) to Birmingham International

[dzug2]

I'm trying to get my head around the options for this journey.

Fares seem straightforward enough: (with senior railcard)

From Stratford - £8.10 anytime day return, £7.90 off peak

From Stratford Parkway - £7.55 anytime day return no off peak option

But I'm less sure on routing: (all outward - I assume it can just be reversed on return)

Via Leamington then the XC service via Kenilworth seems straightforward

As does Henley in A - Moor Street - New Street

and Hatton -Moor Street -New Street

but what about Warwick (or Warwick Parkway) - Moor Street - New Street? Or even Leamington - Moor Street - New Street?

Any thoughts appreciated

 

[Romilly]

I'm sure that someone with local knowledge will be able to correct or add to the following but:

Stratford-upon-Avon and Stratford Parkway are both members of Stratford Routeing Group

The Routeing points associated with Birmingham International are: Coventry; and Birmingham Group.

The anytime fares from Stratford-upon-Avon to Coventry, and from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham Stations, are less than the anytime fares from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham International, so both Birmingham Group and Coventry are appropriate routeing points for a journey from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham International.

Routes from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham Group have to be traced on Map BI in the Routeing Guide, and routes from Stratford-upon-Avon to Coventry have to be traced on Map GC (without doubling back in either case).

So I think that the following are permitted routes:

Stratford-upon-Avon - Warwick - Leamington Spa - Coventry - Birmingham International

Stratford-upon-Avon - Tyseley (via, or not via, Warwick) - Birmingham Group - Birmingham International

The same routes seem also to be valid for journeys from Stratford Parkway to Birmingham International.

 

[SickyNicky]

Agreed. Via Birmingham (and walking between Moor St / Snow Hill and New Street) is permitted, as is via Leamington Spa and Coventry.

If you choose to go via Birmingham, you can split tickets as follows (prices excluding railcard discount) to save a couple of quid:

£3.70: STRATFORD U AVON to WOOTTON WAWEN, ANYTIME DAY R route ANY PERMITTED
£6.20: WOOTTON WAWEN to BIRMINGHAM INTL, OFF-PEAK DAY R route ANY PERMITTED

Going via Leamington, it's possible to split at Stratford Parkway and Leamington to save a few pence, but it's probably not advisable because the Chiltern Trains from Leamington don't seem to stop there very often.

 

[dzug2]

Many thanks - you've confirmed what I suspected.

The plan is to go one route and return the other if timetables permit.

 

[brompton rail]

Stratford (including Parkway) to Birmingham is valid via Henley / Hatton and also via Warwick (incl W Parkway). Try the Chiltern departure from Stratford just after 2pm in NRE Journey Planner and it shows a tight (4 mins I think) connection at Warwick. However it isn't valid via Leamington and hence not via XC to New Street.

 

[Romilly]

I agree that Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham Stations appears not to be valid via Leamington, but Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham International does appear to be valid via Leamington and Coventry.

 

[bb21]

Via Leamington Spa and Coventry is within 3 miles of the shortest route.