TPE Club 55

[johnnychips]

Very pleased to see TPE are going to be doing this again.

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/special-offers/club-55

I used it a lot last year to go from Doncaster to the Lake District. I just wondered if you could use it from, say, Doncaster to Newcastle, changing at Manchester?

I never got asked to prove my age, bit depressing as I'm only 56, but a disastrous experiment with 'Just For Men' means my hair is now as black as Elvis's, so I have high hopes this year.

 

[Merseysider]

Yeah that'll be fine. Normally TPE request some easements in the routeing guide to allow these tickets to be used on otherwise invalid routes.

 

[johnnychips]

I did a trial booking on TPE's website using 'Manchester Central Zone' as a via point, on a Saturday starting at 0500, but it wasn't having it. Perhaps these easements aren't loaded yet.

 

[aelius]

They tend to forget to load the easement for travel from the North East to Lancaster-Carlisle via Manchester. There is never any problem buying such tickets at ticket officers but get rejected online - which means no nectar points and reservations without two visits to the station. Sometimes they do the change late after I remind them but the last time they just gave me a email to produce if there are problems at the booking office-there aren't ever. Despite that minor issue, this is a good deal.

 

[Harpers Tate]

The first time they did this offer, a few years ago, the publicity was quite clear and unambiguous about what you "could" do - which was to travel round trip between any two TPE stations for one flat fare. On the ground, though, the "computer said no" for Sheffield <> Edinburgh (via Manchester) and so that wasn't actually available (Glasgow was, but they were having noting of Edinburgh). They seem to have addressed this later with these various "easements".

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

You could certainly book Liverpool-Scotland online last year, and would be routed via Manchester.

 

[Merseysider]

You could certainly book Liverpool-Scotland online last year, and would be routed via Manchester.

That's a valid route anyway

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I did a trial booking on TPE's website using 'Manchester Central Zone' as a via point, on a Saturday starting at 0500, but it wasn't having it. Perhaps these easements aren't loaded yet.

Try Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria instead, or even Manchester Stns. I'm not saying it'll work, but I suspect it'll have more chance than Manchester Central Zone.

 

[Camden]

Isn't Manchester Central Zone a "from within Greater Manchester only" destination/starting point which allows city centre tram usage?

 

[Francis]

They tend to forget to load the easement for travel from the North East to Lancaster-Carlisle via Manchester. There is never any problem buying such tickets at ticket officers but get rejected online - which means no nectar points and reservations without two visits to the station. Sometimes they do the change late after I remind them but the last time they just gave me a email to produce if there are problems at the booking office-there aren't ever. Despite that minor issue, this is a good deal.

I just tried Oxenholme to Newcastle and Lancaster-Newcastle, getting a No tickets available message in both cases. Preston and Wigan to Newcastle came out OK though.
Liverpool or Warrington Central to Glasgow/Edinburgh work OK, as does Sheffield this time.
From York you can get a TP Club 55 to Glasgow but not to Edinburgh. From Leeds to either. All via Manchester obviously.
However, from Scarborough to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Darlington to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Middlesbrough to Glasgow, computer says No!
I think I've played around with TP's booking engine enough for tonight!

Any news on Arriva Trains Wales Autumn Club 55 ?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Isn't Manchester Central Zone a "from within Greater Manchester only" destination/starting point which allows city centre tram usage?

Destination only, and there are a couple of exceptions outside the TfGM area, but otherwise, yes.

 

[johnnychips]

I just tried Oxenholme to Newcastle and Lancaster-Newcastle, getting a No tickets available message in both cases. Preston and Wigan to Newcastle came out OK though.
Liverpool or Warrington Central to Glasgow/Edinburgh work OK, as does Sheffield this time.
From York you can get a TP Club 55 to Glasgow but not to Edinburgh. From Leeds to either. All via Manchester obviously.
However, from Scarborough to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Darlington to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Middlesbrough to Glasgow, computer says No!
I think I've played around with TP's booking engine enough for tonight!

Is it possible that you can't get there and back in a day on TPE with some of these routes ?

 

[Merseysider]

Is it possible that you can't get there and back in a day on TPE with some of these routes ?

You certainly could in theory. In any case, Club 55 tickets are valid to return any time within one month

 

[aelius]

I just tried Oxenholme to Newcastle and Lancaster-Newcastle, getting a No tickets available message in both cases. Preston and Wigan to Newcastle came out OK though.
Liverpool or Warrington Central to Glasgow/Edinburgh work OK, as does Sheffield this time.
From York you can get a TP Club 55 to Glasgow but not to Edinburgh. From Leeds to either. All via Manchester obviously.
However, from Scarborough to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Darlington to Glasgow, computer says No!
From Middlesbrough to Glasgow, computer says No!
I think I've played around with TP's booking engine enough for tonight!

Any news on Arriva Trains Wales Autumn Club 55 ?

That's exactly the problem I've found in previous promotions. I contact Customer Services, who simply tell me that it's not a valid route. I them contact the complaints team who finally admit that I am right. Sometimes they arrange a late easement to be made that allows online booking but last time they just gave me an email in case there were difficulties booking at the station - which has never been a problem.

The cause is that Newcastle to Lancaster via Manchester was a permitted route (as well as via Carlisle) but the fare was substantially cheaper than Newcastle to Manchester, so those in the know could get cheaper journeys to Manchester by booking to Lancaster. So that permitted route was removed but TPE seems to forget to do an easement for Club 55.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Ah - so it appears that even now, even after several years and iterations of this offer, there is still flawed internal communication between TPEs Marketing Department and some other part of The Railway that means that what is being offered isn't actually available. Fantastic!