.... I just think its not good losing this concession for peak time trips to Scotland especially with days drawing in , and in run upto Christmas. Does TPE have say, as they compete with Virgin from Preston to Glasgow/Edinburgh ?
Preston to Glasgow is £70.40 for an Off Peak Return (
SVR) valid from 0415 onwards, or £39.60 for the Off Peak Day Return (
CDR) valid on all trains except those timed to depart after 0429 and before 0930.
You couldn't have used the CDR for travel on morning 'peak' trains because the 'easement' that is being abolished did not apply to CDR fares.
TPE get no say in these fares as they are set by Virgin Trains, however there is nothing to stop TPE introducing their own 'Route: TPE Only' fares at whatever price they deem fit and with whatever terms & conditions they deem fit.
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Can I purchase an off peak ticket today (4th September) for travel on the 9th September on a peak time train?
Yes.
You can buy tickets from stations up to 1 year in advance. The T&Cs applicable at the time of purchase apply.
Most booking sites only sell tickets up to around 12 weeks in advance, but thetrainline will sell tickets up to about 4 months in advance which can provide you with an itinerary that is further evidence of a contract. You can buy up to approximately 10 tickets in one transaction (one booking fee)
Not sure of all your travel dates? The return portion is valid for a month, so you could buy 2 returns (one for each direction) on the date you wish to commit to, and you then have 2 x return portions which you have a month to use on any day you wish.
Note the date of printing is shown on the ticket; for tickets bought online and collected this is obviously not necessarily the purchase date. So quite how Guards are meant to enforce this is a mystery.
Note that when you buy online you can choose to be provided with an itinerary, which is evidence of a contract. This evidence could be produced in the event of a dispute.