Plymouth to reading

[sammie2005]

hi i need to travel from plymouth to reading on the 8th of august and just wondered if i could use two open returns splitting at exeter because this is cheaper then just the one ticket didnt know if this was allowed thanks

 

[schwa]

Yes, this is allowed.

 

[sammie2005]

do i just show the conductor both tickets at same time or wait till i pass exeter to show second one?

 

[LexyBoy]

do i just show the conductor both tickets at same time or wait till i pass exeter to show second one?

You can show both at once, it's perfectly allowable to make a journey using a combination of tickets. The only proviso is that the train must stop at the station you 'split' at (no problem with Exeter).

 

[sammie2005]

cool thanks

 

[LexyBoy]

No problem! Some guards will only want to see the ticket for the part you're currently travelling on, others will prefer to see all tickets - depends on how they do things. Best to offer all tickets and they can do as they wish.

There may be other savings to be had if you can give us some more details about your journey - e.g. when are you travelling? Returning same day? Willing to take a slower route? Any railcards? I assume you don't want to be tied to a particular train, but Advance tickets could save quite a bit (and as it's FGW, you can do it on only one leg since their single fares are sensibly priced).

 

[sammie2005]

Im not paying company i work for is but think they wernt really happy about paying over 200 for it so i have saved quite abit already by splitting it, also i dont know what time il be coming back but it will be the same day so i do need open return really, i need to be there for around 9.30 so im getting the 6.55 from plymouth. havent got on a train in a while so i wasnt sure about the spiltting tickets! oh and no railcard bt as im not paying it doesnt really matter!

 

[firespire]

also i dont know what time il be coming back but it will be the same day so i do need open return really,

Why not buy Anytime Single tickets for the journey up and then when you finish on the day you will know whether to buy Off Peak Single tickets or Anytime Single tickets for the return journey.

Just had a quick look at the online ticket shops, someone with better knowledge would be able to confirm - it looks like if you were to get a Reading to Plymouth Off peak single only the 17:32 departure from Reading is not allowed, if you were to only buy to Exeter more trains out of Reading are barred (the 18:33)

 

[bb21]

Why not buy Anytime Single tickets for the journey up and then when you finish on the day you will know whether to buy Off Peak Single tickets or Anytime Single tickets for the return journey.

Just had a quick look at the online ticket shops, someone with better knowledge would be able to confirm - it looks like if you were to get a Reading to Plymouth Off peak single only the 17:32 departure from Reading is not allowed, if you were to only buy to Exeter more trains out of Reading are barred.

I would have thought that the 1832-ish train (1803 from Paddington) is also barred. However I'm not sure as I'm on my phone and can't check.

 

[RPI]

18:03 from Padd is Off-Peak if travelling west of Newton Abbot (so it is valid to Plymouth), which train are you going up on? I wasnt aware of any splits on WoE to RDG/PAD that actually worked out cheaper than a through ticket? i'll have a look
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry, only now read your full post doh, buy an anytime for going up but buy an OP for coming back, only train you cant use OP on coming back is the 17:03.
Just to add, by splitting your ticket at Exeter you are far more restricted coming back than having a through ticket, definitly dont get an anytime return as you have hardly any restrictions coming back and FGW OP and SOP singles are not much more than half the price of the equivelent return fare.

 

[yorkie]

hi i need to travel from plymouth to reading on the 8th of august and just wondered if i could use two open returns splitting at exeter because this is cheaper then just the one ticket didnt know if this was allowed thanks

Best to avoid the name/phrase "open return" as the Open Returns were renamed Anytime Returns about 3 years ago, due to some websites such as Thetrainline referring to the term "open" to include off-peak services. Therefore, with two potential meanings, the term is best not used IMO.

As we don't know what tickets you have for certain it is difficult to give detailed advice regarding validity, but the National Rail Conditions of Carriage makes it clear that you can use two or more tickets for one journey, providing one of three conditions is satisfied.

In this case, your tickets will be complying with option (b).

9. Using a combination of tickets

You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire
journey and one of the following applies:

(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at a station where you change from one
ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include
Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport
executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.
​

You must comply with any restriction shown on the tickets relating to travel in the trains of
a particular Train Company or Train Companies (see Condition 10).

If you do not comply with this Condition, you will be treated as having joined the train
without a ticket and the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply, either to the entire
journey, or from the last station where the train stopped at which at least one of the
tickets was valid.

For the purposes of this Condition, a “leisure travel pass” means any multi-journey ticket
(excluding Season Tickets) valid for:

(i) at least 7 consecutive days; or
(ii) at least 3 days in a period of at least 7 consecutive days
​

and includes rover tickets, travel passes, flexipass tickets and Britrail passes.

 

[devon_metro]

There is only one train out of Paddington towards Plymouth where you need an Anytime ticket.

Out of Paddington:
1506 Off Peak Single (£54)
1606 Off Peak Single (£54)
1636 Off Peak Single (£54) - train goes to Exeter
1703 Anytime Single (£119.50)
1736 Off Peak Single (£54) - train goes to Paignton
1803 Off Peak Single (£54)
1836 Off Peak Single (£54) - train goes to Exeter
1903 Super Off Peak Single (£48)

 

[jkdd77]

How about a Plymouth- Exeter SDR (£15.90)
combined with an "8X" Exeter- Burton-on-Trent SVR (£83.40)
(valid any train after 0500, permits BoJ on both legs)?

 

[yorkie]

How about a Plymouth- Exeter SDR (£15.90)
combined with an "8X" Exeter- Burton-on-Trent SVR (£83.40)
(valid any train after 0500, permits BoJ on both legs)?

Yes, that would be valid, if someone really had to get the 1703 ex-PAD (1732 from Reading).

 

[RPI]

How about a Plymouth- Exeter SDR (£15.90)
combined with an "8X" Exeter- Burton-on-Trent SVR (£83.40)
(valid any train after 0500, permits BoJ on both legs)?

Is that not a "Route Bristol" fare? most journeys from Devon and Cornwall to the midlands are not permitted via Reading with the exception of Coventry and Leamington.

 

[OwlMan]

Is that not a "Route Bristol" fare? most journeys from Devon and Cornwall to the midlands are not permitted via Reading with the exception of Coventry and Leamington.

It is a route "Bristol" ticket which is not valid via Reading, however it is valid via Didcot.

Peter

 

[jkdd77]

Is that not a "Route Bristol" fare? most journeys from Devon and Cornwall to the midlands are not permitted via Reading with the exception of Coventry and Leamington.

Apologies, so it is; I originally checked the routing for a Taunton- Burton-on-Trent Off-Peak Return, which is indeed "not London" (I suspect this is a mistake), and assumed it would be the same for a Exeter- Burton-on-Trent ticket.

Of course, not all trains stop at Taunton, reducing flexibility, although the vast majority of peak services do call there. Splitting at Taunton and Exeter also costs more.

 

[sonic2009]

CORRECT that is a route bristol fare

 

[RPI]

if you go down to Liskeard to catch that train there are still some AP for monday at under £50