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What's the most sold point-to-point ticket?

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Gathursty

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There's the station usage data that comes out annually but I also wonder if there is any national or TOC based record of point-to-point ticket sales data.

I'd imagine it would be a ticket with origin or destination London Terminals or possibly somewhere like Birkenhead - Liverpool.

I think the distribution would have a very long tail with lots of zeros for tickets no-one would ask for such as Broughty Ferry to Dockyard for example.
 
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Bletchleyite

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I'd suspect it wouldn't be London Terminals because Travelcards are such a common option.

Perhaps something into Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow?
 

me123

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I'd suspect it wouldn't be London Terminals because Travelcards are such a common option.

This was my first thought. There are so many options for tickets to London that it would dilute the numbers of each ticket bought. For example, a quick look at Peterborough to London* reveals many options for return travel such as
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (GN only) 1st class
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted)
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted) 1st class
Anytime Day Travelcard
Anytime Day Travelcard 1st class
Advance Single
Advance Single 1st class
Super Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Super Off Peak Day Travelcard to London Terminals (GN only)
Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted)
Off Peak Day Travelcard (GN only)
Off Peak Day Travelcard (Any permitted)
Super Off Peak Return to London Terminals
Off Peak Return to London Terminals
Anytime Return to London Terminals

Between all of these, even with the large flow between the two points, the numbers you'll see for each ticket will be diluted.

I'd wonder if it was somewhere like Glasgow, where most tickets are issued to "Glasgow Central/Queen St". For Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow, you've really just got the Anytime and Off Peak Day Returns to consider.

* I do not claim that this list is comprehensive.
 

pemma

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Cheshire & Warrington LTB examined rail demand between boroughs. This report gives their findings: http://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.u...egy - 160215- Stage 1 Report- Draft Final.pdf

I know it doesn't give station to station numbers but it shows that most people in the Warrington area using the train travel to Manchester, while demand for Birmingham & London is proportionally much higher in Cheshire East than Warrington or Cheshire West.
 

Simon11

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Based on the highest number of issues for a flow for the last year, it is actually travelcards sold from authorised sellers (i.e. TfL), then the next flow involves freedom passengers. The first proper flow is Gatwick Airport to Victoria London.
 

andrewkeith5

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This would be a fascinating set of statistics, and could potentially tell us a lot about buying habits of railway users - possibly even identify specific areas of improvement for the industry.
 

backontrack

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I'd suspect it wouldn't be London Terminals because Travelcards are such a common option.

Perhaps something into Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow?

I'm going for Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central and vice-versa. Edinburgh-Glasgow tickets might be split between Queen Street and Central.
 

Gathursty

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Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (GN only) 1st class
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted)
Anytime Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted) 1st class
Anytime Day Travelcard
Anytime Day Travelcard 1st class
Advance Single
Advance Single 1st class
Super Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Super Off Peak Day Travelcard to London Terminals (GN only)
Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (GN only)
Off Peak Day Return to London Terminals (Any permitted)
Off Peak Day Travelcard (GN only)
Off Peak Day Travelcard (Any permitted)
Super Off Peak Return to London Terminals
Off Peak Return to London Terminals
Anytime Return to London Terminals

* I do not claim that this list is comprehensive.

WOW! I wasn't thinking of first/second class and all the other possibilities you have mentioned also with discounts applied as an extra to all of these.

Going into maths mode, you're looking at a list of around 3.5 million point-to-points without including your different types. In the example of Peterborough to London, I would sum all of these ticket varieties to approach my answer rather than looking at them individually.
 

cf111

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Nairn to Tweedbank ;)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I'm going for Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central and vice-versa. Edinburgh-Glasgow tickets might be split between Queen Street and Central.

I think all tickets into Glasgow are issued to "Glasgow Cen/QST"
 

deltic

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London Terminals to Croydon BR was the top at one time and Glasgow BR to Edinburgh the top non-London route. With zonal travelcards I imagine its quite difficult to determine the top flows any more.

I seem to recall Waterloo to Bank on the underground is probably the largest station to station flow on the whole rail network
 

exile

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Cheshire & Warrington LTB examined rail demand between boroughs. This report gives their findings: http://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.u...egy - 160215- Stage 1 Report- Draft Final.pdf

I know it doesn't give station to station numbers but it shows that most people in the Warrington area using the train travel to Manchester, while demand for Birmingham & London is proportionally much higher in Cheshire East than Warrington or Cheshire West.

Those figures are based on the 2011 census, rather than ticket sales.
 

me123

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I think all tickets into Glasgow are issued to "Glasgow Cen/QST"

They are. There's a few tickets specifically to Glasgow Central for travel only on CrossCountry trains, but the vast majority that people will buy will be the "Any Permitted" tickets, which use "Glasgow Cen/QST".
 

bb21

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Based on the highest number of issues for a flow for the last year, it is actually travelcards sold from authorised sellers (i.e. TfL), then the next flow involves freedom passengers. The first proper flow is Gatwick Airport to Victoria London.

I wonder whether the Any Permitted Anytime Single/Return tops the individual fares table.
 

Gareth Marston

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These figures do exit internally I know it's come out from the line community rail officer on the Shrewsbury to Chester line that Cardiff is only the 8th most popular destination from Wrexham despite half the trains going direct Cardiff.

Welsh Government have a UA to UA set of stats on their website Ceredigion to Cerdegion comes in at 70,000 which can only be the flow between Borth and Aberystwyth.
 

Statto

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These figures do exit internally I know it's come out from the line community rail officer on the Shrewsbury to Chester line that Cardiff is only the 8th most popular destination from Wrexham despite half the trains going direct Cardiff.

Welsh Government have a UA to UA set of stats on their website Ceredigion to Cerdegion comes in at 70,000 which can only be the flow between Borth and Aberystwyth.

I'd have thought Liverpool-Chester & Manchester will be the most popular tickets from Wrexham.
 

Dent

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Isn't it Leicester Square to picadilly circus the tourist one.

Not with point to point tickets. LU don't even issue point to point tickets for Underground only journeys, tickets are issued from an origin station to a combination of zones. I expect most journeys on that route to be made with travelcards or Oyster / Contactless anyway.
 

matt_world2004

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Not with point to point tickets. LU don't even issue point to point tickets for Underground only journeys, tickets are issued from an origin station to a combination of zones. I expect most journeys on that route to be made with travelcards or Oyster / Contactless anyway.

Not with tourists they like to pay the cash fare
 

100andthirty

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I do remember an amazing statistic the >70% of ALL journeys on the national rail network (exclude Underground, Metros and Trams) start, finish or take place entirely in London
 

Haywain

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I would suggest that if "London" in its various forms is accepted as a 'point', then Cambridge to London and Oxford to London are going to feature quite highly due to their attractiveness to tourists, business and those associated with the universities and related institutions. Cambridge is, by some way, the most popular destinaton from Kings Cross.
 
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