Severn Valley tickets from London Midland

[mumrar]

Hi everyone, and to stalwarts well, it has been a long time and a whole lifetime away since I last regularly contributed here.

Anyway, I still work on the railway but not where I once did and I currently am without PRIV so I find myself in the mixing lot with everyone else trying to reduce money spent on fares when travelling.

This weekend (Sat 7th June) I'm going to the SVR for a couple of trips behind 55019. Haven't been there for ages and have a four week old son that needs a good maiden train ride. So, I know there are combined travel fares with London Midland that are issued to Bridgnorth SVR and these have the same validity as a full line rover on non-event days. Also looking through the fares I see there is also a ticket Kidderminster to Bridgnorth SVR which is code HCF and it says 'Admission Only' at a cost of £13.50. Does this ticket need to be used in conjunction with a National Rail ticket travelling in to Kidderminster, or are they something that can be used on their own for the SVR. Railcards, Child and Single or Return make no changes to the fares figure.

I'm basically looking to save money for the trip, was originally going to purchase 2 Adult and 1 Child singles from Blakedown to Bridgnorth SVR with FAM railcard discount to save money on the walk up SVR fares which cost £51.50 versus £36.50 for the singles from Blakedown. Obviously I don't want to fall foul of any problems, but I want to not pay more than I need to.

Thanks all for any help.

 

[Smethwickian]

Also looking through the fares I see there is also a ticket Kidderminster to Bridgnorth SVR which is code HCF and it says 'Admission Only' at a cost of £13.50. Does this ticket need to be used in conjunction with a National Rail ticket travelling in to Kidderminster, or are they something that can be used on their own for the SVR. Railcards, Child and Single or Return make no changes to the fares figure.

The National Rail and London Midland publicity for tickets like this tends to be poorly worded - it refers to the SVR as a static attraction just like other rail-inclusive deals to museums, theme parks etc and consequently to inclusive 'admission' rather than your SVR fare. The through fare from stations beyond Kidderminster has indeed always been the same as a rover on days other than special events (when, if I recall correctly, it is valid for one return trip, just like SVR's normal full-line returns). The Kidderminster to Bridgnorth ticket is in the National Rail database to be sold as a convenience, I presume, to odd combinations of people/discount/privilege types for whom a through ticket would not be advantageous. You could always ring the SVR to double check if you're worried about acceptance. A national railcard (of any type) would not get you a discount solely on an SVR ticket as the SVR has its own fares structure for families/members/disabled/dogs/shareholders etc.

 

[mumrar]

Okay, thanks very much for your help.

 

[andythebrave]

Is it possible to use online booking for a through ticket? Can't get Bridgnorth or L830 to appear on east coast site.

 

[OwlMan]

There is no discount for the SVR part of the fare for railcards.
Official details about Severn Valley through fares

Severn Valley Railway

Heritage Railway – combined through ticket
Interchange station: Kidderminster
Dates of operation are limited. Passengers should be advised to check that services are operating on the day concerned. Severn Valley Railway for confirmation of opening times please ring 01299 403816.
Fares

Some through fares may be shown in your TIS or the Fares Finder. Other through fares may be issued by adding the add-on amounts to fares to Kidderminster.
Add-on amounts
To Bridgnorth:
£12.00- Single/Return until 17 May 2014
£13.50- Single/Return from 18 May 2014
£6.00- Child Single/Return until 17 May 2014
£6.75- Child Single/Return from 18 May 2014
Discounts

Discount fares for holders of 16-25, Senior, Disabled and Family & Friends Railcards apply to the non-Severn Valley Railway portion of the fare only.
Discount fares for holders of Privilege Ticket Identity and Staff Travel Cards are available on the Severn Valley Railway fare and should be purchased at the attraction. These are priced at the same level as the child fare above.
Restricted days

This discounted add-on fare is not valid for entrance to The Engine House Visitor Centre at Highley or for Special Events that Severn Valley Railway Ltd operates every year. The events and autumn weekday closure during 2013 and early 2014 for which the add-on ticket cannot be used are as follows:

• Friday 20 - Sunday 22 September 2013 (Autumn Gala)
• Thursday 3 - Saturday 5 October 2013 (Diesel Gala)
• Mon 7- Fri 11 October, Mon 14 - Fri 18 October, Mon 21 - Fri 25 October (closed)
• Mon 4 - Fri 8 November, Mon 11 - Fri 15 November, Mon 18 - Fri 22 November (closed)
• Mon 25 November 2013 – Friday 14 February 2014 (Santa Specials/engineering work)

Ticketing

Destination name & NLC: Bridgnorth SVR L830
Accompanied Animals and Articles

Separate charges apply. Passengers should be advised to rebook at Kidderminster.