What's the biggest saving you can make by splitting your tickets?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Background for newcomers ... Of course it's perfectly within the rules to travel from A to C by train via B, with a ticket that's for the complete A to C journey.  It's also within the rules to travel from A to C with a ticket from A to B, plus a ticket from B to C - provided that the train calls at B.   You may wonder why on earth anyone would set out to intentionally buy two tickets rather than just one ... well, it turns out that sometimes the price of an AC ticket is more than the cost of an AB ticket plus the price of a BC ticket.

Let me give you an example.  If I want to travel on the 06:16 from Swindon to Salisbury next Monday (a direct train which gets to Salisbury at 07:36 via the shortest possible rail route that's still open), the First Great Western ticket site offers me an anytime single at 53 pounds.  But if I buy a Swindon to Warminster ticket (a day single is offered) I'll pay 12.20 for it, and a Warminster to Salisbury (Anytime day single at 6.30), my total bill will come down to 18.50 - just 34.9% of the lowest online price quoted for the same train with a ticket all the way through.

I'm going to be in London for a few days in the autumn, and I'm looking to travel very early one morning into Waterloo.  It's much more convenient for where I'm headed, and I don't want to have to struggle with heavy luggage onto and off the tube.  Let's see what that will cost:



Hmmm ... that's a bit out of my budget.  "Rail travel is only for the rich" at times!

What does it cost from another station nearby?



That's much better - I can probably get a lift there.

But hang on - that 06:50 train at Trowbridge is exactly the same train as the 06:41 at Melksham, and I can pay 3.10 for a Melksham to Trowbridge ticket ... total cost 37.20 rather that 159.00, letting me travel - completely within the rules - for just 23.39% of the best price offered at the web enquiry when I was looking at buying a through ticket.

Whilst there will always be anomolies in any fare system, it has always struck me that there's something wrong or unfair about a system which frequently allows travellers to make considerable savings by spitting tickets.  I can think of very few other walks of life (except short term car parking) where it's often cheaper to split your purchases in this way.

Can anyone come up with any savings above my 76.61% on their local line / from their local station?

[IndustryInsider]

Another example of what a mess our fare system is in, Graham!

[JayMac]

Err, grahame. Your comparison is slightly flawed. You've taken the Melksham - London Waterloo (cf London Terminals) route: any permitted Anytime Return at ^159, and compared it with the Trowbridge - London Waterloo route: Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Day Single.

Trowbridge - London Waterloo any permitted Anytime Return is the same price as from Melksham at ^159.00. Trowbridge - London Waterloo Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Return is ^68.20. That can be reduced to ^62.10 if you do not need to return in the evening peak by buying an Anytime Day Single on the outward (^34.10) and a Super Off Peak Single (^28.00) on the return.

[grahame]

Err, grahame. Your comparison is slightly flawed. You've taken the Melksham - London Waterloo route: any permitted Anytime Return at ^159, and compared it with the Trowbridge - London Waterloo route: Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Day Single.

Oh ... 

Both of those screen captures were within a few seconds of each other ... using the National Rail website that offers a selection of stations to help with comparisons, and they were offered alongside each other.  I don't doubt you're right - that 159 seems exceedingly steep (even for a return), and that 34.10 remarkably good value even for a single.

I really should be able to compare like for like easily (Melksham v Trowbridge) on something that's set up to look like a price comparison site, but it seems I have been given (or misread) a comparison between a magazine and a biscuit.  For a like for like comparison, what IS the "Melksham - London Waterloo route: Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Day Single" fare?

[smokey]

The Biggest Nonsense I know ticket wise is this:

Penzance to Stranraer:

Penzance                                      d 06:28 Birmingham New Street                    a 11:58                                                   d 12:20 Carlisle                                         a 15:00                                                    d 15:15 Kilmarnock                                     a 16:55                                                    d 17:04 Stranraer                                      a 18:52

Walk on Anytime fare is ^214.00

However buy a Ticket from same Booking Office to Belfast Port.

Same Trains walk on fare is ^49.00

Thats 20.57% of the ^214.00 Stranraer fare, or a saving of 79.42%

[ChrisB]

But is break of journey permitted?

And is the Belfast ticket actually flexible? Csn you change your travel dates once purchased?

[JayMac]

For a like for like comparison, what IS the "Melksham - London Waterloo route: Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Day Single" fare?

Er, there isn't one! You have to split at Trowbridge. So its ^3.10+^34.10 = ^37.20.

And just to complicate matters further you can buy a Shirehampton (or other SVB Line station of your choice!) - London Waterloo Warmster/Salsbry Anytime Day Single for ^30.80 plus your Melksham - Trowbridge ticket totaling ^33.90. That first ticket is valid for starting short a Trowbridge.

The Anytime Return from Shirehampton - London Waterloo is just ^54.00 which in combination with two singles Melksham <-> Trowbridge totals ^60.20. That is, I believe, the cheapest walk-up option available to you for a period return to London Waterloo from Melksham via Salisbury.

[smokey]

But is break of journey permitted?

And is the Belfast ticket actually flexible? Csn you change your travel dates once purchased?

Well the ^49.00 ticket is shown as ANYTIME, and as I believe YOU have to leave Stranraer station to walk to the Harbour well I like to see a RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) pull you up for it.

[JayMac]

But is break of journey permitted?

And is the Belfast ticket actually flexible? Csn you change your travel dates once purchased?

The Belfast ticket quoted by smokey is an Anytime Day Single. Change of plans or refunds can be made up to 24 hours prior to departure of first train, subject to a ^10 admin fee.

Break of journey is not permitted on singles to Belfast NI or the outward portion of returns, except to change trains. Realistically though there is very little to stop you ending your journey short at Stranraer if that is your ultimate destination. However I cannot condone that. Abuse of the tickets to Ireland/Northern Ireland buy using them for mainland travel only could lead to ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) withdrawing, increasing fares or amending the Rail+Ferry tickets.

[JayMac]

And to return to the subject in the thread title I recently made a day trip to Liverpool from Shirehampton and saved a pretty penny by splitting at various points en route.

Shirehampton - Liverpool Lime Street. Anytime Return (SOR) ^133.00

My splits:

Shirehampton - Bristol Temple Meads. Anytime Day Return (SDR) ^3.00
Bristol TM^‡(resolve) -  Cheltenham Spa. SDR (XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) Only) ^13.30
Cheltenham Spa - Bromsgrove* SDR ^10.40
Birmingham New Street - Stafford SDR ^5.35**
Stafford - Liverpool Lime Street. SVR (Virgin Only) ^19.60

Total ^51.65. 38.9% of the through fare. And with this combination I only needed to change trains at Bristol and Stafford.

*Valid to Birmingham due to a Routeing Guide easement
**Online price taking advantage of London Midland's half price sale

[grahame]

The Anytime Return from Shirehampton - London Waterloo is just ^54.00 which in combination with two singles Melksham <-> Trowbridge totals ^60.20. That is, I believe, the cheapest walk-up option available to you for a period return to London Waterloo from Melksham via Salisbury.

Ah - thanks - so that's 37.86% of the 159 pound fare offered on the web site.   I really don't want / need "any route" - so the more expensive fare would really have been oversold to me. And I'll probably take advantage of the splitting and see whether it's more convenient on my return to do the last leg by train or bus.  I much prefer the train, but if there's a bus due and no train for a few hours ....

[ChrisB]

Well, I can better that, but is has to be said with a fare that won't exist for long!

As of Monday, Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone Anytime Return is ^75.

However, Moor St to Haddenham & Thame is ^24.60, plus a Haddenham & Thame to Wendover anytime singles x 2 (Any Permitted, which includes Marylebone!) which are currently 10p each !!! = ^24.80. That's 33% of the ^75 fare!

[JayMac]

Again, that isn't really an accurate comparison. The ^75 fare is unrestricted and valid for return up to one month. The ^24.60 fare is an Off Peak Day Return with AM peak restrictions and return the same day.

As to Haddenham & Thame Parkway - Wendover being valid via Marylebone, I have severe doubts about that. The shortest route (or any route up to 3 miles longer than the shortest route) is always valid, which would be via Princes Risborough and Aylesbury. No other routeing would be valid, as unsurprisingly all routeing points fail the fares check rule.

The fare-check rule is that a journey is allowed by an origin or destination routeing point if the fare for the whole journey via that routeing point is not less than the fare from the origin to the destination routeing point and not less than the fare from the origin routeing point to the destination.

[Brucey]

And it could be possible to make each split as a seperate transaction if booking through a specific South-England based TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s website ... http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=9382.0

[ChrisB]

That birm-had fare is an anytime fare, though possibly only valid one day.

That 10p fare is any permitted - I checked at two chiltern ticket offices and told it was valid via MYB^▸ (London (Marylebone)). there is also a similar "Not London" fare.