Split ticket question

[s87]

Hi I wanted to clarify if I’m on a split ticket does the train have to stop at the station, as I’m considering the best way to get a flexible ticket from Rugby - London and one way seems to be to get a Milton Keynes to London flexible ticket and then a Rugby - Milton Keynes ticket (the tickets are the 8 journeys in 28 days)

I wanted to confirm if I’m on a train that doesn’t stop but passes through Milton Keynes will this be ok?

Or any other suggestion from south Leicestershire to Lonon.

Thanks

 

[jfollows]

No.
If you have two tickets the train has to stop at the common point, unless one of them is a season ticket or similar rover ticket.
So a combination of anytime return tickets, day return tickets, single tickets or advance tickets can only be used when the train stops, however you do not have to get off at the stopping point.

See https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e...3/National_Rail_Conditions_of_Travel_2024.pdf section 14 “Using a Combination of Tickets”.

 

[Watershed]

Welcome to the forum @s87

If both of your tickets are single/return tickets, then your train needs to stop at the station where you change from one ticket to the next. That stop also needs to allow you to both get on and off - some Avanti trains have stops at Milton Keynes which have 'pick up'/'set down' only restrictions, which wouldn't count.

On the other hand, If one or both of your tickets is a season ticket (Flexi Season, weekly, monthly, annual or custom period) then you don't need to stop at the station where you change tickets. You just need to pass through that station - and obviously, all Rugby to London trains go through Milton Keynes.

The cheapest option will depend on how often you will be travelling each week, and at what times. Can you give us a rough idea of this? It would also be useful to know if you are eligible for any age-based Railcards, e.g. 16-25, 26-30 or Senior (i.e. 60+).

Would you be willing to limit yourself to West Midlands Trains/London Northwestern branded trains? This may potentially save you quite a bit of money. They run one train an hour between Rugby and London which is fast (it only stops at Milton Keynes); if you take this one, it's not much slower than taking an Avanti train.

 

[benk1342]

I interpreted the question as relating to a pair of flexi seasons (8 in 28).

 

[jfollows]

I interpreted the question as relating to a pair of flexi seasons (8 in 28).

That’d be fine, then, indeed.

 

[s87]

Welcome to the forum @s87

If both of your tickets are single/return tickets, then your train needs to stop at the station where you change from one ticket to the next. That stop also needs to allow you to both get on and off - some Avanti trains have stops at Milton Keynes which have 'pick up'/'set down' only restrictions, which wouldn't count.

On the other hand, If one or both of your tickets is a season ticket (Flexi Season, weekly, monthly, annual or custom period) then you don't need to stop at the station where you change tickets. You just need to pass through that station - and obviously, all Rugby to London trains go through Milton Keynes.

The cheapest option will depend on how often you will be travelling each week, and at what times. Can you give us a rough idea of this? It would also be useful to know if you are eligible for any age-based Railcards, e.g. 16-25, 26-30 or Senior (i.e. 60+).

Would you be willing to take the slower West Midlands Trains/London Northwestern branded trains? This may potentially save you quite a bit of money.

Thank you, sorry I’m 33 (so no rail card option) and Unfortunately will be heading into london 3 days per week at peak time (ideally getting into Euston at 8:30 to get the the northern line to London Bridge) I was planning to get the cheapest option and then saw this and wanted to check if it was possible.

Based on the info I have I can therefore purchase the Milton Keynes Central - London flexi ticket and then Rugby to MKC tickets (it’s only a minor saving I think with the flexi) and take the Avanti trains that don’t stop at MKC but go through if the flexi is considered a season ticket.

I think I’m understanding this correctly.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Oct 2025 ==

I interpreted the question as relating to a pair of flexi seasons (8 in 28).

It is indeed, as I want to avoid panic buying in the morning

 

[Watershed]

OK, in that case then your cheapest option would be either to buy a pair of Flexi Seasons splitting at Leighton Buzzard (LBZ); this would cost £482.90 per 8 journeys, i.e. £60.36 per day. This is cheaper than splitting Flexi Seasons at Milton Keynes or any other station along the route.

You can get it even slightly cheaper than that if you get a Network Railcard. This isn't as good as an age-based Railcard as it's not valid before 10am, but it still gives you a discount on your travel back home in the evening. This would mean getting a Rugby to LBZ Flexi Season, and then singles between LBZ and London in each direction. You'd get an undiscounted Anytime Day Single on the way in, and a Network Railcard discounted one in the evening.

If you did that, it would cost you £190.30 per 8 journeys for the Flexi Season to LBZ (i.e. £23.79 per day) and then £20.90 for the undiscounted single in the morning, plus £13.90 for the Network Railcard discounted single back in the evening. Making for a total of £58.59 per day, with the added benefit that you don't have to pay quite as much upfront for Flexi Seasons all the time.

As you'd be getting the Underground there is also an opportunity to make a small saving there. You could buy a ticket from Underground Zone 1 (instead of Euston) to LBZ on the way home - this effectively gives you the Network Railcard discount on your Tube journey, making it £2 vs the usual peak PAYG fare of £2.90. The £35 annual cost of the Network Railcard would pay for itself within 13 journeys, so around a month of travel.

The above combinations would be valid on any train from Rugby to Euston and vice versa - LNR or Avanti. The train wouldn't need to stop at any particular station for it to be valid.

 

[s87]

OK, in that case then your cheapest option would be either to buy a pair of Flexi Seasons splitting at Leighton Buzzard (LBZ); this would cost £482.90 per 8 journeys, i.e. £60.36 per day. This is cheaper than splitting Flexi Seasons at Milton Keynes or any other station along the route.

You can get it even slightly cheaper than that if you get a Network Railcard. This isn't as good as an age-based Railcard as it's not valid before 10am, but it still gives you a discount on your travel back home in the evening. This would mean getting a Rugby to LBZ Flexi Season, and then singles between LBZ and London in each direction. You'd get an undiscounted Anytime Day Single on the way in, and a Network Railcard discounted one in the evening.

If you did that, it would cost you £190.30 per 8 journeys for the Flexi Season to LBZ (i.e. £23.79 per day) and then £20.90 for the undiscounted single in the morning, plus £13.90 for the Network Railcard discounted single back in the evening. Making for a total of £58.59 per day, with the added benefit that you don't have to pay quite as much upfront for Flexi Seasons all the time.

As you'd be getting the Underground there is also an opportunity to make a small saving there. You could buy a ticket from Underground Zone 1 (instead of Euston) to LBZ on the way home - this effectively gives you the Network Railcard discount on your Tube journey, making it £2 vs the usual peak PAYG fare of £2.90. The £35 annual cost of the Network Railcard would pay for itself within 13 journeys, so around a month of travel.

The above combinations would be valid on any train from Rugby to Euston and vice versa - LNR or Avanti. The train wouldn't need to stop at any particular station for it to be valid.

Thank you so much, that’s really helpful. Can I ask if it’s possible for the ticket from Rugby to cover me all the way to London Bridge to avoid having to buy multiple tickets (sorry for all the questions).
Sam

 

[Watershed]

Thank you so much, that’s really helpful. Can I ask if it’s possible for the ticket from Rugby to cover me all the way to London Bridge to avoid having to buy multiple tickets (sorry for all the questions).
Sam

No problem at all. Unfortunately you can't get a Flexi Season that includes the Underground, as they're issued in a digital format that TfL don't want to accept.

Your only option for a ticket that includes the Underground is to get a daily single/return to/from Underground Zone 1, or a Travelcard covering travel into London as well as around Zones 1-6. A Travelcard can be obtained as a day ticket, or as a season ticket (weekly, monthly, annual or custom). However a Travelcard is unlikely to be your cheapest option.

This is why I suggested a ticket from Underground Zone 1 in the evening - and you'd use PAYG in the morning. You could also get your morning ticket issued to Underground Zone 1, however it costs £3 extra (since you don't get a Railcard discount in the morning) which is 10p more than the PAYG fare of £2.90.

In fairness, there are retailers like LNER and Uber that will give you cashback or other incentives. Those might save you more than the 10p "premium"!