Breaking Down the Cost of a Rail Ranger

[John_158]

Most recently on the 06th Dec 2008 i bought a Lincolnshire Rail Ranger for £19.80 and done seven Long Jouneys with it in one day as a freind of mine challenged me to see if i could cover the whole area in one day and i managed 98% as the only two points i missed where :-

Lincoln-Cleethorpes & Peterbouorogh -Stamford

Which i just didn't have enogh time in my day to do them due to the fact tha all EMTs service are over an hour Long.

But yet when i worked it out each jopuney cost £2.82

My Journeys where

Start
N/R 03.38 LLST-M-PIC 150222
FTPTE 05.49 M-PIC-DON 185128
Ranger Jouneys
NXEC, 07.41 DON-PET ,HST 43302
EMT 08.40 PET-LIN 156406
EMT 10.17 LIN-NOT, HST 43045
EMT 11.50 NOT-SKEG 153355
EMT 14.05 SKEG-GRAN 153355
EMT 15.56 GRAN-NOT 158799
EMT 16.26* NOT-LIN 156403
EMT 18.09 LIN-NWNG 156415
NXEC 18.54* NWNG-DON HST,43305
Homeward bound journeys
FTPE 19.42 DON-M-PIC 185140
N/R 21.48 M-PIC-LLST 156487
then home Via Merseyrail

*Ran 10mins late


What is the Lowest anyone has ever broke the costy of there Rail Ranger Down to ?

 

[Failed Unit]

Most recently on the 06th Dec 2008 i bought a Lincolnshire Rail Ranger for £19.80 and done seven Long Jouneys with it in one day as a freind of mine challenged me to see if i could cover the whole area in one day and i managed 98% as the only two points i missed where :-

Lincoln-Cleethorpes & Peterbouorogh -Stamford

What about Lincoln - Gainsborough - Doncaster

A good effort but closer to 75% I am affraid.

 

[TEW]

I am pretty sure I have done at least 10 journeys on a Cornish Day Ranger before, costing me £5, so about 50p a journey.

 

[glynn80]

My Journeys where

Start
N/R 03.38 LLST-M-PIC 150222
FTPTE 05.49 M-PIC-DON 185128
Ranger Jouneys
NXEC, 07.41 DON-PET ,HST 43302
EMT 08.40 PET-LIN 156406
EMT 10.17 LIN-NOT, HST 43045
EMT 11.50 NOT-SKEG 153355
EMT 14.05 SKEG-GRAN 153355
EMT 15.56 GRAN-NOT 158799
EMT 16.26* NOT-LIN 156403
EMT 18.09 LIN-NWNG 156415
NXEC 18.54* NWNG-DON HST,43305
Homeward bound journeys
FTPE 19.42 DON-M-PIC 185140
N/R 21.48 M-PIC-LLST 156487
then home Via Merseyrail

*Ran 10mins late

Just for future reference (and anyone else viewing this thread), the Lincolnshire Day Ranger is actually restricted to East Midlands Trains and Northern Rail.

It isn't valid at all between Doncaster and Peterborough direct via Newark and Grantham.

The validity maps and operators the rovers are valid on can be found on the National Rail website.

 

[Techniquest]

I thought that was the case, glad to know it is indeed so.

I've managed some really crazy pence per mile figures on a WMDR and more so on FoSS rovers before, will have to work them out one day!

 

[heart-of-wessex]

mine would be a ALR I suppose, would take forever to count how much each journey was. It involved the whole Caledonion sleeper London - Scotland at least 5 times, the Cornish Riveria, Wick, Penzance and everywhere between!

I have worked out how much I saved once on a FOSS on a 3 in 7, all the journeys I did at the rover price cost £26, if i bought a ton of returns and singles, would have been alot more, and I actually saved £75!!

 

[John_158]

What about Lincoln - Gainsborough - Doncaster

A good effort but closer to 75% I am affraid.

That would make three lines i missed then which would accrding to my calculations be 97%.



As for it Not being valid on NEEC I was not aware of that at the time but yet I bought it at Doncaster which is a NEEC Station so if you can by it there you should be able to use it on there services as they would have a share of the money for selling that ticket.

Plus it ought to be stated on the ticket if that is the case for which it does not say on the ticket Not Valid on Nat Ex East Coast but yet I personally cannot see any reason why it should be restricted to certain TOCs.

When with the Cheshire and Lancashire Rangers you can use them on any TOC in the area on the map, Just seems rather Old Fashioned and confusing and on in my time up there I only used NEEC and EMT as did not see any Northern Services going my way and when you want to get somewhere and a train pulls in going that way you just tend to get on it.

All in all though a very good day out and what an exiting place Skegness is, One thing was though I was not aware of was that most of EMTs services in that area seem to be limited services ie...every two hours or so making it a little harder to get round every where.

My next Big Trip out will be the East Midlands Day Ranger and hopefully i shall be able to get the cost per jouney down to a resonable ammount as with my cheshoire rangers trips the lowest has been £1.00 Per Jorney.

 

[Failed Unit]

That would make three lines i missed then which would accrding to my calculations be 97%.

Depends how you work it out
Not done
Grimsby Town - Lincoln = 44 miles
Doncaster - Lincoln = 36 miles
Stamford - Peterborough =13 miles
Total not covered = 93 miles

Complete
Grantham - Peterborough = 30 miles
Lincoln - Peterborough = 56 miles
Skegness - Nottingham = 80 miles
Lincoln - Nottingham = 33 miles
Total covered = 199 miles

so about 70% covered

As for it Not being valid on NEEC I was not aware of that at the time but yet I bought it at Doncaster which is a NEEC Station so if you can by it there you should be able to use it on there services as they would have a share of the money for selling that ticket.

They have a share of the revenue for selling the ticket, not for the use of it which is a big difference. You can buy the ticket in Wick, Penzance or Dover if you want but by the same logic you can't use it on the local operators services.

NEEC has got to sell the ticket as it is valid on a service that starts from Doncaster: the Doncaster - Lincoln train. In the same way NEEC has got to sell GC tickets at Kings Cross and York. If it didn't then it would be in serious trouble with the regulator.

Plus it ought to be stated on the ticket if that is the case for which it does not say on the ticket Not Valid on Nat Ex East Coast but yet I personally cannot see any reason why it should be restricted to certain TOCs.

I am afraid it is upto the passenger to check validity of the tickets they purchase, if in doubt check, not if in doubt use and hope I you get challenged.

When with the Cheshire and Lancashire Rangers you can use them on any TOC in the area on the map, Just seems rather Old Fashioned and confusing and on in my time up there I only used NEEC and EMT as did not see any Northern Services going my way and when you want to get somewhere and a train pulls in going that way you just tend to get on it.

I am surprised Northern is included to be honest as it is mainly an EMT ticket although you can use Northern between Gainsborough and Lincoln to save long waits as well as Habrough - Grimsby, Doncaster - Newark isn't in Lincolnshire at any point so it isn't really surprising NEEC don't accept it. It wouldn't be valid on the ECML at all if EMT didn't operate Norwich - Liverpool

All in all though a very good day out and what an exiting place Skegness is, One thing was though I was not aware of was that most of EMTs services in that area seem to be limited services ie...every two hours or so making it a little harder to get round every where.

Welcome to Lincolnshire no turn up and go for most of us

My next Big Trip out will be the East Midlands Day Ranger and hopefully i shall be able to get the cost per jouney down to a resonable ammount as with my cheshoire rangers trips the lowest has been £1.00 Per Jorney.

Enjoy!

 

[John_158]

Will do !

But by the way you stated in when you chalenged me that i was to cover all lines and that i did exept three so working it out that way woul give me 97% i don't think it would be possible to do the whole thing in one day with how EMTs services work.

Imean i only had less than 25minutes or so in Skegnes as if i had waited for the next one it would have been an hour and a half wait and that one didn't go via grantham so would have missed the section between Grantham and Nottingham on the fast Service.

Bye the way the Guard checked my ticket on the train From DOncaster to Peterbough and nothing said, If i hadn't have used NEEC train from NEWARK NG on the way home i would have been stranded.

 

[yorkie]

10. Tickets valid only in trains of particular Train Companies
The validity of a ticket may:
a) be restricted to; or
b) prohibit
travel in the trains of a particular Train Company or Train Companies. Any such restriction or prohibition will be shown on the ticket.

So if it doesn't say "NOT NXEC" or something then it is not enforceable, hence accepted.

 

[Techniquest]

Well by that logic a West Midlands Day Ranger should be valid on Virgin Trains, as it does not specify 'Not Virgin Trains' or whatever on it, instead it has 'As advertised'. Which implies that the purchaser should know this fact before purchasing should he/she wish to travel with Virgin. Not that I'm totally guilt-free of doing such a thing...

So I'm not totally sure that the TM would allow an EMDR on an NXEC service. That's like saying a WMDR is valid on ATW services on the Marches via Wem because the ranger is valid with ATW at Crewe and Shrewsbury.

 

[yorkie]

Well by that logic a West Midlands Day Ranger should be valid on Virgin Trains.

I've heard reports of people using them on VT with no problems whatsoever. I've not heard any reports of them being refused.

 

[OwlMan]

That would make three lines i missed then which would accrding to my calculations be 97%.
As for it Not being valid on NEEC I was not aware of that at the time but yet I bought it at Doncaster which is a NEEC Station so if you can by it there you should be able to use it on there services as they would have a share of the money for selling that ticket.
Plus it ought to be stated on the ticket if that is the case for which it does not say on the ticket Not Valid on Nat Ex East Coast but yet I personally cannot see any reason why it should be restricted to certain TOCs.


It is only valid on services shown on the map. Doncaster - Grantham is NOT on the map


Peter

 

[Techniquest]

I've heard reports of people using them on VT with no problems whatsoever. I've not heard any reports of them being refused.

I've only ever done short leaps with Virgin (ones where there just wasn't time for the TM to come through) just in case really, so can't comment there, might give it a go one day.

 

[Failed Unit]

So if it doesn't say "NOT NXEC" or something then it is not enforceable, hence accepted.

Well by that logic a West Midlands Day Ranger should be valid on Virgin Trains, as it does not specify 'Not Virgin Trains' or whatever on it, instead it has 'As advertised'. Which implies that the purchaser should know this fact before purchasing should he/she wish to travel with Virgin. Not that I'm totally guilt-free of doing such a thing...

So I'm not totally sure that the TM would allow an EMDR on an NXEC service. That's like saying a WMDR is valid on ATW services on the Marches via Wem because the ranger is valid with ATW at Crewe and Shrewsbury.

This opens up a very grey area, when to me it is fairly clear. The ticket has a route of any permitted and as advertised under validity. The any permitted should be the defining factor hear as posted elsewhere it is clearly not permitted between Doncaster and Grantham. The as advertised should cover the use for example on TPE trains between Barnetby and Grimsby.

It does make it interesting on Savers however, if you have a London - Glasgow saver the amount of permitted routes is staggering. If I was going to travel via Reading for example I would rather explicitly check first rather than find out the hardway!

 

[John_158]

On another note there was no information leaflet available at Doncaster or Nottingham when i got there.

 

[glynn80]

This opens up a very grey area, when to me it is fairly clear. The ticket has a route of any permitted and as advertised under validity. The any permitted should be the defining factor hear as posted elsewhere it is clearly not permitted between Doncaster and Grantham. The as advertised should cover the use for example on TPE trains between Barnetby and Grimsby.

It does make it interesting on Savers however, if you have a London - Glasgow saver the amount of permitted routes is staggering. If I was going to travel via Reading for example I would rather explicitly check first rather than find out the hardway!

Firstly Rail Rangers and Rail Rovers do not state on the ticket the words "Any Permitted". This phrase is in relation to point to point tickets and signifies that you can use any route permitted by the National Routeing Guide.

It does as you correctly mentioned state "As Advertised" meaning that it is only valid on the TOCs and routes they advertise the rover/ranger being allowed on. This is accessible on the National Rail website, at the stations if you ask the staff or if you telephone National Rail Enquiries.