Great Western Coffee Shop

We always discuss Newquay to Kyle of Lochalsh and season tickets from Penzance to London Terminals, but how about the cheapest point to point fare on the National Rail network.

Shall we have several categories?
1. The cheapest standard class walk-up
2. The cheapest first class walk-up
3. Cheapest advancefare

The price must be undiscounted for one adult and must be between two stations.

I think I know the answer to standard class walk-up, but I'm open to any improvements on my find of 70p!

Barry Doe reckons that the cheapest annual season ticket is Ryde to Ryde Pier.  Could your 70p fare be the walk-up single price?

Very close, but not quite.  The single is 90p and annual season ^208.00.  The ticket I'm thinking of would be ^168.00 for an annual season.

I thought it was Stourbridge Town to Junction.

80p single, no season available

I raise you to ^88 for a 12 month season ;)

Don't know if anyone's mentioned 1st class fares but Exeter St Davids to Central costs ^1.20 Anytime Return. The local stations standard fare seems to be set at a standard 80p to the next one.

How about the standard class from Worcester Shrub Hill-Worcester Forgate Street?

Checked that one - its ^1.00 unless you via droitwich in which case its ^4.60

not checked but what about Falmouth Town to Falmouth docks....80p single, I think.... quarter of a mile and you can walk it in about three minutes

Maryport to Workington. Nil.   ;D ;D

Three minutes! More like Ten, 0.37miles.

Before anyone points out that my answer was temporary, and so cheating, you can also travel between the three Heathrow stations for free.

Same when you try to get the fare from Snow Hill to New Street or Moor Street to New street - Nil

Of course snow hill to moor street is ^1.50

I had a random thought today. I travelled to Reading. My ticket stated it was valid to "Reading Stations". The gateline at Reading swallowed the ticket as I left the concourse.

What if I had broken my journey at Reading to go to the shops, but actually intended to then travel on to my final destination at Reading West?

Would I have had to buy an additional single from Reading to Reading West (which would cost at a guess around ^2.00), or would I have had a leg to stand on had I tried to argue the case at the ticket office?

Though would that be valid if you tried to do it? Is there a permitted route?

Ah - I can tell you are not a Midlander

About five/six years ago they seemed to disconnect New Street from the through line through Moor Street and Snow Hill - so if you get a Service from Kiddie to either Shirley/Stratford or the Chiltern to London you go Moor Street then Snow Hill.

When I first moved up here in 2002 SOME kiddies services DID go to NEw Street but that stopped not long after - now the two lines are completely seperate in terms of passenger services

I've found an 80p single just a little further south - Lake to Shanklin. Could that be your fare? After all it was 70p when this Wikipedia entry was made: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_railway_station (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_railway_station) - see the picture of the ticket.

I noticed that doing a little research a few weeks ago as I'm going to spend a week on the Isle of Wight in the spring and will no doubt drag the g/f onto the railway!

Very close again!  My fare for 70p is Lake to Sandown :D

I've not yet worked out the ^88 season ticket or the cheapest 1st/advance fares.

That's why I asked. I'm not a midlander, but very familiar with the geography and service pattern, so it would be a pretty bizarre thing to try to do. The timetabling systems will assume that you walk from one to the other.

Newhaven Marine to Newhaven Harbour.

I know someone who had a Annual Gold Card for this journey.

Considered it worthwhile for the discounts on the rest of NSE.

Can't do it today as Newhaven Marine does not appear on Nationalrail Enquiries. Quote from PSUL web site.

Newhaven Harbour Junction - Newhaven Harbour [platform 3 = Marine platform] WE
N 2015 SSuX Newhaven Marine - Lewes [this unadvertised service "temporarily" suspended from Thursday 17 August 2006 until further notice because of the condition of the Marine platform roof]

Also from PSUL there is still a residual service fro New Street to Kidderminster.

Galton Junction - Smethwick West (57) CG
0500 SuX Birmingham New Street - Cardiff Central
2150 SSuX Cardiff Central - Birmingham New Street
2012 SSuX Paignton - Birmingham New Street

Think Plymouth!

Devonport to Dockyard :D
Also 70p for a Single.

So far, we have:
Cheapest season: Devenport to Dockyard, ^88.00
Cheapest single: Devenport to Dockyard and Sandown to Lake, 70p

Any advances on these?

I would baulk at paying an extortionate 70p for the CDS from DPT-DOC.

Luckily I have a Railcard so for me it is a much more agreeable 45p  ;) :P ;D

The journey is timetabled to take 1 minute, but in reality is probably much shorter.

The EC website gives this suggestion, still 70p: Devenport - Plymouth, Plymouth - St Germans, St Germans - Dockyard.  Depart Devonport at 19:55, arrive Dockyard at 21:13.  Not sure if this is valid but is certainly suggested by EC.

Nice spot Brucey.

With the NRCoC allowance to join and alight short on many ticket types you could use the DPT-DOC fares and the Routeing Guide to save a few bob on fares from the intermediate stations. An example would be Saltash to Plymouth, ^2.80 CDS but with the DPT-DOC fare you save ^2.10.

Another thing I noticed from the EastCoast journey planner (have checked NRE and FGW as well - they both concur) is that, on the 1955 ex DPT arriving DOC 2113, you go through Saltash twice!!

I never thought of this.  Must be allowed through an easement as I believe that Dockyard and Devonport are both in the same routeing group (so only direct travel allowed).

Another anomaly (slightly off topic) I found whilst in my search for cheap Island Line fares: fares to the Isle of Wight can be routed "Hovertravel".  A day return on the hovercraft is ^13.40 when bought at the Hoverport.  A train ticket from Fratton to Ryde Hoverport costs ^10.50 (CDR) and ^10.60 (SDR).  Railcard discounts apply to the train part of the journey, meaning with a railcard ^10.10 (CDR) or ^10.15 (SDR).  For 4 people (all adults), at the Hoverport ^53.60, on a Groupsave rail ticket ^39.60 (saving ^14.00).  The train tickets even include a return bus journey on the Hoverbus (no, it doesn't hover!) from Portsmouth & Southsea station.

I honestly can't believe how many anomalies there are in the fares system (which I only started to find out about when I joined this website).  I now seem to have become the definitive resource to saving money (and stretching the rules*) on train journeys amongst my friends.

* When I say stretching the rules, I mean examples as quoted in the post above and in this post, nothing illegal!

I maybe wrong in my assertion that you can use the Routeing Guide and NRCoC to use a DPT-DOC fare to save a few bob on say, STS-PLY. It is interesting that journey planners show convoluted options via St Germans at either end of the day. I checked the list of easements in the Routeing Guide and there is nothing mentioned. However, there must be an easement if the JPs allow the option. This hidden easement could of course apply just to the two journey options explicitly listed. JPs give no fare if you put via Saltash or St Germans into the search criteria. Via Plymouth is however acceptable, so still 30p to be saved on DPT-PLY fare!

Think you'll find these are route retaining services, not stopping, but timed at Kiddie.

Watch out when stretching the rules. Some rules are very ambiguous, and your interpretation may differ from the TOCs. I have recent experience...... see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6156.0

 ;)

Yes, because whenever there are engineering works/ the route via Barnt Green is snarled up, XC goes via Kiddy.

Interestingly, no LM services are routed this way, although in emergencies they do run to New Street from Kiddy - so I wonder how route knowledge is kept up.

I'm guessing that beacause the loop line is so simple (i.e. short section with one signal on exit) that it's possible to retain the knowledge by passing either end. My drivers down in Bomo retain knowledge of the Laverstock loop by passing to Salisbury from Soton to view the South end and then along to Basingstoke to view the North end. Same could be said for Reading West curve. These days there are route DVDs as well which can be watched in safety briefs.

But I doubt Snow Hill drivers know Smethwick to New Street.

On the other hand, Dorking Deepdene to Dorking West costs ^1.70 single for the 2 minute ride. Outrageous!!

Can't beat them, however there is another one out there: Wrexham General - Wrexham Central SDS also 70p. Much more of a bargain that the Devonport - Dockyard fare as the journey time is 5 times longer! Also if you have a Bus Pass issued in Wrexham or Flintshire you can get from Wrexham to Hawarden Bridge for 10p return!

Plymouth - Dockyard  ;D Only through the tunnel at the end of Devonport station!

Cheapest walk-on fare? I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Workington North to Workington?  One mile and still free isn't it?  ;)

I would imagine that very few tickets are actually sold between Devenport and Dockyard.  Both unmanned stations and with a less than one minute journey - I can't imagine the guard gets very far through the train!

I think I did actually if you look back far enough in the thread.

Workington - Workington North is showing as 90p on the National Rail Enquiries website and on the Northern Rail website.  Wikipedia says that fares would only be free until 31/12/2009, but then it also says that the service would only run until 31/12/2009 (which isn't true).

Cant buy a ticket from St Budeaux Victoria Road to St Budeaux Ferry Road...does that make it free??

What's the fare from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Heathrow Central?  ;)

Sorry Graham. That one's mentioned earlier as well.

Managed to get a quote via Plymouth for tomorrow evening on the NR site, ^10 SINGLE!

No, the service was intended to run until 31 December 2009, but then it was extended: see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5736.msg57518#msg57518  ;)

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I found:

Lostock Hall - Bamber Bridge SDS 60p.

and then....

Lichfield City - Lichfield Trent Valley SDS 40p.

Knocking a whole 30p of the previous best single fare found in this thread (excluding the free ones!)

 ;D

Noting from the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3705197/Chaotic-Southern-rail-DOES-daily-service-runs-lots-room-s-ghost-train-frustrated-passengers-t-it.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490) that a daily service is still running to Newhaven Marine ...


Rather oddly, I don't see that there are any remaining risks from a roof, so why isn't it taking passengers?

This is what the very useful PSUL site has to say about the Newhaven train

"Newhaven Harbour Junction - Newhaven Harbour [platform 3 = Marine platform] WE03 
 N 2F30 2015 SSuX Newhaven Marine - Lewes
 [note: This train has been "temporarily" barred for passenger use since Thursday 17 August 2006 because of the alleged condition of the Marine platform roof (since removed). Despite continuing to appear in working timetables as a passenger train (unadvertised), it has thereafter always been re-designated (as it is again for the current timetable period) - under timetable variations - as an empty stock train, or cancelled. Despite the alleged embargo on passenger use, passengers have been allowed to disembark from railtours there - for example, on 8 June 2014.]"

http://www.psul4all.free-online.co.uk/2016.htm

Many thanks for finding those details of that somewhat bizarre situation, RichardB.  :o ::) ;D

I must confess to being confused about the Newhaven Marine "service". It runs under the "Parliamentary train" arrangements to avoid the need to go through the closure process for Marine station and the adjoining line but I believed that such trains had to provide a passenger service (whether used or not) and this one clearly does not. Surely, playing trains does not fulfill the requirements of the law.

Presumably they would have to provide a taxi if you turned up to catch the train.

That used to happen on the Stockport Stalybridge parly, I think it's mostly a train now as people travel on it to say they've done it!

There was similar situation with the odd curves between Wandsworth Common and Acton Mainline which used to be used by Cross country and later Virgin for trains from  the GWML to Dover. It ran as a bus for sometime before the lines were formally closed to regular passenger traffic. Still open for Specials including steam hauled.

(old) YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTmumbrKohs

Newhaven Marine is a perfect example of where they should just get on and close the station.   

It has no purpose at all, given the changes to the way Newhaven Harbour operates, and particularly the relocation of the roll-on ferry terminal, and its foot passenger arrangements.

Paul

From Penzance to 1072?  ??? ??? ???

Newhaven Marine.  According to Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newhaven_Marine_railway_station), its single platform is numbered '3'.

This is a rather shrewd move.  Simply make it the third platform of nearly adjacent Newhaven Harbour and then at sometime in the future rationalise the platforms of the Harbour station.  Voila!! No station closure procedure required. Cynical - Moi?  ;D

1072 is some kind of reference to Newhaven Marine? Why?  ???

No it isn't.
I'm not quite sure what all the new haven marine has to do with the original post to be honest

The original post is quite old and some words have been coded. I suspect 1072 to be st erth, as a lot of split ticketing used to involve a Penzance st erth 7 day season to get round the 18c? Requirement.

I drifted off - Newhaven Marine to Newhaven Harbour is one of the cheapest point to point fares.  Needs splitting.

Cheers, there are some weird things happening to the words and letters on this forum!

1072 is the code for London Terminals.  I've edited my original post to make this clearer.