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

[Reason077]

Is this all part of a conspiracy between Scotrail and the SNP to plump up the passenger figures on the borders railway?

 

[davetheguard]

Tried to book two Nairn to Tweedbank return tickets on the GWR website five minutes ago. £4 worth of tickets in basket, but site won't accept my cards (which I've successfully used there before). Says details are incorrect, but they're not.

Is this a way to block sales or -more likely- simply some sort of website glitch?

 

[Starmill]

I would suggest:

-Try another card
-Try another website

If no luck, you could try calling your bank.

 

[323235]

If it says your card details are incorrect? then surely you have either entered something incorrectly which I have easily done before or there is a problem with you card.

 

[yorkie]

Try buying an evoucher first, with VTEC or TPE.
Then pay with the evoucher.

 

[Timster83]

I now have 50 separate booking confirmations to collect. That should be fun. I'll head down to my local station one night and do them in one evening.

Interestingly, I have tried to purchase more via the Scotrail site using a Mastercard and Amex (both with lots of credit available) and I am being asked to contact CS quoting error DM3???

 

[cf111]

£1.30 return, thank you very much

 

[bb21]

I now have 50 separate booking confirmations to collect. That should be fun. I'll head down to my local station one night and do them in one evening.

I think it is best that tickets are collected asap.

It cannot be ruled out that uncollected bookings may be cancelled. Yes, it will be a legal minefield if they do it, but I wouldn't think the ensuing hassle arguing with them would be a welcome development in most people's minds.

 

[yorkie]

I'm confident RSP won't let them withdraw the tickets so I wouldn't worry about that. But it's still good advice.

I'd buy ASAP too as they could disappear at any time.

 

[Mojo]

How many tickets have you bought so far today? WebTis websites only allow up to 4 transactions per day. I'm not sure if this extends to trainline powered websites as well.

 

[greatkingrat]

Also lots of small transactions may be blocked by the credit card provider as appearing to be suspicious activity.

 

[davetheguard]

If it says your card details are incorrect? then surely you have either entered something incorrectly which I have easily done before or there is a problem with you card.

I've had another go this morning and successfully booked the tickets; thanks to everyone for their replies.

It looks like I was at fault and had failed to click on the appropriate Visa/Amex/etc. button. (Slight embarrassment (or senility) has set in).

 

[General Zod]

I think the answer to this question may be a "yes" but could you use the Nairn-Tweedbank (and visa versa ) Anytime Single tickets to cover for an Inverness-Aviemore day return or is this really taking the proverbial Michael ? We wouldn't mind going to Aviemore for a day trek in the hills and countryside.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Yes you could!

 

[General Zod]

Yes you could!

Hallelujah

 

[telstarbox]

Nobody has had any problems with these tickets then?

 

[TheEscapist_]

Me and my friend used them up to Inverness the other day and was totally fine

 

[Shaggy]

All seems very strange that it is still being sold. Surely updates to the fares system aren't this slow?

 

[yorkie]

All seems very strange that it is still being sold. Surely updates to the fares system aren't this slow?

No, they are not! Scotrail have been aware of it now since Monday 4th January and confirmed on Twitter the fares would be honoured a few days later. So they surely can't be too fussed, which is surprising given the potential for people making journeys such as Glasgow to Edinburgh at peak times for £1 each way.

 

[furlong]

No, they are not! Scotrail have been aware of it now since Monday 4th January and confirmed on Twitter the fares would be honoured a few days later. So they surely can't be too fussed, which is surprising given the potential for people making journeys such as Glasgow to Edinburgh at peak times for £1 each way.

If the letter of the rules is adhered to, where these are properly approved new fares in this fares round, amendment or removal may require a direction to that effect from the DfT (I can see no authority for a company that introduced the fares, even if in error, to amend or remove them now that they are the approved and published fares for those flows), but I would think this is something that a competitor on the route that felt a negative impact could legitimately seek.

Are people making extra trips to Scotland because of these bargain tickets, and could Virgin even be gaining accordingly?

 

[General Zod]

Because of the long journey times on some of the routes I assume you would be allowed to "break your journey overnight " and continue the next day if you couldn't reach Inverness in time to meet your last connection northbound on the far north line or westbound to Kyle ?

 

[yorkie]

Are people making extra trips to Scotland because of these bargain tickets, and could Virgin even be gaining accordingly?

Definitely. I know of loads of people doing that. We're also going to have a forum meal in Galashiels (anyone want to join us? We have about 15 so far! Feel free to send me a PM if so)

Because of the long journey times on some of the routes I assume you would be allowed to "break your journey overnight " and continue the next day if you couldn't reach Inverness in time to meet your last connection northbound on the far north line or westbound to Kyle ?

For the sake of paying another £1, I am not sure I'd want to be a test case...

 

[najaB]

Because of the long journey times on some of the routes I assume you would be allowed to "break your journey overnight " and continue the next day if you couldn't reach Inverness in time to meet your last connection northbound on the far north line or westbound to Kyle ?

Technically, yes. But as Yorkie said it's only £1.

 

[General Zod]

A large dose of sarcasm intended in my previous post. It really would be taking the 'p' if you wanted to exercise your rights to a "BOJ."

 

[yorkie]

If it's valid, it's valid, regardless of price.

However it really isn't at all clear to me if it is valid. It should be, and if it was an Anytime Single or an Off Peak Single it would be, but because it's an Anytime Day Single, there is an argument to say that it expires completely at 0429 regardless.

 

[SickyNicky]

Were it a "normal" price for this sort of journey, you may well get away with presenting it to the Scotrail guard on the last leg, the next morning, and explaining the situation.

But I really wouldn't want to do that with a £1 (or 65p, or 25p, or 10p) "special offer" ticket, when it's just so much easier to use a second one.

 

[bb21]

If it were a Day single, then the ticket expires at 0429. There is no grey area.

Should it be the outward portion of an Off-Peak Return, also nominally valid for one day, then overnight break of journey is of course permitted.

 

[Timster83]

Journey update: travelled on the 9.45 from GLQ to EDB and the guard took a long look at my ticket and that of my companion and said that's fine. At the gate line at Waverley, I handed over the ticket and the guy called me back to say I would need it to get to Tweedbank. It sounded like there were a few people with Tweedbank tickets on the train.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
And the £1 tickets are gone (from both Neilston and Nairn).

 

[yorkie]

They are gone on thetrainline powered sites.
They are still available on Atos WebTIS sites (for now).
Not sure about ticket offices or Avantix machines....

 

[SickyNicky]

They are gone on thetrainline powered sites.
They are still available on Atos WebTIS sites (for now).
Not sure about ticket offices or Avantix machines....

It would seem that WebTIS are much slower in applying fares updates than Trainline. The same thing happened when the tickets first became available.

But I think that this is literally your last few hours to get these tickets. I imagine that everyone who wants one has one, though.