Regular weekly commute: Manchester to London, please help.

[marl333]

Hi, if anyone could give me any help in trying to get cheap tickets from Manchester to London I would be really grateful as it is financially killing me!

I travel every Wednesday morning from Manchester to London and return every Thursday night, for my work. Unfortunately I have to pay my own tickets and can't claim them. It's a long story but I used to live and work in London and I am doing the same job which requires me to be there 2 days a week.

My problem is that I used to pay around £30 total a week for this commute and I used to be able to get in to London before 10am. Now it costs me around £50 a week and that involves arriving either at 11.42 or afterwards, since Virgin reduced the amount of off-peak hours.

Does anyone know of a cheaper way of me getting to work. Including my travel around London on my Oyster I am having to spend about £240 a month on travel and it is so expensive.

I generally need to get the following trains as I need to get in the office before 1pm at the very latest on Wednesday and as I finish at 6pm I want to leave no later than 8pm Thursday:

Wed Manchester: 9.35am, 9.55am, 10.15am

Thurs London: 8pm

Does anyone know exactly when Virgin release their cheap tickets. They seem to be very elusive nowadays on these trains. Is there any other way of trying to get to London cheaply, e.g through a travel agent or other website that may have advance tickets?

Thanks.

 

[yorkie]

If you don't mind a slow journey, London Midland may be an option.

Is your journey city centre to city centre or do you go to the outskirts?

Are you eligible for any railcards?

 

[janb]

I generally need to get the following trains as I need to get in the office before 1pm at the very latest on Wednesday and as I finish at 6pm I want to leave no later than 8pm Thursday:

Wed Manchester: 9.35am, 9.55am, 10.15am

Thurs London: 8pm

Does anyone know exactly when Virgin release their cheap tickets. They seem to be very elusive nowadays on these trains.

Virgin just aren't putting cheap tickets on peak (or even many off peak) trains these days. They open up roughly 12 weeks ahead. The 4th August shows the 10.15 at £29, 5th August isn't open yet. Looking 11 weeks ahead on the 28th July, the four trains from 08.55 to 09.55 are £54, and the 10.15 is £29. Coming back on the 29th, the 19.40 is £29, the 20.00 is £16, anything before that is £54. All single prices obviously (off peak return is £66.20).

 

[marl333]

If you don't mind a slow journey, London Midland may be an option.

Is your journey city centre to city centre or do you go to the outskirts?

Are you eligible for any railcards?

I wouldn't mind a slow journey if a lot cheaper.

I work in the centre, near Angel.

I don't think I'm eligible for any railcards. I'm 34 in full time employment, don't travel in groups etc.

Would a network railcard help me in any way?

Virgin generally release them 12 weeks in advance but I've been booking them since September 2008 and I've found it to be quite sporadic in terms of when exactly they are released. I used to be able to get the 9.35 for £22 pretty much all the time, now my only option is generally £33.10 if I get an off peak single (booking a return at the same time).

 

[Deerfold]

Hi, if anyone could give me any help in trying to get cheap tickets from Manchester to London I would be really grateful as it is financially killing me!

I travel every Wednesday morning from Manchester to London and return every Thursday night, for my work. Unfortunately I have to pay my own tickets and can't claim them. It's a long story but I used to live and work in London and I am doing the same job which requires me to be there 2 days a week.
Does anyone know of a cheaper way of me getting to work. Including my travel around London on my Oyster I am having to spend about £240 a month on travel and it is so expensive.

Wed Manchester: 9.35am, 9.55am, 10.15am

Thurs London: 8pm

Thanks.

I've been doing something similar from West Yorkshire every week. I used to leave home at 0600 having got used to buying tickets minutes after they were released. However NXEC restricted them so that instead of starting at £12 they started at £42 or £70-odd.

Depending on how luxurious you need your accommodation to be - and your commitments the night before - you might want to look at going down the night before - I book using hostelworld.com. I'm fortunate enough to have no tube costs.

 

[Crossover]

I think you would struggle to do anything but VT from Manchester to Euston as you'd have to probably change at Stoke-on-Trent to pick up the LM stopper into Euston
The only trains you can do from Manchester to Stoke are the VT to Euston, XC to the south or Northern to Stoke and then the LM stopper does take quite a while.
Saying that, you can (or could last year but may have changed now) get some good prices on the LM stopper - me and a friend did Stafford-Euston this way last year and it cost about £4 advance (though with a railcard) - even the guard couldn't believe the price! The downside of this is I think we left STA at about half 8 in the morning arriving into Euston about 11

 

[cuccir]

You can get an off-peak return on London Midland trains from Crewe to Euston for £32, valid on the 08:33 and 09:33 departures, getting in at 11:49 and 12:49, though you would have to get the 18:29 back. A return Manchester-Crewe is £13.80 up to an including the 07:30, or £11 afterwards. So that would be £43.80 without any worry about booking trains.

At the moment, there are still advance tickets available for next week on the 08:33 and the 18:29, which would bring it down significantly more to £36.80 overall. Note you could go first class on the return leg, for only an extra £3.

If you're flexible, this might help. With Crewe, you can mix and match your advances, making use of the VT when they are cheap and using LM when there are no cheap VT fares. More VT trains stop at Crewe as well, meaning a greater number of cheap advances (for example, the 18:10 to Crewe is priced at £11 on most Thursdays in July/August at the moment, with VT, bringing total travel down to £31.80).

 

[Pumbaa]

Yes - I forgot about Crewe. The Chester trains usually have many tickets left, it may be worth if there is a lack of cheap tickets to Crewe, buying to/from Chester. The tickets are never checked before Crewe, and they don't mind; I do that when travelling from Liverpool. It's well worth it.

Another option is buying to Liverpool or Warrington and going that way. Never many tickets available to Warrington, but putting in stations around Warrington that require you to leave the train (like Earlestown or Newton-le-Willows) can get you good deals.

 

[OwlMan]

You can always get megabus to London e.g 5 June leaving Manchester at 0615 arriving London 1100 £5-50 although there is a not a convenient return you came return by train in the evening when it is cheaper.

Peter

 

[Deerfold]

You can always get megabus to London e.g 5 June leaving Manchester at 0615 arriving London 1100 £5-50 although there is a not a convenient return you came return by train in the evening when it is cheaper.

Peter

But that is a killer journey (a personal opinion - I only did that one once!)

 

[marl333]

Thanks for all the tips. I've found some cheaper options by changing trains.

I'll look into that hostelworld website too although I have an overnight stay every week.

Thought about the megabus. I might try it and see what its like as an occasional option.

Any more ideas?

 

[eddygrim]

have you tried buying the west midlands day rover and then pay northampton to london?

 

[oliverj8]

have you tried buying the west midlands day rover and then pay northampton to london?

You would also need a Manchester - Crewe/Kidsgrove return in that as well

 

[marl333]

have you tried buying the west midlands day rover and then pay northampton to london?

What would that entail?

 

[button_boxer]

Is it any better if you buy the other way around, i.e. a return from london to manchester, using the outward portion one thursday and the return the following wednesday?

 

[marl333]

Is it any better if you buy the other way around, i.e. a return from london to manchester, using the outward portion one thursday and the return the following wednesday?

It's no different as far as I can see as singles are the cheapest way I've found.

On another note, I had an off peak day single for VT for my journey this morning (£33.10 when buying an advance return journey online at the same time). 2 questions:

1. Could I have got any off-peak train today with this? My reservation was for the 9.35 train but could I have got the 9.55?

2. My ticket wasn't checked. Is there any way that I could use this on another day? I am guessing not as it says it expires 19 May. But is there any kind of loophole I'm not aware of?

I am thoroughly disgusted with Virgin's price hikes and their increase in peak times by an hour a day to shaft the passengers. The early morning trains are half empty and the first off-peak train is now actually peak as it is so busy.

When I moved to Manchester around a year and a half ago I had no trouble getting advance tickets, even at peak times, but now it is a complete nightmare. Meaning that my travel costs have massively increased and I can barely afford to carry on commuting.

Does anyone know the best way to get cheap advance tickets? Are there any on weekday mornings cheaper than £29 (on the 9.35 / 9.55 or 10.15 from Manchester?)

I will consider any legit, semi-legit or other means of getting to work!

 

[clagmonster]

The saver half ticket for £33.10 can indeed be used on any train subject to the time restrictions, not just the one for which you hold a reservation. Northbound, this is any train departing Euston between 09:26-15:00 or after 18:44. Southbound, this is any train arriving at Euston before 07:20 or after 11:29.
Another idea, have you looked at advance fares on the MML to St Pancras. In the booking engines spevify via Sheffield or via Leicester. If you book at http://www.buytickets.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/ I believe you get £1 off on the advance singles, the cheapest are £10 before discounts.

 

[marl333]

The saver half ticket for £33.10 can indeed be used on any train subject to the time restrictions, not just the one for which you hold a reservation. Northbound, this is any train departing Euston between 09:26-15:00 or after 18:44. Southbound, this is any train arriving at Euston before 07:20 or after 11:29.
Another idea, have you looked at advance fares on the MML to St Pancras. In the booking engines spevify via Sheffield or via Leicester. If you book at http://www.buytickets.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/ I believe you get £1 off on the advance singles, the cheapest are £10 before discounts.

That's good to know but I assume that definitely has to be used by the expiry date.

Thanks for the tip on the website. Nice one!

Regarding discounts, what do you have to do to get them?

 

[scrapy]

Advance fares to London are generally much cheaper in the morning peak from Warrington or Wigan. Travel via Wigan makes the journey about 3 hours, but is quicker than London Midland. Last Wednesday I paid £19 on 08.09 Wigan to Euston arriving at 10.12. A single from Manchester to Wigan cost £4.90.

This was booking about two months in advance. By comparison fares from Manchester direct to were about £80 for advance singles

 

[tony_mac]

Not at the moment they aren't, Virgin seem to have withdrawn most weekday advance fares on the Carlisle route.

I can't find a peak fare directly from Wigan for less than £87 single, even in July and August.
On the same trains, tickets for £60 are available from Glasgow Central.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I can't say about advance fares, but for turn up and go...

Manchester to Sheffield 0820 (TPE)

Sheffield to London St Pancras 0927 arrives 1134 (EMT)
(there is no reason why you couldn't find a connecting train for Kentish town for the Northern line to Angel)

Return from St Pancras to Sheffield 1955 (EMT)

Sheffield to Manchester 2247 arrives 0010 (TPE)

Fares...

Manchester - Sheffield £18.20

Sheffield - Leicester £21.70

Leicester - St Pancras £47.80

Total £87.70

Restrictions:

Must not depart Sheffield before 0900
Must not Arrive London before 1120
Return departure from St Pancras after 1859.
Journeys must involve a trains stopping at Sheffield and Leicester

 

[OwlMan]

The tickets below are all available for outward journeys on Wednesdays 7,14,21,28 July and return journeys on Thursdays 8,15,22,29 July.

Manchester Piccadilly dep..........0706
Sheffield arr............................0832

Sheffield dep...........................0847
London St Pancras arr...............1105

London Euston dep...................2000
Manchester Picc Arr..................2207

Costs:
Manchester to Chinley single ......£ 7.40
Chinley to London Advance.........£18.00
London to Manchester advance...£16.00
Total......................................£41-40

As these tickets seem to be available a few weeks after release you should be able to book in advance & get these fares.


Peter

 

[Bakerbloke]

I usually get the first advanced cheap train from Chinley (dep 1922?) to London in the evening before my appointment which was until recently £12 but I think is now £15. Another popular way for mega cheap deals is to go over to Doncaster then down to Kings Cross.

Also there are some £12 tickets between Buxton and Euston which may be of use

See:

http://www.klbyrne.plus.com/High_Peak_Rail/Cheap_London_-_Peak_deals%21.html

 

[marl333]

Thanks for the tip. I work 2 days in London a week though so I don't want to stay another night there.

The best I've managed to find is changing at Sheffield on the way down. It take longer but is much cheaper. I generally get my single to St Pancras for about £16 instead of £29. Week in, week out, that is a decent saving although I have no idea what will happen when the fares inevitably rise. Virgin is such a rip off, I would rather give it as little money as possible.

9.20 Manchester - Sheffield (arr 10.08)

10.27 Sheffield - London (arr 12.33)

Anyone got any other tips for me to get to London for about 12.40pm latest?

 

[Keele13]

Have you considered flying? BMI fly from Manchester-Heathrow for £37-£41 each way. The early morning MAN-LHR flight (lands at 0815) tends to sell out, but if you can grab it, even with the tube fare on top it's not outrageous compared with the train. BA will do it for around £42 too, again with early departures.

 

[marl333]

I've flied twice out of desperation but it's ridiculous for me to go to Heathrow as I work in East London. It's more expensive and takes forever when you take into account getting to and from the airports. It took an hour and a half from Heathrow to work alone.