Bristol TM to Leicester Off-Peak Returns Query

[StarCrossing]

Hi everybody. I’m hoping someone might be able to help with this ticketing query.

I want to travel from Bristol Temple Meads to Leicester on Sunday 4th October, returning the same day. I can’t commit to a specific return service, so I thought I’d look up the off-peak return. However, according to National Rail and the Cross Country website, it appears that the only off-peak returns available are either routed “via Gloucester” or “via London”. Same with the anytime returns. I was planning on travelling via Birmingham, but most of the Bristol to Birmingham services don’t go through Gloucester station, though they pass very close by. The journey planners suggest that the “via Gloucester” fare isn’t valid unless the train enters Gloucester station.

I may well buy split tickets anyway, so it’s not too important, but I was wondering if this fare structure was intentional (and maybe I'm just not understanding it :roll or whether there was some sort of error in the system. Any ideas?

 

[bb21]

The Via Gloucester fares are valid via Cheltenham even if not Gloucester. This is due to historical reasons.

 

[StarCrossing]

The Via Gloucester fares are valid via Cheltenham even if not Gloucester. This is due to historical reasons.

That's good to know. In fact, the via Gloucester ticket is now showing as available on all the other dates I check. It's just still not showing for 4th October for some reason though.

Thanks.

 

[bb21]

The £72.50 through Off-Peak Return fare is a rip-off for a day trip. A simple split at Birmingham and Cheltenham into three Off-Peak Day Return fares for Leicester - Birmingham (£13.30), Birmingham - Cheltenham (£24) and Cheltenham - Bristol (£9) will bring this down to around £46.

Trains are diverted via Newport between Gloucester and Bristol that day, and journeys appear to be barred due to doubleback between Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport.

 

[StarCrossing]

The £72.50 through Off-Peak Return fare is a rip-off for a day trip. A simple split at Birmingham and Cheltenham into three Off-Peak Day Return fares for Leicester - Birmingham (£13.30), Birmingham - Cheltenham (£24) and Cheltenham - Bristol (£9) will bring this down to around £46.

Trains are diverted via Newport between Gloucester and Bristol that day, and journeys appear to be barred due to doubleback between Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport.

Thanks a lot bb21. I hadn't noticed the diversions that day. Yes, splitting is definitely on the cards, as is so often the case with Cross Country.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Hi everybody. I’m hoping someone might be able to help with this ticketing query.
........ but most of the Bristol to Birmingham services don’t go through Gloucester station, though they pass very close by. The journey planners suggest that the “via Gloucester” fare isn’t valid unless the train enters Gloucester station.
.........

Cos a cool BR wally in 1975 decided to close Gloucester Eastgate and sell the land off.

It's rather difficult these days - what with door locking - to jump out of a moving train as it passes through the Gloucester suburbs though - so, as another poster suggests - better to alight at Cheltenham and wait for a connection, assuming there is one.

 

[kieron]

The £72.50 through Off-Peak Return fare is a rip-off for a day trip. A simple split at Birmingham and Cheltenham into three Off-Peak Day Return fares for Leicester - Birmingham (£13.30), Birmingham - Cheltenham (£24) and Cheltenham - Bristol (£9) will bring this down to around £46.

Trains are diverted via Newport between Gloucester and Bristol that day, and journeys appear to be barred due to doubleback between Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport.

I'm surprised to hear this, if this is the reason, as easement 700232 specifically allows that:

Customers travelling from/to/via Bristol Temple Meads via Chepstow may double back between Severn Tunnel Junction and Newport. This easement applies in both directions.​

If anyone is looking for advance tickets on that date, the Northern site (as do, I presume, any other Assertis-powered sites) offers Bristol-Leicester routes via Newport. That was the first site I looked at, so I don't know if other engines also sell tickets for this diverted route.

It only appears to offer Bristol-Cheltenham ones if you use a through train or change trains at Severn Tunnel Junction. Bristol-Gloucester ones (which are no cheaper, but every train stops in Gloucester that day anyway) give no results. This could be because it's being too enthusiastic in the way it's interpreted easement 700456:

Customers travelling from Gloucester to Bristol TM may not travel via Severn Tunnel Junction. This easement applies in both directions​

You don't have to worry about what journey planners do when you buy flexible tickets, though.

 

[bb21]

I don't know for sure, only basing my judgement on the fact that trains reversing at STJ are not apparently barred.

Could be a flawed implementation.