Reading to Pontarddulais via Shrewsbury?

[cholsey-choose]

Hi all,

Always been curious about this! Travelling between Reading and Pontarddulais, would there be any valid ticket to do this via Shrewsbury, so using the heart of wales line that way instead of doubling back at Llanelli? Other than just buying one from Reading to Shrewsbury and one from Shrewsbury to Bont, of course!

Thanks very much

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Most through tickets from Reading to Pontarddulais (the latter station being located near the Southern end of the Heart of Wales line) are routed "Not via London". Having said that, travel via Shrewsbury (so as to perhaps allow a longer journey on the Heart of Wales line) looks to be something of a circuitous route. Will any journey planner offer a valid itinerary that way? Not sure.

P.S. Presume by 'Bont', you mean "Y Bont" (the bridge) which is Pontarddulais' nickname, so the same place?

 

[cholsey-choose]

Yes sorry! I do mean Pontarddulais. The national rail website at least tells me I need multiple tickets… now I’m wondering what the cheapest option is.

 

[JB_B]

Hi all,

Always been curious about this! Travelling between Reading and Pontarddulais, would there be any valid ticket to do this via Shrewsbury, so using the heart of wales line that way instead of doubling back at Llanelli? Other than just buying one from Reading to Shrewsbury and one from Shrewsbury to Bont, of course!

Thanks very much

For route: NOT LONDON tickets both Swansea Group and Craven Arms pass the fares check as destination routeing points for Reading to Pontarddulais so you should be able to go either way (and there are plenty of mapped routes from Reading to both of those - including via Birmingham and Shrewsbury to Craven Arms).

What date(s)/time(s) were you looking for? Which journey planners have you tried so far?

 

[cholsey-choose]

What date(s)/time(s) were you looking for? Which journey planners have you tried so far?

This is a bit strange! On the national rail website I checked a few hours ago and just now for reading to pontarddulais via Shrewsbury for immediate departure and it says not a valid route. But I just tried a future date next week and it offers me the same ticket I normally get via Llanelli. My fault for not experimenting more! Thanks for your help.

 

[kieron]

The National Rail planner usually looks for the fastest route, which may be valid with a through ticket or may not. Something you could try, if it doesn't find any valid routes, is to change your request to try to stop it from giving the routes it does.

For your request, you could try asking for journeys which avoid Newport, or which go via Banbury. If you use their older UI (such as by typing in a URL like this one*), you can do both.

You don't actually need an itinerary to travel via Birmingham and Shrewsbury. The anytime and off peak tickets are valid that way anyway, and you're unlikely to use GWR enough to be offered any advance tickets.

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