St Neots to London Terminals

[sputnik]

Hi everyone

I have recently started commuting from St Neots (SNO) to central London (normal office hours), so looking for the cheapest way to travel. I don't really commute that much each month so not looking to purchase seasonal tickets.

Currently thinking of getting the cheapest anytime day return tickets from St Neots to Finsbury Park - which seem to be priced at £31.55 if I'm checking out off peak travel times - and then use contactless for the tube ride to the destination.

Can these tickets be also used during peak hours? On the Thameslink website and the ticket terms it seems that I can travel anytime on the day with the anytime day return tickets.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm trying to be careful with the terms.

 

[mathstrains19]

Based on the £31.55 price, I assume you are using a railcard of some sort. If so, then the ticket itself has no time restrictions, but the railcard may impose some time restrictions which are important to check.

 

[sputnik]

Based on the £31.55 price, I assume you are using a railcard of some sort. If so, then the ticket itself has no time restrictions, but the railcard may impose some time restrictions which are important to check.

Oh yes, thanks for pointing out! I have never checked the railcard restrictions (new to London). I've only got a network railcard so I can't seem to get an anytime day return ticket at the above price and travel before 10am.

I think my next best option would be splitting at Sandy (pricing at £37.70 at some selected travel times)? Please can you advise if I'm wrong. Just hoping to save more £! Thank you so much.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@sputnik. Network railcards usually can't be used before 10:00 midweek. Network Railcards are designed to promote off-peak leisure travel. This means using trains after the busy commuting period of before 10:00 Monday to Friday. So, not really for commuters travelling early. What time do you have to be in for?

Take it that an 8 days in 28 days flexi-season is no good?

 

[sputnik]

@sputnik. Network railcards usually can't be used before 10:00 midweek. Network Railcards are designed to promote off-peak leisure travel. This means using trains after the busy commuting period of before 10:00 Monday to Friday. So, not really for commuters travelling early. What time do you have to be in for?

Take it that an 8 days in 28 days flexi-season is no good?

Thank you, I usually travel off peak to work, and occasionally during peak times ie getting in by 10am. It works out cheaper if I don't get the flexi-season.

 

[Hadders]

Where exactly is your final destination?

 

[sputnik]

Where exactly is your final destination?

Holborn Station

 

[Watershed]

A Network Railcard is generally only valid from 10am on weekdays. There are a handful of 'easements' for specific stations that allow travel slightly earlier - but none for SNO.

Therefore, if you buy an Anytime Day Return with a Network Railcard discount, the underlying ticket wouldn't have time restrictions, however the Network Railcard would. The more restrictive set of rules prevails - i.e. the Network Railcard conditions which mean it's not valid before 10am.

A Network Railcard can still offer savings in the evening peak, where it can be used to obtain discounts. That being said, it also has a £13 minimum fare on weekdays - i.e. the fare will not be discounted to below £13. This sometimes limits the splitting opportunities since any low-value wouldn't be discounted with the Railcard.

There can still be splitting opportunities for peak-time travel from SNO. Splitting at Stevenage saves you £10 on Anytime daily tickets, for example - although you wouldn't actually use your Network Railcard in that case.

Depending on how often you commute, it might be worthwhile buying Flexi Seasons. These offer you 8 days' travel within a 28 day period, generally costing around the same as 7 daily tickets (the exact discount varies by journey). So as long as you commute at least twice a week on average, you'll use up all 8 days and thereby make a saving. NB: there's no Network Railcard discount on Flexi Seasons.

Splitting with daily tickets sometimes has a disadvantage in that you're limited to trains which stop at the station where you split (I.e. change from one ticket to the next). However, for splitting at Stevenage that doesn't really pose any real issue, as all Thameslink and Great Northern trains from SNO stop there.

It's worth noting that if one (or both) of your tickets are Flexi Seasons or other kinds of season tickets, you don't need to stop at the station where you split. You just need to pass through that station (i.e. you can't use a train that takes a completely different route).

Because of this 'easing' of the usual rules, when combining Flexi Seasons you can split at intermediate stations that your train wouldn't normally stop at - for example Welwyn or Alexandra Palace. For other similar journeys to London (e.g. from Royston) I found it was cheapest to split somewhere like that. I haven't checked every single combination of stations but it's worthwhile looking into as it could save you even more than a Stevenage split.

 

[Hadders]

Holborn Station

Stevenage is my local station and I worked near Chancery Lane station for years. If you do split at Stevenage the fare to Finsbury Park and Kings Cross is the same. It's not that far to walk from Kings Cross to Holborn, it'll take about 20 minutes which can save you two Zone 1 underground fares a day - £5.80.

 

[swing]

Stevenage is my local station and I worked near Chancery Lane station for years. If you do split at Stevenage the fare to Finsbury Park and Kings Cross is the same. It's not that far to walk from Kings Cross to Holborn, it'll take about 20 minutes which can save you two Zone 1 underground fares a day - £5.80.

Or look into travel to Farringdon / City Thameslink, which would need a ticket to London Thameslink instead of London Terminals, but might shorten the walking time to Holborn for a lower additional amount than a Zone 1 underground fare.

If you do decide to remain on GTR (Thameslink or Great Northern) trains for the whole journey, you might also want to investigate getting a GTR smartcard loaded with their PAYG KeyGo service. This would require you to tap in and tap out for every journey, but the Network Railcard can be loaded into the KeyGo account, and then GTR will work out the cheapest fare based on the trains and travel undertaken for the full journey, and automatically include the railcard discount if applicable. This may also simplify delay repay claims, but wouldn't allow you to easily split tickets for a cheaper fare that way.

Also note that you may find evening restrictions on some off peak fares (eg I often find Finsbury Park off peak fares have evening restrictions from my local stations, whereas Kings Cross / St Pancras fares are less likely to), meaning if you were returning in the early evening (approx 4-7pm) you may actually need an anytime ticket to use Finsbury Park.

 

[Hadders]

Or look into travel to Farringdon / City Thameslink, which would need a ticket to London Thameslink instead of London Terminals, but might shorten the walking time to Holborn for a lower additional amount than a Zone 1 underground fare.

It depends on the exact destination but the walk from City Thameslink/Farringdon to the Holborn station end of Holborn is likely to be similar to the walk from Kings Cross.

If you do decide to remain on GTR (Thameslink or Great Northern) trains for the whole journey, you might also want to investigate getting a GTR smartcard loaded with their PAYG KeyGo service. This would require you to tap in and tap out for every journey, but the Network Railcard can be loaded into the KeyGo account, and then GTR will work out the cheapest fare based on the trains and travel undertaken for the full journey, and automatically include the railcard discount if applicable. This may also simplify delay repay claims, but wouldn't allow you to easily split tickets for a cheaper fare that way.

Good shout.

Also note that you may find evening restrictions on some off peak fares (eg I often find Finsbury Park off peak fares have evening restrictions from my local stations, whereas Kings Cross / St Pancras fares are less likely to), meaning if you were returning in the early evening (approx 4-7pm) you may actually need an anytime ticket to use Finsbury Park.

That’s definitely one to be aware of. Some of the evening restrictions from Finsbury Park are bizarre.

 

[sputnik]

Or look into travel to Farringdon / City Thameslink, which would need a ticket to London Thameslink instead of London Terminals, but might shorten the walking time to Holborn for a lower additional amount than a Zone 1 underground fare.

If you do decide to remain on GTR (Thameslink or Great Northern) trains for the whole journey, you might also want to investigate getting a GTR smartcard loaded with their PAYG KeyGo service. This would require you to tap in and tap out for every journey, but the Network Railcard can be loaded into the KeyGo account, and then GTR will work out the cheapest fare based on the trains and travel undertaken for the full journey, and automatically include the railcard discount if applicable. This may also simplify delay repay claims, but wouldn't allow you to easily split tickets for a cheaper fare that way.

Also note that you may find evening restrictions on some off peak fares (eg I often find Finsbury Park off peak fares have evening restrictions from my local stations, whereas Kings Cross / St Pancras fares are less likely to), meaning if you were returning in the early evening (approx 4-7pm) you may actually need an anytime ticket to use Finsbury Park.

It depends on the exact destination but the walk from City Thameslink/Farringdon to the Holborn station end of Holborn is likely to be similar to the walk from Kings Cross.


Good shout.


That’s definitely one to be aware of. Some of the evening restrictions from Finsbury Park are bizarre.

Thank you both! I tried the Finsbury Park > underground route today and it was so busy on the underground, but got me into the office in 1.5 hrs door to door.

I will try the walking routes and see how it feels.

 

[Hadders]

it was so busy on the underground

Welcome to commuting in London! Mondays are not that busy - wait until you go in on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday....

 

[swing]

It depends on the exact destination but the walk from City Thameslink/Farringdon to the Holborn station end of Holborn is likely to be similar to the walk from Kings Cross.

Ah yes, I used to do a similar commute to near Holborn a few years back, and remembering back, did initially walk from Kings Cross/St Pancras, but there was some advantage of getting on the Northbound train at City Thameslink on the return which gave a better chance of getting a seat at or before St Pancras which helped sway my choice (and made the current £2 extra fare price worth it), especially after one of the many timetable changes removed some of the rush hour Kings Cross fast train options, meaning the fastest trains had come through the Thameslink core and fill up at St Pancras.

Thank you both! I tried the Finsbury Park > underground route today and it was so busy on the underground, but got me into the office in 1.5 hrs door to door.

I will try the walking routes and see how it feels.

My choice of routes even now often avoids using Finsbury Park - you might save a few pennies on the journey (depending on exact transport choices), and it definitely has a faster interchange between rail / underground than Kings Cross / St Pancras, but unless you are returning massively outside the evening peak, you'll be unlikely to get a seat until half way through the return journey. Of course, in the winter, using the underground means you'll spend less time subject to the weather (but it will be busier as everyone else does the same thing).

Again a potential plus point for KeyGo allowing you to choose the precise journey of that day whilst travelling and not before you start.

 

[higthomas]

I will try the walking routes and see how it feels.

You could also try cycling. I do Kings Cross to Tottenham Court Road which goes past Holborn and I find it much the best way. If you go Judd Street + Queens Square it's not too busy, and mostly it's cyclists at peak times. Obviously depends if you'd be happy to do that.