South West Trains short term special offers

[whole diary]

[Fourbee]

50% off during half term week (Saturday 25th - Friday 31st October)

Further details and conditions on the South West Trains' website:
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/halfterm.aspx

[JayMac]

Despite the T&Cs not excluding it, you can't book a half price journey from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to London Waterloo using the direct SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services.

Off Peak Day Return (route:Warminster/Salisbury) is priced by SWT and the times and dates I've been looking at are within the published restrictions. Methinks SWT have excluded Bristol - Warminster inclusive, as they've done with other offers, but neglected to put the exclusion in the T&Cs. Naughty.

[JayMac]

Serve me right for my cynicism.

I've been told that Bristol-Warminster should be included in the Half Term offer for the Off Peak Day Returns that SWT^▸ (South West Trains) price from those stations.

Details have been noted by SWT Customer Services management and passed onto the fares team and the missing special offer fares should be uploaded to the booking systems in the next two to three days.

[stuving]

What does "SWT^▸ (South West Trains) only" mean?

On Monday I went from Wokingham to Winchester for the day. At the station, the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) offered me the ticket I wanted - off-peak day return - plus the others I expected, viz. off-peak return and 1st class off-peak day return. There was also a choice of routes: via Reading or via Farnborough North (with a walk to Farnborough (Main)). There do not seem to be "any route" fares - though via Reading costs a little more, it is not valid via Farnborough. I imagine the point of this is to exclude travel via London -  which would be a lot slower, but could be useful if you can break your journey there.

The TVM offered me another option I had not expected: "SWT only" which cost about 25% less. At the time I ignored it, but thought it ironic that it would probably involve going via London, or Clapham Junction anyway. But I thought I'd have another look today. Firstly, I have no idea what sort of offer it was. There was a half-term offer (which is what I suspected it to be at the time) but that's on-line only. I can't find any other on SWT's site, and it's not on the machine today.

But what would "SWT only" mean on that journey? And how do I find out before buying? SWT's own trip planner has no such option. NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s Journey planner does allow you to "choose operator", but on closer examination that's only a preference, and anyway it does not seem to do anything in this case. Apart from CLJ, there's only slow and rather silly routes that are literally SWT only - Virginia Water/Weybridge/Woking, or Twickenham/Wimbledon.

[Fourbee]

I can't help but think this was a foul up. On SWT^▸ (South West Trains)'s facebook page someone complained on 31 October about the SW Summer 25% off in relation to the return restrictions from Waterloo which had been purchased from a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine). As you say, the last 2 major promotions (50% off half term, 25% off Fri-Sun in September) were never meant to be available from a TVM.

However, the first one which ran this year every day from 21 July - 22 August offering the flat fare of ^15 was under the banner of route "SWT Only" where it was available from TVMs.
http://www.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2014/2014-08-15.aspx

Just speculating, maybe the recent 25% off fares were loaded to the TVMs and somehow remnants of the earlier promotion remained enabling that option to appear.

Secondly, I think SWT maybe have forgot about fares involving Reading -> Basingstoke operated by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) which again, I am guessing would need to be manually excluded (akin to the Bristol fares on the earlier promotions, apparently they were going to sort this out for Bignosemac on the half term promotion). Again, as you say no sensible route exists "SWT Only" in this scenario.

...so in my view it was at least 2 errors!

[Fourbee]

Just had another thought about map WW which may make my remarks about Reading-Basingstoke wrong:

Is Wokingham->Ascot->Ash Vale->Brookwood->Basingstoke->Winchester a permitted route using SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Only?

(I put Brookwood in as I am not sure doubling back, that is going to Woking and back out again is allowed for this).

[Fourbee]

Spring Fan Fare ^15 day returns available on certain days/journeys until Saturday 4 April.

The full list of caveats is available here:
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/fanfare-terms-conditions.aspx

[PhilWakely]

Spring Fan Fare ^15 day returns available on certain days/journeys until Saturday 4 April.

The full list of caveats is available here:
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/fanfare-terms-conditions.aspx

as usual, the 'far west' loses out!

The ticket price excludes stations west of Salisbury (between Warminster and Bristol Temple Meads and Tisbury and Exeter St Davids inclusive), and west of Bournemouth (between Branksome and Weymouth inclusive)

[ChrisB]

You'd think they'd have an add-on or second price level?

[PhilWakely]

You'd think they'd have an add-on or second price level?

I agree entirely!  You can travel from Bournemouth to London ^ a journey of 108 miles taking 2 hours ^ for ^15, yet it will cost ^25.80 to travel from Pinhoe to Salisbury ^ a journey of 85 miles taking 1 hour 40 minutes (or more than double at ^32 for Pinhoe to Andover which is equivalent to Bournemouth to Waterloo both in terms of time and mileage).

When I complained last time, they used the overcrowding excuse and they didn't want to encourage too many people to use the train!

The cynic in me suggests that Salisbury to Exeter [and Salisbury to Bristol TM^‡(resolve)] are just inconvenient 'must haves' for the franchise and SWT^▸ (South West Trains) is trying to get the routes removed from its obligations.   

[Southernman]

Certainly overcrowding west of Salisbury has been quite an issue when similar offers have included this route. Simply not enough extra rolling stock I'm afraid. Include Exeter and a (possibly) unmanageable number of passengers would want to travel SWT^▸ (South West Trains) to that destination.

It does seem unfair but probably a sensible practical decision.

Also, I don't believe for one moment that SWT wish to rid themselves of Salisbury-Exeter. It does present some extra challenges and is a one-off with its diesel trains. In any event it is part of the franchise. The future is not being neglected either.

[PhilWakely]

It does seem unfair but probably a sensible practical decision.

What really irks me is that I'll guarantee a poster advertising the offer will appear at Pinhoe and other stations west of Salisbury and it will also be included in the automatic tannoy announcements. So, potential passengers will be misled into thinking that it is available to them.

[Fourbee]

Certainly overcrowding west of Salisbury has been quite an issue when similar offers have included this route. Simply not enough extra rolling stock I'm afraid. Include Exeter and a (possibly) unmanageable number of passengers would want to travel SWT^▸ (South West Trains) to that destination.

I have not seen many 9 car formations to Exeter St Davids recently on the run from Waterloo to Salisbury (I think 9 car services divide at Salisbury in any case and send a portion forward?).

[paul7575]

There are no booked 9 car formations at Exeter St Davids, either in passenger service or ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock).

I agree anything longer than six cars will always split at Salisbury.

Paul

[Southernman]

There are no booked 9 car formations at Exeter St Davids, either in passenger service or ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock).

I agree anything longer than six cars will always split at Salisbury.

Paul

Certainly no 9 cars in passenger service (usually). There is an early empty train down from Salisbury that consists of 9 cars however it does not reach EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) as 9 cars so you are correct!