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Thread: Train Company Special Offers and General Rail Travel Discussion

  1. #131
    Pub researcher (unpaid) rpadam's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bucking Fastard View Post
    Looking forward to the Preston crawl,does anyone know how the dynamic pricing works on advanced fares and is there an optimal time to make the purchase ?

    It seems to me that when advanced fares are first advertised 3 months in advance,the pricing is very high to catch out anybody who is desperate to secure their travel plans that far in advance,and dynamic pricing doesn't kick in until the train operators are more fully aware of high levels of unsold seats many weeks later.

    Any help gratefully received
    The dynamic pricing applies from the start of advance ticket sales, and for Avanti West Coast (and LNER) that's not just from four weeks beforehand as you see on National Rail Enquiries (or less, for some weekend journeys potentially affected by amended engineering works) - go to the train company's own website and you can book weekday journeys to/from Preston now at the cheapest rate.

  2. #132
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trainman View Post
    Looking for a fare to Leeds 08 Feb, rtn 09Feb, but LNER website still states that they have not yet confirmed timetable, so cannot offer advanced fares - how on earth can they not yet have a timetable for trains leaving less than 4 weeks from now??
    The only fare currently visible is £116 rtn!!
    It's probably to do with engineering work. The same happened last year with trains out of Euston and it's worse at weekends. To me it's not worth travelling without the advance tickets.
    I couldn't get a train back to Marylebone on the 01st Feb so as I'm starting from Stourbridge I'll get the 16 bus then I've got a £5.60 ticket back to Euston.

  3. #133
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bucking Fastard View Post
    Looking forward to the Preston crawl,does anyone know how the dynamic pricing works on advanced fares and is there an optimal time to make the purchase ?

    It seems to me that when advanced fares are first advertised 3 months in advance,the pricing is very high to catch out anybody who is desperate to secure their travel plans that far in advance,and dynamic pricing doesn't kick in until the train operators are more fully aware of high levels of unsold seats many weeks later.

    Any help gratefully received
    You'll be looking to travel on the :30 Scotland trains. I would forget about the 08:30 but you never know. I use TFW rail for advance tickets as they post them to you. There are currently advance tickets for the 03rd April so the 10th should arrive tomorrow and the 17th Monday week. Currently there are no cheap tickets on the fast Scotland trains for the 03rd but there are on the slow ones via Brum.
    Your best bet may be the 08:54 Blackpool train which has advance tickets and is only 23 minutes slower than the fast Scotland ones.
    My advice to anyone going from Euston is get them on the Monday they go up or make a long weekend of it.

  4. #134
    Waterborne Beer Inspector Bucking Fastard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rpadam View Post
    The dynamic pricing applies from the start of advance ticket sales, and for Avanti West Coast (and LNER) that's not just from four weeks beforehand as you see on National Rail Enquiries (or less, for some weekend journeys potentially affected by amended engineering works) - go to the train company's own website and you can book weekday journeys to/from Preston now at the cheapest rate.
    Thanks that's really useful
    "Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson

  5. #135
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    In theory advance tickets are sold 12 weeks ahead (when the actual timetable should be finalised allowing for engineering works etc), however with the ongoing disruption to various operators and general Network Rail incompetence not all of them are achieving this at the moment so it can be a bit of pot luck.

    There are varying numbers of advance tickets at different price bands for each train; when the cheapest is sold out the next most expensive is offered and so on. Busy trains will have fewer or none of the cheapest tickets. In theory additional cheap rate tickets will automatically be made available if a particular train is not selling well, but the level of demand usually makes this unlikely so it is unwise to expect it.

    It is worth checking earlier/later trains if you can be flexible as some will often have cheaper seats than others. Avanti West Coast has a useful Cheapest Fare Finder which shows the prices at different times/days if you are very flexible.

    It can also be possible to get cheaper rates by splitting the journey into shorter sections, normally staying on the same train. So far as Preston is concerned however, it would usually mean changing at Crewe as through trains would normally be at the same rate. But for example if the Liverpool train still had cheaper seats available, you could book that to Crewe and then a separate Crewe - Preston ticket if that is cheaper than the through fare. You can work it out yourself on the relevant train company websites or there are a number of split fare websites which will do it automatically but charge commission on the saving. Trainline have also just started one but I boycott them as they charge too much for ticket sales! Allow plenty of time for connections though. And it is obviously better to bag the cheap tickets for your actual journey if you can.
    On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement

  6. #136
    Palookaville hondo's Avatar
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  7. #137
    Waterborne Beer Inspector Bucking Fastard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pangolin View Post
    In theory advance tickets are sold 12 weeks ahead (when the actual timetable should be finalised allowing for engineering works etc), however with the ongoing disruption to various operators and general Network Rail incompetence not all of them are achieving this at the moment so it can be a bit of pot luck.

    There are varying numbers of advance tickets at different price bands for each train; when the cheapest is sold out the next most expensive is offered and so on. Busy trains will have fewer or none of the cheapest tickets. In theory additional cheap rate tickets will automatically be made available if a particular train is not selling well, but the level of demand usually makes this unlikely so it is unwise to expect it.

    It is worth checking earlier/later trains if you can be flexible as some will often have cheaper seats than others. Avanti West Coast has a useful Cheapest Fare Finder which shows the prices at different times/days if you are very flexible.

    It can also be possible to get cheaper rates by splitting the journey into shorter sections, normally staying on the same train. So far as Preston is concerned however, it would usually mean changing at Crewe as through trains would normally be at the same rate. But for example if the Liverpool train still had cheaper seats available, you could book that to Crewe and then a separate Crewe - Preston ticket if that is cheaper than the through fare. You can work it out yourself on the relevant train company websites or there are a number of split fare websites which will do it automatically but charge commission on the saving. Trainline have also just started one but I boycott them as they charge too much for ticket sales! Allow plenty of time for connections though. And it is obviously better to bag the cheap tickets for your actual journey if you can.
    "Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson

  8. #138
    We're not really 'ere! trainman's Avatar
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    Does anyone know how it is possible for LNER to state that they still don't have a confirmed timetable for travel as imminent as Feb? And therefore no advanced ticket price option?
    A friend asked about London-Leeds 08-09Feb, but there is still nothing showing for less than £116. Absolutely pathetic.

  9. #139
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trainman View Post
    Does anyone know how it is possible for LNER to state that they still don't have a confirmed timetable for travel as imminent as Feb? And therefore no advanced ticket price option?
    A friend asked about London-Leeds 08-09Feb, but there is still nothing showing for less than £116. Absolutely pathetic.
    There's a major project to upgrade the lines outside Kings Cross taking place throughout this year. That means weekend trains are either reduced or starting from Peterborough. Even if Network Rail had provided a timetable the chances of cheap advance tickets are slim. There are advance tickets for weekdays but not weekends. TFW Rail shows a Super Off Peak fare for £56 odd without a railcard.
    Your friend could go via Sheffield from St Pancras where it may be worth getting two tickets each way but the cheap tickets will be in short supply at this stage. If it's a beer outing my option would be to go somewhere else on a different line!

  10. #140
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    There's a major project to upgrade the lines outside Kings Cross taking place throughout this year. That means weekend trains are either reduced or starting from Peterborough. Even if Network Rail had provided a timetable the chances of cheap advance tickets are slim. There are advance tickets for weekdays but not weekends. TFW Rail shows a Super Off Peak fare for £56 odd without a railcard.
    Your friend could go via Sheffield from St Pancras where it may be worth getting two tickets each way but the cheap tickets will be in short supply at this stage. If it's a beer outing my option would be to go somewhere else on a different line!
    ^^^What he said!

    They are not going to offer cheap fares when they have a severely restricted service - See https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-inform...cross-upgrade/. And as East Midlands Railway have bus replacement on most Sundays, St Pancras is not an option either.
    On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement

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