A Strange Split

[headshot119]

Theoretically say I want to go to Bristol from Wrexham for a Day trip.

An off peak return with railcard discount is £61.

However How about :

Wrexham General - Gobowen Day Return £3.05
West Midlands Day Ranger £13.20
Worcester - Bristol Temple Meads £7.40

Grand Total £23.65

Now the big question can I with those tickets travel on a Cross Country out of New Street to get to Bristol? Or do I actually need to go via Worcester?

 

[yorkie]

Now the big question can I with those tickets travel on a Cross Country out of New Street to get to Bristol? Or do I actually need to go via Worcester?

You have to go via Worcester (and call there).

The XC trains between Birmingham and Bristol are non-stop between Birmingham and Cheltenham and go via Bromsgrove then direct to Cheltenham avoiding Worcester.

A West Mids Day Ranger is not valid between Bromsgrove & Cheltenham so if you take this route, you have no validity between these points. Additionally, given that none of your tickets appears to be a season or leisure pass valid for 3 days or more then the train has to call at the station(s) where you change from one ticket to the next. Therefore, your West Midlands Day Ranger is not valid whatsoever on XC between Birmingham and Cheltenham on trains that do not call intermediately. If you are on a train that does call intermediately, you are only invalid between the last stop at which the Ranger is valid and Cheltenham.

19. 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.

I have highlighted in red above the terms which you would be in breach of, if you travelled on a direct non-stop XC service on the combination of tickets you propose.

 

[headshot119]

Thanks Yorkie I'm sill getting used to condition 19. I understand it more now. I think the easier way to do it is split the tickets at New Street, and Cheltenham Spa, gets it down to around £28.

 

[SickyNicky]

Thanks Yorkie I'm sill getting used to condition 19. I understand it more now. I think the easier way to do it is split the tickets at New Street, and Cheltenham Spa, gets it down to around £28.

It's a little cheaper to split at Cheltenham Spa and Wolverhampton, I think.

 

[dzug2]

Where does the £61 come from? Not the railcard fare surely? That's £40.25

 

[bnm]

Wrexham General - Birmingham New Street Off Peak Day Return £9.30. (valid after 0900 Mon-Fri)
Hereford - Bristol Temple Meads Off Peak Day Return £14.60.

Total £23.90 with a railcard.

A Hereford to Bristol Temple Meads Off Peak Day Return is valid via Birmingham and Cheltenham Spa according to the Routeing Guide Map CE.

It is also valid for starting/ending a journey short so you can use it to/from Birmingham.

Others here will advise caution using this ticket to travel from Birmingham to Bristol direct, so it may be advisable to familiarise yourself with the Routeing Guide. I have used the fare on numerous occasions and have yet to have any issues either at the gateline at New Street or on board CrossCountry services to/from Bristol.

 

[LexyBoy]

Wrexham General - Wolverhampton Off Peak Day Return £9.30 (valid after 0900 Mon-Fri)
Hereford - Bristol Temple Meads £14.60 Off Peak Day Return

You'd not be covered between New St and Wolves though?

 

[bnm]

You'd not be covered between New St and Wolves though?

Apologies. Typed Wolverhampton in error. I got the price right though

Post now edited.

 

[headshot119]

Thanks bnm.

Could someone just explain to me how that works on the routing guide? I'm still not too familiar with using these odder combination.

 

[sonic2009]

Thanks bnm.

Could someone just explain to me how that works on the routing guide? I'm still not too familiar with using these odder combination.

When a Ticket says Any Permitted under the Word ROUTE your ticket is valid by any route in the ATOC Roueting Guide, therefore the ticket in question from Hereford to Bristol Temple Meads is valid via Maps :

BD
CE
WR

You are permitted to board at Birmingham New Street with this ticket under Map CE :

Because Using MAP CE someone could go from Hereford to Bristol via Birmingham by doing this route :

Hereford - Worcester - Kidderminster - Smethwick Galton Bridge - Birmingham New Street - Cheltenham Spa - Bristol Parkway - Bristol Temple Meads.

This is a route shown on MAP CE

I have a basic understanding of the routeing guide, but have got better thanks to advice from other members, i'm sure bnm will elborate on what i have said here.

 

[headshot119]

Now that I've actually looked through the routing guide and followed the six steps I understand how it works, and your explanation helped me as well Sonic.

Thanks everyone.