National Rail website nightmare

[387star]

I think this website is terribly laid out.

I wish to buy a ticket to Exmouth leaving at 9:08 yet it only gives the fare for the 10:06 departure. When I click on details for each journey and then on fare options the fare is only laid next to the 10:06 departure.
I despair but maybe I'm just incompetent

 

[SS4]

I like the layout, in order to verify if it's you or NRE then we need a departure station

 

[Ivo]

The site is pretty useless for the most part, but we would need furthe details to be able to give a more useful (excuse the pun) answer.

 

[387star]

Depart Chichester for Exmouth. It fails to list the 09:47 to Great Malvern (change at Sailsbury) which seems really odd! Only routes via Cosham joining a Ports-Cardiff

 

[ess]

the search is really, really terrible on nre

 

[class377man]

Hmm, I managed to force it to appear by filtering all TOCs except FGW. Which is far from ideal admittedly.

edit: using tomorrow as the date of travel, it seems that using FGW from Chi, you have a 44 minute wait at Westbury, which would be reduced significantly by using Southern to Cosham/Fareham/Soton and FGW thence, so it advises you about the shorter journey as it is programmed to do.

 

[387star]

I'm travelling on Thursday but it's unclear how I can pay. I'm also going on to Looe and for some reason Exmouth-Looe is really cheap (cornish fares are low?)

Bit strange off peak more expensive than anytime or is that because off peak is more expensive if you try to use it on the peak or on specific routes?

I want the departure close to 9 yet it only shows the 10:06 departure's fare (cheapest fare) and when I select other fares it still only shows them for this specific journey (beginning 10:06)

 

[island]

The 0947 departure would get you there at the same time as the 1006 since it puts you on the same trains from Westbury to Exeter and Exeter to Exmouth. Therefore it doesn't appear (unless you tick "include slower trains"). If you do you will find that the current best advance fare there is £27, which is the highest bucket of advance fares for that particular route (GREAT WESTN ONLY), so I would advise booking soon if you want to secure an Advance fare— otherwise it's £47.50 for an anytime single route WESTBRY SALISBRY.

 

[transmanche]

Hmm, I managed to force it to appear by filtering all TOCs except FGW. Which is far from ideal admittedly.

I got it to show merely by selecting the 'Include slower trains' option.

If you do this it shows:
09:47 Chichester>Westbury 11:38
12:22 Westbury>Exeter St David's 13:31
13:48 Exeter St David's>Exmouth 14:19

Compared to the fastest train search which returns:
10:06 Chichester>Cosham 10:28
10:39 Cosham>Westbury 12:09
12:22 Westbury>Exeter St David's 13:31
13:48 Exeter St David's>Exmouth 14:19

So by default, it offers you the journey which enables you to leave 19 mins later and arrive at the same time. Seems eminently sensible to me.

 

[387star]

Ah thanks
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Now I have selected slower trains it shows the fare for the 09:47 and several others. So reading this right it barred me from purchasing a ticket for the earlier train (09:08 I think) because it took the same time as the 10:06 departure and I hadn't selected also show slower trains.

I refuse to buy advanced because it limits you to specific trains which I know is very risky indeed if they are late!

Still seems strange anytime is cheaper than off peak would someone explain why this might be for me please or is it one of the many discrepencies of UK rail fares.

 

[voyagerdude220]

To save starting a new thread..

This afternoon, I looked on NRES using my phone, what the progress of my 14:46 CRK to CTR. NRES showed it as being "delayed", roughly 30 mins overdue at Birmingham International..

If I didn't have the sense to check the LDBs at Shrewsbury for engineering work (coming to the conclusion that my train was starting from Telford Central), I would've thought my service was cancelled & seeked alternative transport..

 

[island]

Still seems strange anytime is cheaper than off peak would someone explain why this might be for me please or is it one of the many discrepencies of UK rail fares.

The off-peak ticket is a return. For the particular journey in question (CCH-EXM route WESTBRY SALISBRY) the only tickets that exist are anytime single £47.50, anytime return £65.80, and off-peak return £54.

 

[yorkie]

I'm travelling on Thursday but it's unclear how I can pay.

Firstly, you can't buy tickets on the National Rail Enquiries website. Go to any Train Operating Company (TOC) website to book, or if your ticket isn't an Advance then you can buy on the day at the station (or on board if the station has no suitable facility to issue tickets).

I'm also going on to Looe and for some reason Exmouth-Looe is really cheap (cornish fares are low?).

Cornwall & Devon branch fares are indeed priced very reasonably.

Bit strange off peak more expensive than anytime or is that because off peak is more expensive if you try to use it on the peak or on specific routes?

I want the departure close to 9 yet it only shows the 10:06 departure's fare (cheapest fare) and when I select other fares it still only shows them for this specific journey (beginning 10:06)

The following fares are available (I will assume a return journey in standard class; is that right?)

SSR = Super Off Peak Return
SVR = Off Peak Return
SOR = Anytime Return

Chichester (CCH) - Exmouth (EXM)

Rte: Westbry Salisbry
SVR £54.00
SOR £65.80

Rte: Honiton Salisbry
SVR £55.00
SOR £67.00

Rte: +Any Permitted
SSR £78.00
SVR £94.00
SOR £239.00

The off peak restrictions are complicated.

The +Any Permitted is for travel via London, for the SSR you may use any train to London, then any train departing Paddington between 1010 and 1501 or from 1900. For the SVR, you may again use any train to London, then any train departing Paddington between 0810 and 1640 or from 1801.

For the Westbry Salisbry or Honiton Salisbry the SVR is restricted as follows:

Valid on any train timed to
depart at or later than the
times shown below. Off-Peak
tickets from stations not
listed are valid for
connections into these trains.

Cardiff Central 0720
Newport 0730
Severn Tunnel Junction 0745
Great Malvern 0815
Malvern Link 0820
Worcester Foregate Street 0645
Worcester Shrub Hill 0640
Ashchurch 0655
Cheltenham Spa 0705
Gloucester 0705
Cam & Dursley 0715
Yate 0730
Bristol Parkway 0745
Filton Abbey Wood 0740
Bristol Temple Meads 0810
Bath Spa 0825
Bradford-on-Avon 0835
Trowbridge 0840
Westbury 0850
Dilton Marsh 0850
Warminster 0850
Salisbury 0850
Romsey 0820
Southampton Central 0850
Fareham 0835
Cosham 0830
Fratton 0820
Portsmouth & Southsea 0815
Portsmouth Harbour 0810
Weymouth 0835
Upwey 0845
Dorchester West 0850
Maiden Newton 0850
Chetnole 0850
Yetminster 0850
Thornford 0850
Yeovil Pen Mill 0850
Castle Cary 0850
Bruton 0850
Frome 0850

I conclude that the first train that the Off Peak ticket for the route you wish to take, is the 0822 from Chichester (as this is at Cosham at 0845, and it's valid from Cosham at 0830 and valid from Chichester on trains that connect into trains departing Cosham at or after 0830).

If you wish to travel a different way on the return journey, if you go via Honiton you may be asked to pay an excess of 50p, if you go via London (at a time when the Super Off Peak is valid) the excess would be £12.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I refuse to buy advanced because it limits you to specific trains which I know is very risky indeed if they are late!

The only risk is if you are late getting to the station e.g. if your bus is late or you are stuck in traffic, or you wake up late (or you decide not to travel, of course!). Once on a train, you're covered. The terms specifically state that if delays occur while travelling, customers may take later trains to complete their journey.

 

[CheapAndNerdy]

Very odd regarding fares for the 09:08. Using 30/3 as the departure date I also got no fares at all on FGW and Virgin. While on Southern I got Anytime fares only (including 09:47 & 10:08).

Summat's up!

 

[387star]

Also im travelling to exmouth the thurs staying overnight then looe the Fri presume i have to buy two singles if travelling on separate days ie off peak return wouldnt work?

 

[ainsworth74]

Also im travelling to exmouth the thurs staying overnight then looe the Fri presume i have to buy two singles if travelling on separate days ie off peak return wouldnt work?

No the return part of an off peak return is valid for up to one month, an off peak day return is only valid for the one day.

 

[387star]

The above seems bewildering you can use svr at diffrent times from different stations how come?

 

[ainsworth74]

Oh hang on sorry, I think I've misunderstood the journey being made. Ignore my last

 

[387star]

Sorry ainsworth your post was useful i meant the poster who's listed all the stations

 

[ainsworth74]

Arghhh confusion

 

[yorkie]

Also im travelling to exmouth the thurs staying overnight then looe the Fri presume i have to buy two singles if travelling on separate days ie off peak return wouldnt work?

Are you saying you want to do an additional journey, Exmouth to Looe, outward on Thursday, then returning Looe to Exmouth on Friday?

Return fares from Exmouth (EXM) to Looe (LOO) are:

Off Peak Day Return (CDR) £14.30 [Out: Any train at or after 0845. Rtn: Any train]
Off Peak Return (SVR) £27.50 [Out: Any train at or after 0833. Rtn: Any train at or after 0833]
Anytime Return (SOR) £34.40

To return a different day, get a ticket without the suffix 'Day'
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The above seems bewildering you can use svr at diffrent times from different stations how come?

Supply & demand. The alternative is a "simple" system where it cannot be used at all until a specific time from all stations, e.g. 0930 or whatever. XC like to price their short/mid range SVRs like that, meaning if you want to travel at 0830 you have to 'split' the ticket at the first stop after 0930, or take out a mortgage for one of their insanely priced Anytime tickets. (or, like many people, ditch the train and go by car )

 

[387star]

Thanks I'm travelling to Exmouth on to Looe Friday then coming straight back from Looe to Brighton Monday all a bit confusing I know!

PS how would a ticket clerk remember all those different times?

 

[island]

They don't need to remember; they can look up the restrictions as and when they need to on their computer.

 

[387star]

Ah sorry of course.

I have bought the Exmouth ticket but looking at Exmouth to Looe (not selecting show slower trains either) it seems so much easier- it shows the prices next to every departure. This is what confused me with the Exmouth departure because it only showed the price alongside the 10:06 departure. This made me assume I could only use that train but checking my ticket as it is an anytime single I can use it anytime! This is despite the FGW website also showing the details for the 10:06 departure as if I had to choose that train.

 

[island]

You can indeed use it any time, but you have to observe the route on the ticket and ensure you pass through any towns that it specifies.

 

[4SRKT]

The only thing about NRE that I don't like is that if you go to edit a journey, and untick a via station, it then goes straight to the new look up without allowing you to change anything else like origin, destination, time etc. You then have to edit the journey again to make any other changes.

Other than that I think the site is very well laid out and works well.

 

[387star]

Why is it that if you buy separate tickets it's so much cheaper than one ticket. Eg Looe-Chichester works out way cheaper by buying a ticket to Liskeard then from there to Exeter etc!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also Looe to Exeter advance is cheaper then Liskeard-Exeter advance! Why such discrepency? it's about £4 a bargain!!

Another strange thing is you can not tell if the off-peak is a return or single in till you click on it when it gives you the option of going forward and paying- it only says off peak. Would be quicker if it listed return or single so you knew straight away

And why do Liskeard-Exter prices vary almost continuously depending on what time you travel. It seems it is cheaper to change at Plymouth and more expensive to go via crosscountry...

 

[Ivo]

The only thing about NRE that I don't like is that if you go to edit a journey, and untick a via station, it then goes straight to the new look up without allowing you to change anything else like origin, destination, time etc. You then have to edit the journey again to make any other changes.

Other than that I think the site is very well laid out and works well.

This point is very annoying, but there is a second problem - it can't handle more than one new journey at a time. Example:

I have just loaded it on two new tabs. On one, I have chosen TPB - SOC (Thorpe Bay to Southend Central), and on the other, I have gone further up the line and chosen BSO - LAI (Basildon to Laindon).

If on the first one (TPB - SOC) I then click on Journey Planner again, which should cancel itinerary but still keep TPB - SOC selected, it comes up with BSO - LAI (as the most recent choice, even though it is in a completely separate tab)...