Great Western Coffee Shop

I've just been looking up options for Trowbridge to Birmingham New Street via Stroud (just over three miles longer than the route via Bristol and much prettier).

I will gloss over the size of Cross Country's Anytime Return ( £128.20 if you must know ) as I'm more interested in what the National Rail journey planner allows this fare to be used on (it is defined as Route: NOT LONDON).

0710 direct to Cheltenham via Stroud, change at Cheltenham onto XC ... NOT allowed
0739 change at Swindon onto Paddington-Cheltenham train; change Gloucester onto XC...allowed
0954 or 1226 1420 change at Swindon onto Swindon-Cheltenham train; change at Gloucester onto XC...allowed
1627 change at Swindon onto Swindon-Cheltenham train; change at Cheltenham onto XC... allowed
1838 change at Swindon onto Paddington-Cheltenham train; change at Gloucester onto XC...NOT allowed
1930 direct to Gloucester via Stroud, change at Gloucester onto XC...NOT allowed
2216 train to Bath, train to Chippenham, bus to Swindon, bus to Gloucester, train to Worcester SH, WMT train to Birmingham ... ALLOWED (!!)

Can anyone deduce the logic in this? ???  ???  :o

For reference, the National Routeing Guide offers three routeings for Westbury Group to Birmingham; they are, on the maps, via Bristol, via Oxford, and LONDON. There is no map with Stroud Valley as a valid route, although it would be a very sensible addition.

I've no idea why National Rail are showing some options via Stroud as valid. Routeing Guide says no. As do booking engines when you actually try to book a ticket specifying 'via Stroud'.

However, the route should be valid. I see no logical reason why the Routeing Guide disallows it. There is no doubling back, no fares extraction issues, and circulating via Swindon and Cheltenham with cross/same platform interchanges is just as passenger friendly as going via Bristol or Didcot/Oxford.

You could ask the fare setter (CrossCountry) if they'd ask the Rail Delivery Group to amend the Routeing Guide. I can't see any unintended consequences by allowing travel via Stroud but XC and RDG may find some. Or, more likely just put the request in the 'can't be bothered' pile.

Instead, if this is actually a fares request rather than a thought experiment, then I'd suggest the following:

Split your tickets at Stroud.

Trowbridge - Stroud, Anytime Return £32.70
Stroud - Birmingham Stns, Anytime Return £61.10
Total: £93.80

Or, alternatively, if you can live with travelling via Bristol instead and really want to stick it to the man then you can use the following tickets:

Trowbridge - Bath Spa, Anytime Day Single £6.40
Chippenham - Bromsgrove, Anytime Day Single £35.90
Bromsgrove - Chippenham, Off Peak Day Single (provided return is after 0829) £21.10
Bath Spa - Trowbridge, Anytime Day Single £6.40
Total £69.80

Those middle two tickets allow travel via Birmingham New Street thanks to the following easement:

700147 Customers travelling via Yate to Bromsgrove in possession of tickets routed "Any Permitted" may double back via Birmingham New Street. This easement applies in both directions.

Starting or ending short, as well as break of journey, are allowed on those tickets. The easement routes you via Birmingham New Street. One just forgets to double back.  :P

No, but I can suggest a line of research ... is there and correlation with the connection north from Cheltenham Spa going in to Birmingham via Camp Hill or Selly Oak?   Slightly different distances, longer journey goes just over the "never mind, it's just a bit further" rule.

Shortest journey distance New Street to Trowbridge is the 14:20 from New Street, change at Bristol Parkway (15:29 to 16:22) and Bath Spa (16:35 to 16:53) against which that "3 miles longer" thing would be judged.

I raised this issue last year when engineering works meant that trains running north from Bristol were diverted through the Severn Tunnel. At that time, to travel from Bath to Birmingham I could buy a ticket to travel via Bristol and Newport, but not via Swindon and Cheltenham. I still do not understand why the routeing guide does not allow this route for any journey going north from Cheltenham.

Alternatively You could do Trowbridge - Birmingham for £61.40 with National Express - just the one change at Newbury.