Tweedbank <> Nairn & Tweedbank <> Neilston: still £1 (update: not any more)

[yorkie]

I can't believe these fares are still only £1 for an Anytime Day Single each way (see Would this be honoured? East Kilbride to Tweedbank for the history of it)

Scotrail have been aware of it for over two weeks, they have confirmed on Twitter that the £1 fares would be honoured.

I can only assume this was intended to be some sort of offer, but with perhaps more generous terms than intended, as £1 fares are not completely unbelievable for long journeys as they are available for long journeys on Stagecoach owned/partly owned Train Companies (even some premium peak time services such as the non-stop Preston to Glasgow), and surely a mistake would be corrected within far less than two weeks?!

It's also appearing on adverts for Thetrainline and GWR.

There is, however, nothing to stop a commuter doing Edinburgh-Glasgow, or Falkirk/Shotts/Bathgate or any other intermediate station using a Neilston ticket for a cheaper commute, while a Perth/Stirling to Edinburgh commuter stands to save even more.

Although the Scotrail site only sells these tickets up until mid-April, thetrainline.com sells them up until late July (and you can book up to 10 journeys in one transaction, paying by debit card you only pay 75p in fees) and ticket offices can sell tickets up to 1 year in advance.

The £1 Anytime Day Single fares include:

• Nairn - Tweedbank (rte: via Aviemore)
• Tweedbank - Nairn (rte: via Aviemore)
• Tweedbank - Neilston
• Neilston - Tweedbank

However the offer/mistake/whatever it is may be withdrawn at any moment, so anyone wanting to make a journey should buy very soon.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I thought we were keeping this quiet!

But as we're not, are there any other destinations still available for £1? I'm off to Scotland next month and would like to travel up the East Coast to Dundee and Aberdeen but the Nairn fare is specifically routed via Aviemore so wouldn't be valid on this route.

 

[Paul Kelly]

As yorkie said, Scotrail are already aware of the fares mentioned above! But why go doing their work for them by shouting about any other good value sale fares?

 

[bb21]

As they already know, because it has been published on websites which reach much wider audiences than this one, if they are bothered about fixing it, they would do without any of us sweating. It's not like rocket science finding a list of flows under £2 and filtering out the genuine ones.

If they are not bothered, then they will carry on with this half-hearted effort as now.

 

[Starmill]

I'm off to Scotland next month and would like to travel up the East Coast to Dundee and Aberdeen but the Nairn fare is specifically routed via Aviemore so wouldn't be valid on this route.

You could ask for a Change of Route Excess

 

[me123]

As they already know, because it has been published on websites which reach much wider audiences than this one, if they are bothered about fixing it, they would do without any of us sweating. It's not like rocket science finding a list of flows under £2 and filtering out the genuine ones.

If they are not bothered, then they will carry on with this half-hearted effort as now.

On the other hand, they are getting some good publicity from this... maybe it's not as "half-hearted" as it seems... maybe they are deliberately keeping some £1 fares on the market... [/conspiracy]

 

[Starmill]

On the other hand, they are getting some good publicity from this... maybe it's not as "half-hearted" as it seems... maybe they are deliberately keeping some £1 fares on the market... [/conspiracy]

One suspects that their industry colleagues might have something to say about that!

 

[SickyNicky]

One suspects that their industry colleagues might have something to say about that!

Yes. I'm not entirely convinced that VTEC are all smiles about £1 fares on their Highland Chieftan trains. For which they probably get a very small percentage of interavailable tickets anyway.

 

[General Zod]

Yes. I'm not entirely convinced that VTEC are all smiles about £1 fares on their Highland Chieftan trains. For which they probably get a very small percentage of interavailable tickets anyway.

As Yorkie said previously Scotrail are aware of the £1 ticket and will honour it . Will VTEC follow suit or are the likely to kick up a fuss if they find someone (me) with the ticket riding on the HC to Inverness ?

 

[Timster83]

So if I place a single ToD order for as many tickets as it is possible for me to buy (to get to work), will there be enough tickets in the machine to print? What if there are not?

 

[najaB]

...will there be enough tickets in the machine to print? What if there are not?

They would have to refill it so you can print the rest.

 

[PermitToTravel]

You could empty the adjacent machine if there are more than one

Otherwise empty it out in the morning, then come back in the evening and empty it out again

 

[RochdalePioneers]

Sold! Thanks for the tip

 

[Starmill]

Will VTEC follow suit or are the likely to kick up a fuss if they find someone (me) with the ticket riding on the HC to Inverness ?

I am sure that they can and will kick up a fuss, but but there's nothing they can do to you about it.

 

[Kite159]

So if I place a single ToD order for as many tickets as it is possible for me to buy (to get to work), will there be enough tickets in the machine to print? What if there are not?

And if buying from the trainline, you could cost them money by selecting multiple ToD reference numbers

---

Only person to mention the tickets when I used them on Saturday was a guard when I boarded at Edinburgh Park towards Haymarket as he through I was "off-route". (That was using a Neilston - Tweedbank ticket)

 

[yorkie]

I thought we were keeping this quiet!

We were... but it was posted on football forums, MSE, and numerous other places. Scotrail were aware of it on 4th January (if they were not already), so there is no real benefit to keeping it secret any more.

But as we're not, are there any other destinations still available for £1?

Yes, there are, apparently.

I'm off to Scotland next month and would like to travel up the East Coast to Dundee and Aberdeen but the Nairn fare is specifically routed via Aviemore so wouldn't be valid on this route.

If you travel via Dundee, you are liable to be charged an excess between the price you paid (£1) and the appropriate fare for the route you travelled, unless such restrictions are relaxed, e.g. due to closure of the route via Aviemore.

 

[najaB]

If you travel via Dundee, you are liable to be charged an excess between the price you paid (£1) and the appropriate fare for the route you travelled, unless such restrictions are relaxed, e.g. due to closure of the route via Aviemore.

Though, of course, you could travel one way on a £1 special and the other on an Advance. There are random £5 Advances floating around it you hunt hard enough. So you could do Edinburgh-Nairn and back for around £11 if the stars line up.

 

[transportphoto]

Freshly issued without a fuss at Norwich this evening, I think it did help that the clerk didn't seem to know where the stations were and was bemused as to why I was buying walkup tickets for June, yet didn't ask why!

 

[RochdalePioneers]

I've booked two Saturdays - end of Feb to Glasgow (may even go to Neilston...) to cover off Shotts and Bathgate lines. Then early April to go round the Distillery at Dalwhinnie

 

[scottishchris]

Well, last Friday I started short at Markinch on a Tweedbank-Wick and back pair of tickets.

Spent an hour in Wick, missed the connection in Inverness and got put on the beds to Perth.

Taxi waiting in Perth, stopping short not an issue, all for £1.65!

Don't think I'll claim Delay Repay, though.

 

[adrock1976]

Well, last Friday I started short at Markinch on a Tweedbank-Wick and back pair of tickets.

Spent an hour in Wick, missed the connection in Inverness and got put on the beds to Perth.

Taxi waiting in Perth, stopping short not an issue, all for £1.65!

Don't think I'll claim Delay Repay, though.

That would be taking the micky though if Delay Repay was claimed

 

[najaB]

That would be taking the micky though if Delay Repay was claimed

Especially as the postage would be almost as much as the compensation!

 

[SickyNicky]

Don't think I'll claim Delay Repay, though.

Go on, do it!

 

[thealexweb]

Would I be able to do Tweedbank to Inverness and stop short there? Then on the return start at Inverness and go back to Tweedbank?

 

[SickyNicky]

Would I be able to do Tweedbank to Inverness and stop short there? Then on the return start at Inverness and go back to Tweedbank?

I'm certainly going to! Perfectly OK on this ticket.

 

[najaB]

Would I be able to do Tweedbank to Inverness and stop short there? Then on the return start at Inverness and go back to Tweedbank?

It's an Anytime ticket so no limitations on break of journey or starting/stopping short.

 

[thealexweb]

It's an Anytime ticket so no limitations on break of journey or starting/stopping short.

Brilliant. Thank you.

 

[Blindtraveler]

And if buying from the trainline, you could cost them money by selecting multiple ToD reference numbers

---

Only person to mention the tickets when I used them on Saturday was a guard when I boarded at Edinburgh Park towards Haymarket as he through I was "off-route". (That was using a Neilston - Tweedbank ticket)

Intesesting Geographical knoledge being applied here as last time I checked these wer Route Any Permitted with no BOJ Restrictions and would then be valid on a GLQ>EDB via Bathgate train, calling at Edinburgh Park.

 

[yorkie]

Tweedbank <> Neilston is routed 'Any Permitted' and Tweedbank <> Nairn is routed 'via Aviemore' (ie, not valid via Aberdeen)

Intesesting Geographical knoledge being applied here as last time I checked these wer Route Any Permitted with no BOJ Restrictions and would then be valid on a GLQ>EDB via Bathgate train, calling at Edinburgh Park.

Yes, any of the Glasgow <> Edinburgh routes are permitted, including via Bathgate, Falkirk High/Grahamston, Shotts, Carstairs.

 

[Blindtraveler]

NRE if asked for a departure at 07:00 even gives you a GLC>EDB leg on XC. Mind you given how easy my neighbour finds it to get £8.40 XC APs on this route they cant be having overcrouding problems here.