Travelling Query - Advance Ticket.

[Gaslight]

Hi all,

I'm booked on a train out of Kings Cross to Leeds at 17:05 on Sunday evening with an advance ticket.
Since I booked this train a couple of months ago, however, I've been placed under a curfew by the courts for a driving offence. I need to be back home by 19:00 and this train wouldn't make that possible.

What is the situation with regards to me boarding an earlier train (around 15:00) and explaining to the conductor my situation should a problem arise?

Is he likely to use his discretion or demand that I pay the alternative train fare?

Any help much appreciated,

Thanks.

 

[tony_mac]

He is almost certainly going to ask you to buy a new ticket.

If your ticket cost more than £10 then you can get a discount off a new ticket (£10 less than your ticket cost), provided that you do it beforehand.

 

[blacknight]

Is your driving offence fault of the railway No
Best advice would be to change your ticket today which would involve £10 admin charge or buy new AP ticket to suit your needs & get you home intime for curfew.
Take your chance on the day & it could cost you £120 bar 50p

 

[Gaslight]

Thanks for your advice tony_mac & blacknight.

I'll change my train time and pay the admin charge.

Cheers.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The 1503 this Sunday has some advance fares left, at the time of this post, (at £62) so if you get to a manned ticket office fairly soon you should be able to change the ticket for a £10 admin fee and the difference between the fare paid and the new ticket. If you just board an earlier train you could be charged for a new ticket (£119.50).

 

[LexyBoy]

As others have said, you'll need to change your ticket or buy a new ticket. If you board the train you are likely to be charged the full Anytime single fare at £119.50.

The 1430 departure (changing at York) is currently £40 First Class Advance which is the cheapest ticket for the time you wish to travel. If you ask to change your ticket to this service it should cost you the difference between £40 and ten pounds less than your original ticket price.

 

[tony_mac]

For standard fares east coast is offering a super off peak single which is cheaper than the standard advances.

 

[yorkie]

Option 1
If you go to a ticket office before departure then you will pay a £10 admin fee PLUS the difference in price between the fare you paid and the cheapest available Advance fare for the through journey being made. The current price is £62.00 for the 1505. So if the original ticket cost £20, you'd pay an additional £52.00 (calculated as £42.00 + £10.00). However other trains may be cheaper (as described in previous posts).

Option 2
Alternatively, new tickets, available from any station and giving you flexibility to use any train, you could buy this at King's Cross immediately before departure:-
London to Peterborough Off Peak Day Single £28.90 (a return is £29.00)
Peterborough to Leeds Off Peak Day Single £35.40 (a return is £35.50)
Total = £64.30
Valid on all trains on Sunday providing the train calls at Peterborough (most - if not all - will do).

Option 3
But a cheaper option than buying at a station is a new Super Off Peak Single ticket is £43.80 from the EC website. Not available on any other website. Not available at the station or on trains.

Option 4
If you booked your original tickets on the EC website, you can log in to your account, find the booking, and choose to Amend it. Select the journey, and choose 'Change of time' as the reason, and you can then select the Super Off Peak Single, the price will £43.80 MINUS whatever the cost of your original ticket was. If your original ticket cost £20, then it would show as £23.80, for example. An admin fee of £10 is added.

Option 5
Finally if you boarded the train with the wrong ticket, as suggested in your original post, the standard class Anytime Single fare is £119.50 and your original ticket will not be taken into account. I therefore do NOT recommend taking this option!

 

[Yew]

Option 5
Finally if you boarded the train with the wrong ticket, as suggested in your original post, the standard class Anytime Single fare is £119.50 and your original ticket will not be taken into account. I therefore do NOT recommend taking this option!

+1 to the bold underlined text

 

[OwlMan]

If yhou are looking for a cheap fare and do not mind leaving earlier then

London St Pancras dep 12:30
Sheffield arr 15:42

dep 16:21
Leeds arr17:02

is £29