Weird fares to west Wales...

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

Currently playing around trying to work out the best combination of tickets to use when I travel home form Heathrow for Christmas in a couple of months' time - not absolutely sure of my travel plans yet so I was trying to see if there are any worthwhile splits to make that will save me a bit of money but still give me the flexibility that an Advance ticket won't. In the course of doing so I came across this...

Reading (RDG^‡(resolve)) - Whitland (WTL): off-peak return (SVR) is GBP 80.00

But, RDG - Swindon (SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)) SVR is GBP 26.50, and the only standard class return fare SWI - WTL is an anytime return (SOR) for the amazingly cheap price of GBP 48.50: this also lets me break my journey on the outward leg which may be exactly what I need to do! Since AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) all the Swansea services call at Swindon, for GBP 5.00 less I get far more flexibility in my travel arrangements compared to the SVR fare...

Just for the sake of comparison, the RDG - WTL SOR is a hefty GBP 235.00. So, one stop less (assuming the Swansea service skips Didcot) and you pay a whisker more than a fifth of the fare for a fully flexible ticket!! Don't try telling me this is because there is an enormous WTL - RDG flow compared to a negligible WTL - SWI flow...

[JayMac]

Anything wrong with a Super Off Peak Return from Reading to Whitland? That'd be ^64.00 and breaks of journey are permitted out and return, including overnight on the outward if required.

[inspector_blakey]

Cheers for the pointer! My flight lands at about 0700... SVR lets me get the 0911 off Reading heading west (which is also booked for a Travelling Chef...important consideration when all they give you on the plane for breakfast these days is a muffin that you could lose in a filling!!). NRES^▸ (National Rail Enquiry Service) didn't offer me anything for an SSR until 1100ish from memory.

Re the overnight break of journey outward on SVR...I thought that was only if you couldn't reasonably complete the journey before the close of play in the evening?

All should probably become a little clearer next week though when I've been able to get in touch with some of the relations and figure out where I need to be and when!!

[Brucey]

The SSR has restriction code YN.  This has the following restrictions for your journey:

Outward valid on services timed to depart Reading between 10:30 and 15:30 and from 19:01
Return valid after 07:25 (also valid between 01:00 and 04:00)

As for overnight break of journey

Overnight Break of Journey (see Break of Journey notes at start of this section) - restarting journey from an intermediate station: On day 2, restrictions as above apply and journey must recommence before 12:00.

#2 - Break of Journey

Break of journey is allowed on the outward portion of Super Off-Peak tickets unless otherwise indicated by a restriction shown against the ticket^s validity code, and in all cases on the return portion of Super Off-Peak return tickets.

Super Off-Peak Singles and the outward portion of Super Off-Peak Returns are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 04:29 the following morning. If the journey cannot be completed in this time, the ticket may be used to continue the journey on the following day. Unless otherwise indicated in the relevant restriction code, the same time restrictions from the origin station apply on BOTH days. All travel must be completed by 04:29 in the morning after this second day. Please note that break of journey is not permitted on some journeys, as detailed in the ticket restrictions.

Return portions of Super Off-Peak Return tickets are valid for travel until 04:29 on the day following the last day of validity (i.e. one calendar month from outward journey). All travel must be completed by this time.

Note: Cross London transfers on Super Off-Peak Singles will only be accepted by London Underground on the date shown on the ticket and until 0429 the following day.

[JayMac]

And to add to Brucey's post which includes the new ticket validity rules (the main change being the extension of the railway 'day' until 0429):

According to a clarification brief sent to staff by ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here), the decision to break one's journey rests solely with the customer.

[ellendune]

Reading (RDG^‡(resolve)) - Whitland (WTL): off-peak return (SVR) is GBP 80.00

But, RDG - Swindon (SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)) SVR is GBP 26.50, and the only standard class return fare SWI - WTL is an anytime return (SOR) for the amazingly cheap price of GBP 48.50: this also lets me break my journey on the outward leg which may be exactly what I need to do! Since AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) all the Swansea services call at Swindon, for GBP 5.00 less I get far more flexibility in my travel arrangements compared to the SVR fare...

Just for the sake of comparison, the RDG - WTL SOR is a hefty GBP 235.00. So, one stop less (assuming the Swansea service skips Didcot) and you pay a whisker more than a fifth of the fare for a fully flexible ticket!! Don't try telling me this is because there is an enormous WTL - RDG flow compared to a negligible WTL - SWI flow...

This is a further justification for my suggestion (in another thread) that there should be a price for each length of track and the bit with the high demand is charged the same for everyone that uses it.

[ChrisB]

That's fine as long as you extend it to all rauils in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).....

I think Cornwall would have something to say....

[inspector_blakey]

Brucey and bignosemac - thanks for the information above. I assume that the rule permitting an overnight break of journey on the outward leg of SVR/SSR tickets is a relatively new one, it had passed me by anyway...