Allowed route between Crewe and Stone for a Whitehaven to Stone ticket

[QueensCurve]

If I have a ticket from Whitehaven to Stone, does this permit me to go via Stafford or do I have to go via Stoke on the trough train?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Easiest way to find out is to plan a journey on NRE with Stafford in the via, and see if it says you need 2 tickets or not.

 

[Merseysider]

The routeing guide says no (as Whitehaven - Stafford or Whitehaven - Rugeley Trent Valley are more expensive than Whitehaven - Stone, neither STA nor RGL can be used as a routeing point for the purposes of determining permitted routes. Stoke-on-Trent passes the fares check as a routeing point but has no permitted routes to either Lancaster or Carlisle (both routeing points for Whitehaven) that pass through Stafford).

However, the Transpennine Express website (desktop site here) is happy to sell you a ticket via Carlisle, Crewe and Stafford if a via point of STA is entered. Despite what some may claim, if you purchase your ticket in conjunction with an itinerary, the ticket is automatically valid on the indicated trains.

Furthermore, NRE has a handy feature where you can see a list of permitted routes. National Rail Enquiries says valid as long as you avoid Manchester and Wolverhampton.

In practice, it won't be questioned as the route via Stafford is entirely reasonable.

 

[Starmill]

There are later and sometimes quicker journey opportunities from Crewe to Stone via Stafford, so its probably just a mistake that it's not valid that way in the online system.

For a long distance journey, given Stone is considerably closer to Stafford than it is to Crewe, I would have thought that would be the recommended route.

 

[bb21]

If I have a ticket from Whitehaven to Stone, does this permit me to go via Stafford or do I have to go via Stoke on the trough train?

The Routeing Guide is not recursive, so what is permitted between Crewe and Stafford is not automatically permitted for a longer journey.

I have amended the title for you.

 

[kieron]

However, the Transpennine Express website (desktop site here) is happy to sell you a ticket via Carlisle, Crewe and Stafford if a via point of STA is entered

Do remember that the Tranpennine Express site can't sell cheap standard class singles on this route (they're sold as off-peak singles, but they're unrestricted). It means that, if you're looking for a return journey and are happy to use advance tickets, it may work out cheaper to buy elsewhere.