Belfast - Kyle of Lochalsh Validity

[Hadders]

I have a few days off work and am planning a few journeys around the UK

I have an Anytime Day Single (route: Cairnryan Stena, validity: on date shown).

I am booked onto the 1130 ferry from Belfast. As it is not possible to reach Kyle on the same day is it ok to stop overnight at Inverness (which I can arrive at 2101) and continue my journey the following day using the same ticket?

 

[clagmonster]

Scotrail, who set the fare, say:
"Anytime Day tickets are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 0429 in the early morning on the following day. All travel must be completed by this time."
https://tickets.scotrail.co.uk/sr/en/tickettandc/S/SDS.aspx

Therefore, unless there is a specific easement for this flow, I would say no. Either aim for the earlier ferry, or I suspect a new ticket from Inverness to Kyle is required.

 

[BrownE]

I have a few days off work and am planning a few journeys around the UK

I have an Anytime Day Single (route: Cairnryan Stena, validity: on date shown).

I am booked onto the 1130 ferry from Belfast. As it is not possible to reach Kyle on the same day is it ok to stop overnight at Inverness (which I can arrive at 2101) and continue my journey the following day using the same ticket?

I'd get the one month return then you have 5 days to use the ticket outward - although restriction code 1X won't allow BoJ unless it's to change trains. As you are changing overnight this is permitted.

 

[lyndhurst25]

I was under the impression that Anytime Day tickets could be used up until noon on the following day if the journey could not be completed in one day.

This (from 2008) backs this up :-

www.atoctravelagents.org/clientfile...il Brief - Phase 2 - Travel Agents 290708.pdf

"Anytime Day Singles and Returns:
− Break of journey is allowed on all Anytime Day tickets.
− Anytime Day tickets are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 0230 on the following day. If a passenger is still travelling at 0230, they may stay on the train to complete that part of the journey but no further break of journey is allowed and all travel must be completed by 1200."

When did the rules change?

 

[Hadders]

I've done some investigation using the Scotrail website and I can get it to produce an itinerary with a £40 SDS, leaving Belfast on the 1130 ferry, overnight in Inverness and resuming the following day on the 0900 departure from Inverness to Kyle.

Originally the website wouldn't show the 1130 departure as valid (but said the later 1530 was) but I think this was because it was trying to route via Haymarket which isn't a permitted route between Ayr and Kyle of Lochalsh. Putting in Avoid Haymarket bought up the itinerary I wanted. I'll take a printed copy in case of any query.

I agree that a return fare is far more flexible but I won't be returning to Belfast! I'm doing a quick trip across the UK and Ireland, and want to do the Kyle and the West Highland Lines (via the Armadale to Mallaig ferry) which is unfinished business from my rail rover last summer when the derailed goods train closed the line and I had to change my plans.

 

[Paul Kelly]

When did the rules change?

5 October 2011; see [thread=52268]here[/thread].
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've done some investigation using the Scotrail website and I can get it to produce an itinerary with a £40 SDS, leaving Belfast on the 1130 ferry, overnight in Inverness and resuming the following day on the 0900 departure from Inverness to Kyle.

The electronic versions of the ticket restrictions used by the booking engines likely haven't been updated with the 2011 changes. So even though it's technically not valid, you will be fine if you bring the printed itinerary with you and stick to it.

 

[Goatboy]

I'd get the one month return then you have 5 days to use the ticket outward - although restriction code 1X won't allow BoJ unless it's to change trains. As you are changing overnight this is permitted.

I beleive the restriction code to be irrelevent on this ticket - it is clearly stated on the Scotrail website promoting this product that BoJ *is* allowed. Purchase the ticket through Scotrail and I cannot see how you could be legitimately penalised for BoJ.

 

[John @ home]

it is clearly stated on the Scotrail website promoting this product that BoJ *is* allowed. Purchase the ticket through Scotrail and I cannot see how you could be legitimately penalised for BoJ.

It is the debate about break of journey which is irrelevant. Hadders does not intend to break the journey.

National Rail Conditions of Carriage

16. ... For the purposes of this Condition ... , you will be treated as breaking your journey if you leave a Train Company’s or Rail Service Company’s stations after you start your journey other than to: ... stay in overnight accommodation when you cannot reasonably complete your journey within one day ...

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/NRCOC.pdf

Hadders intends to stay in overnight accommodation when the journey cannot be completed within one day.

My recent experience of ScotRail conductors in the highlands is that they are very used to seeing long-distance tickets dated for travel the previous day. I do not expect any issue to arise.

 

[lyndhurst25]

When the 2011 NRCoC changes (that I'd completely missed!) came in, the sensible thing for ScotRail to have done would have been to change these SailRail tickets from being Anytime Day Singles to Anytime Singles. I thought "Day" tickets were supposed to be for short journeys? Currently, you can buy Anytime Day Singles from Belfast to places like Wick and Penzance; in these cases you'll definitely struggle to get to your destination within the official validity of a Day Single.

 

[Goatboy]

When the 2011 NRCoC changes (that I'd completely missed!) came in, the sensible thing for ScotRail to have done would have been to change these SailRail tickets from being Anytime Day Singles to Anytime Singles. I thought "Day" tickets were supposed to be for short journeys? Currently, you can buy Anytime Day Singles from Belfast to places like Wick and Penzance; in these cases you'll definitely struggle to get to your destination within the official validity of a Day Single.

Acually the most sensible thing to do was to decide what these tickets are actually for. Are they intended to be discounted tickets for travel to Belfast? If so, they should be a specific Sailrail ticket type as per the Dublin tickets which would have allowed clear and specific usage restrictions. Or are they intended to be fully flexible Anytime tickets? If so, remove the meaningless and contradictory 1X restriction code.

 

[bkhtele]

The ticket is clearly valid as John states. The same ticket is also sold from Belfast to Penance and if I got the 3.30 pm ferry I could not get there by 2.30am!! Common sense will prevail

 

[Hadders]

I made the journey on Tuesday, continuing into Wednesday with absolutely no problems whatsoever.

During the ticket check on the 1741 from Glasgow Queen Street to Perth the guard was somewhat taken aback when he looked at my ticket. He said 'you'll not get there tonight'. 'No problem as I'm stopping overnight at Inverness', I replied.

A few minutes later the guard made an announcement 'for the passenger travelling to Kyle of Lochalsh' giving me the departure and arrival times of the train from Inverness the following morning!

Whilst I knew the times of the trains I needed to catch, it was top notch service and I made a point of finding the guard to thank him when I changed trains at Perth.

If I get time I'll post a brief report of my travels in the Trip Reports section.