BHM to ELS/EBD on Easter

[Talent]

Dear all,

another football related question:

I'd like to go from Birmingham to Elstree & Borehamwood on March, 30th and from Birmingham to Ebbsfleet Intl' on April, 2nd.

Arrival time is approx. 2pm and departure time approx. 5.30pm.

Both journeys cost a whopping 110 GBP...
(65.80 off-peak return + 44.55 off peak single + advance single according to Trainline).

Are there any cheaper options? If I take an early coach to Victoria coach station and then buy a train ticket to Elstree resp. Ebbsfleet this should be much cheaper?!? And I can break my journey in London.

 

[alistairlees]

Hi

Assuming you are doing a day return to Elstree from Birmingham New Street (it's not clear from your post, but I assume it's what you want if you are going to a match), then a West Midlands Only Off-Peak Day Travelcard is yours for £33.50 (before railcard discounts) and does what you want. You can break your journey in London (and travel around extra too) and Elstree is in zone 6.

1st problem solved?

A

 

[Hadders]

There might be cheaper combinations but I'd travel from Moor Street on Chiltern, it's quicker than LNR and cheaper than Virgin.

Birmingham Moor Street - London Zones 1-6 (Route: via High Wycombe) £35.50
Birmingham Moor Street - Ebbsfleet International (Route: via High Wycombe) £43.50

Both walk on tickets that can be purchased on the day of travel. Never use Trainline to book tickets - they're never cheaper and they charge booking fees that a train operating company site does not.

 

[alistairlees]

There might be cheaper combinations but I'd travel from Moor Street on Chiltern, it's quicker than LNR and cheaper than Virgin.

Birmingham Moor Street - London Zones 1-6 (Route: via High Wycombe) £35.50
Birmingham Moor Street - Ebbsfleet International (Route: via High Wycombe) £43.50

Both walk on tickets that can be purchased on the day of travel. Never use Trainline to book tickets - they're never cheaper and they charge booking fees that a train operating company site does not.

And 30th March being a bank holiday there is no requirement to arrive in London at or after 11.30. It's about 20 to 30 mins quicker via Chiltern on the way out, though only about 10 minutes quicker on the way back.

As Hadders says, you can buy it from a station on the day of travel.

 

[Talent]

Birmingham Moor Street - London Zones 1-6 (Route: via High Wycombe) £35.50
Birmingham Moor Street - Ebbsfleet International (Route: via High Wycombe) £43.50

Great, thanks!

So if I buy this

ticket I can go from BMO via HWY to MYB, browse around in London like a zone 1-6 Travelcard an the eventually go from BFR to ELS with Thameslink (and return the other way round)?

 

[yorkie]

Yes, of course.

 

[Talent]

Thanks. As Ebbsfleet isn't in zone 6 I cannot use an off peak travelcard like in journey 1. So if I go from BMO to Crayford and buy an additional off peak return ticket from Crayford to Northfleet rather than Ebbsfleet it's cheaper and I have a zone 1-6 travelcard for London (35.50 + 5). Right?

 

[Hadders]

Thanks. As Ebbsfleet isn't in zone 6 I cannot use an off peak travelcard like in journey 1. So if I go from BMO to Crayford and buy an additional off peak return ticket from Crayford to Northfleet rather than Ebbsfleet it's cheaper and I have a zone 1-6 travelcard for London (35.50 + 5). Right?

If you want the flexibility of a travelcard and are happy to get to Northfleet via the 'classic' route rather than via HS1 then I'd suggest a Boundary Zone 6 to Northfleet Off Peak Day Return costing £5.00. No need for the train to call at Crayford with this ticket. Any ticket office can sell it.

 

[yorkie]

A Super Off Peak Return from Birmingham to Ebbsfleet is £43.50

An Off Peak Day Return from Boundary Zone 6 (or Crayford specifically) is £5.00

Whether the longer journey time is worth the saving or not is questionable, but the choice is yours.

 

[Talent]

OK, thanks. TBH, I'd like to spend some time in Gravesend and then break the return journey at northfleet (-> £5.30). It's not about saving time/money; I'm not quite shure if I want to have a zone 1-6 travelcard on Easter Monday. It's just figuring out options.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Assuming you are doing a day return to Elstree from Birmingham New Street (it's not clear from your post, but I assume it's what you want if you are going to a match), then a West Midlands Only Off-Peak Day Travelcard is yours for £33.50 (before railcard discounts) and does what you want. You can break your journey in London (and travel around extra too) and Elstree is in zone 6.

Just a quick comment - a "West Midlands Only Off-Peak Day Travelcard" does on the face of it sound like a ticket for travelling around the West Midlands, rather than one for travelling from the West Midlands to and then around Greater London!

 

[yorkie]

Just a quick comment - a "West Midlands Only Off-Peak Day Travelcard" does on the face of it sound like a ticket for travelling around the West Midlands, rather than one for travelling from the West Midlands to and then around Greater London!

The routeing 'West Midlands Only' refers to the train company restriction in this case.