London Terminals <> Birmingham Stations most weekends

[TSR :D]

If I were to go from London Terminals to BHM stations every weekends, (On Saturday/Friday, going to London), on (Sunday, returning to London) on advance tickets every weekends.

How much would you estimate the cost (Monthly)? Is the train usually busy (On off peak periods on those days)? I'm using a railcard.

 

[ng1980]

If I were to go from LDN stations to BHM stations every weekends, (On Saturday/Friday, going to London), on (Sunday, returning to London) on advance tickets every weekends.

How much would you estimate the cost (Monthly)? Is the train usually busy (On off peak periods on those days)? I'm using a railcard.

Of course, it depends upon when you wish to travel and what flexibility you need.

Advance tickets provide excellent value-for-money, but they are only valid on the one train, not amendable and not refundable. This means that you cannot be flexible (for example "If I get off work early today, I'll get down there earlier").

If you are open to the rigidity which advance tickets exist on, and you book far enough in advance, there seem to be quite a few tickets for £5 each way. However, these are not on the fastest trains.

Examples:
Friday 10 February 2011, dep BHM 18:33, arr MYB 20:43 (change at Birmingham Moor Street, BMO) - cost if you buy now = £5
Sunday 12 February 2011, dep MYB 20:00, arr BHM 22:11 (change at BMO) - cost if you buy now = £5
If you don't like these trains, click on "Find earlier trains" and "Find later trains" - £5 tickets are currently very easy to find on these dates.
Information retrieved from www.nationalrail.co.uk .

If you want more flexibility, these trains you seem to be able to buy "Off Peak" instead of "Advance" at £24.90. This still doesn't allow you to travel on every train from London to Birmingham, and trains still need to be at off peak time, but it means that you are not limited to a single train.

However, look at the prices of Advance tickets. If you need more flexibility than an Advance, but want to save money on an "Off Peak" you could buy two (or more) Advance tickets in each direction and only use the one that suits you best. You would still be paying only £10 single (if you bought two Advance tickets in each direction) or £15 single (if you bought three Advance tickets in each direction). However, it could be argued that this is unfair as it deprives other travellers buying these limited Advance tickets.

If you want to use trains on quicker routes or at any time, you would have to buy more expensive tickets again.

Re passes or season tickets, I don't know so other members can advise.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

How long is a piece of string?

At most it would cost you an average of £451.97p per month with a railcard discount. At the opposite end of the scale it could cost you as little as an average of £57.20p per month with a railcard discount.

 

[SickyNicky]

If you don't mind using the semi-fast London Midland service via Northampton (around 2 hours 10 mins) you can easily get advance tickets for £3.95 each way with your railcard discounts. Since that takes the same length of time as the Marylebone service, why not pick and choose the best price depending on the time you need to travel?

The key is to book the tickets as soon as you can - that way you'll get the best price.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

LDN = Llandanwg not London surely?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Does Llandanwg have more than one station?

Well if it does then I guess potentially it's an average of between £74.50p and £152.97p a month.

 

[SickyNicky]

Llandanwg to Birmingham New Street produces some interesting split stations for walk-up tickets (period returns):

Anytime Singles (x2)
LLANDANWG to DYFFRYN ARDUDWY
Fare £3.60
Route ANY PERMITTED

Off Peak Return
DYFFRYN ARDUDWY to CAERSWS
Fare £16.30
Route ANY PERMITTED
Restriction (8A)

Off Peak Return
CAERSWS to BIRMINGHAM STNS
Fare £21.30
Route ANY PERMITTED
Restriction (8A)

 

[dvboy]

If I were to go from LDN stations to BHM stations every weekends, (On Saturday/Friday, going to London), on (Sunday, returning to London) on advance tickets every weekends.

I think we can be pretty sure the OP means London.

Season ticket prices for London-Birmingham are probably too high for a return journey every weekend:

Available Standard Class Adult Season Tickets (Travel is only allowed on services operated by London Midland)
Days/Months Price
7 Days £127.00
1 Month £487.70
3 Months £1,463.10
6 Months £2,926.10
12 Months £5,080.00

Available Standard Class Adult Season Tickets (Travel must involve passing through or changing at High Wycombe.)
Days/Months Price
7 Days £194.40
1 Month £643.20
3 Months £1,929.60
6 Months £3,859.20
12 Months £6,700.00

Available Standard Class Adult Season Tickets (Travel must involve passing through or changing at Northampton.)
Days/Months Price
7 Days £167.90
1 Month £644.80
3 Months £1,934.30
6 Months £3,868.50
12 Months £6,716.00

Available Standard Class Adult Season Tickets (Travel is allowed by any route option shown by the Journey Planner where the journey can be made using only one ticket.)
Days/Months Price
7 Days £241.50
1 Month £864.40
3 Months £2,593.20
6 Months £5,186.40
12 Months £9,004.00


Only the last one permits travel by Virgin Trains, the third one is essentially the same as the first one as only LM pass through Northampton.

 

[SickyNicky]

I think we can be pretty sure the OP means London.

Yes, of course - I see Yorkie has edited the original to reflect this.

There's a Super Off Peak Return ticket from Birmingham to London valid on London Midland trains only for £13.20 return (with railcard). If the OP needs flexibility and can travel off-peak on the Friday, that's not a bad ticket at all. Monthly cost between £52.80 and £66 (depending on the number of weekends).

 

[TSR :D]

By LDN, I mean London.

I can buy advance tickets (Possibly megatrain) tickets as I don't need flexibility.

Also, the speed of trip doesn't matter. So, I'm guessing it will be either London Midland or Chiltern.

Season tickets are no-no for me because there is no guarantee that I will be travelling on every weekend.

 

[yorkie]

Is this serious?

LDN = LLANDANWG. I have edited your post accordingly. Please only use 3-letter CRS codes if they are correct. If you are unsure, don't use any abbreviations. We also ask that the full name is used at least once, and that titles are descriptive.

If I were to go from London Terminals to BHM stations every weekends, (On Saturday/Friday, going to London), on (Sunday, returning to London) on advance tickets every weekends.

Depends how early you book! Chiltern do tickets for £5, so potentially £10 for each return trip, if you book early enough and travel at times that these tickets are available.

How much would you estimate the cost (Monthly)?

Depends how many weekends are in any given month and depends how early you book.

Is the train usually busy (On off peak periods on those days)? I'm using a railcard.

The train? Well if there was only one train between Birmingham and London it would be extremely busy

 

[TSR :D]

Is this serious?

LDN = LLANDANWG. I have edited your post accordingly. Please only use 3-letter CRS codes if they are correct. If you are unsure, don't use any abbreviations. We also ask that the full name is used at least once, and that titles are descriptive.

Depends how early you book! Chiltern do tickets for £5, so potentially £10 for each return trip, if you book early enough and travel at times that these tickets are available.

Depends how many weekends are in any given month and depends how early you book.

The train? Well if there was only one train between Birmingham and London it would be extremely busy

If there was a specific stations, I would use 3 letter for that, but I used abbreviation of London on this time as there's more than 1 station that's serving Birmingham.

I would be booking tickets about 1 week before. £10 return sounds good, is that with railcard or without? With Advance ticket, I would be flexible, meaning I would travel at times where there are cheapest tickets available.

I meant trains... But you know what I mean.

Also, I heard that there is one Chiltern trains that stops every stations in the brum, including the Acocks Green and Tyseley? If so, I can get off at those stations for cheaper ticket price?

 

[SS4]

There are X number of Advance tickets available on each train. When they are sold out, then they are no longer available. Even if not sold out, they are no longer available 7 days before date of travel. So, you might not (indeed probably will not) be able to benefit from these prices one week before travel.

I was under the impression that if the tickets hadn't sold out they could be purchased up until 6pm the previous evening.

I didn't think that you could use a Railcard with an Advance ticket, but I read recently you can. I don't know the answer, but I am looking forward to the reply!

You can and have been able to for years.

 

[ainsworth74]

I was under the impression that if the tickets hadn't sold out they could be purchased up until 6pm the previous evening.

I seem to recall that it was rumoured that the lowest tiers of advance fares are on some flows both quota and time controlled, I'm not sure if there has ever been any verifiable source for this however.

 

[SS4]

I would be booking tickets about 1 week before. £10 return sounds good, is that with railcard or without? With Advance ticket, I would be flexible, meaning I would travel at times where there are cheapest tickets available.

All Advance tickets are railcard discounted - this include first advances.

Also, I heard that there is one Chiltern trains that stops every stations in the brum, including the Acocks Green and Tyseley? If so, I can get off at those stations for cheaper ticket price?

You can but the price is the same and remember you cannot stop short on an advance ticket. If you want local stations change at Solihull or Dorridge to a LM service (as long as you don't have a Chiltern only ticket)
I've not heard of a chiltern stopper in the NWM (Network West Midlands) zone that being said.

 

[Mojo]

Customers from Birmingham to London are fortunate in that three different Tocs price various tickets so even walk-up fares can be reasonably priced. London Midland are the cheapest, with very good value Super Off-peak Returns (route London Midland Only) and the slightly quicker Chiltern Railways offer some good value fares with their Super Off-peak Returns (route via High Wycombe). It's also around £30 for an Any Permitted Off-peak Return, valid on any of the routes, but only worth purchasing if you are travelling by Virgin Trains.

There is no advantage to buying any of these tickets short, except if going to Coventry or Birmingham Intl, and the savings are negligible.