Buying Rail Sail Advances

[simonm]

I'm getting a Rail Sail single soon from Rosslare to a station in Devon and I want to use some RTV. Can anyone suggest a station in the SW (or one in London as I will be passing through their later this month) which can issue these with the minimum of fuss and get ferry booking as well.

Many thanks>

 

[CallySleeper]

Any ticket office should be able to sell you one of these, albeit bigger offices, such as Paddington especially, will be more likely to have experience selling RS products. Sometimes it can be down to the individual clerk serving you. Sometimes it can help you to guide the clerk if they're not quite sure...

 

[CyrusWuff]

Add Marylebone to the "list" too. Most of the clerks there enjoy having something to sink their teeth into! Usually less of a queue than at other London terminals as well.

Having said that, for a one way journey originating in Ireland, I believe that you would officially need to purchase the ticket from Irish Rail.

That certainly used to be the case where SailRail tickets were generally sold as Returns, but may have changed with the switch to Singles.

 

[CallySleeper]

Echo CyrusWuff's advice, although I don't see why you can't at least try. In theory...

 

[Greenback]

I also have a feeling that tickets originating in the ROI can only be bought through IE. It's possible that the TIS in the UK won't issue them. But, it doesn't hurt to ask!

 

[Smethwickian]

I also have a feeling that tickets originating in the ROI can only be bought through IE. It's possible that the TIS in the UK won't issue them. But, it doesn't hurt to ask!

I've not bought one recently, but two years ago after being refused at Birmingham New Street, I purchased a 'from Dublin' single ticket quite happily at Wolverhampton the same day. Both offices are operated by Virgin, whose customer services told me that day there was no reason not to sell them as they were all single tickets sold at the prevailing price in the country of purchase. But that was a couple of years ago, so don't know if that's all changed. If they're still sold as singles, how are you supposed to plan/book a return journey if you can't buy the 'from Ireland' ticket in the UK??

 

[CyrusWuff]

Just had a go on my TIS at work and it would quite happily let me issue a ticket with an Irish origin with no corresponding return. Only offered "Standby" tickets for the journey though, not Advance.

 

[bkhtele]

They sell the singles from Ireland on line at the arriva website so a ticket office must be able to sell them too!

 

[Hadders]

Journey planners (including those in ticket offices) do seem to have problems with some sail rail itineraries.

I wanted a ticket from Dublin to London on the 0805 Irish Ferries departure for next week. The ticket office could only bring up the itinerary for the 0845 Swift sailing (which is quicker than the conventional ferry). It didn't matter what they did the clerk could not bring up an itinerary with the 0805 ferry.

Eventually a very experienced clerk assisted and found a workaround but it was only thanks to his intervention that the ticket and itinerary I wanted was able to be issued.

 

[bkhtele]

Yes agreed it is rarely easy to buy these tickets from local stations that do not sell many. Also there appears to be problems especially off peak with update of sailing times.
I do the research online and bring leaflets/printouts to show valid ticket.
My top tips are if I have difficulties (except for advance ticketed)
1. book the ferry & then worry about the train reservations. OR
2. Book online if possible Scotrail for Cairnryan, Arriva for Dublin & Rosslare
3. If all fails Raileasy & Trainline are good for producing valid routes/ferries which you can print off & take into the ticket office to purchase fee free!

It is a pity they are so difficult, sensible people must often give up & book a flight!

 

[Greenback]

They sell the singles from Ireland on line at the arriva website so a ticket office must be able to sell them too!

I could only get the Arriva website to issue singles from ROI in conjunction with a singel from the UK. I tried to go out via one route and back via anothe rand I couldn't do it. Still, it was probably my own fault of a websit error that has now been fixed!

Yes agreed it is rarely easy to buy these tickets from local stations that do not sell many. Also there appears to be problems especially off peak with update of sailing times.
I do the research online and bring leaflets/printouts to show valid ticket.
My top tips are if I have difficulties (except for advance ticketed)
1. book the ferry & then worry about the train reservations. OR
2. Book online if possible Scotrail for Cairnryan, Arriva for Dublin & Rosslare
3. If all fails Raileasy & Trainline are good for producing valid routes/ferries which you can print off & take into the ticket office to purchase fee free!

It is a pity they are so difficult, sensible people must often give up & book a flight!

A simple journey booked online seems easy enough. I have also had no trouble buying a ticket to Ireland from Llanelli station before, but I should think they are aware of such things there, being on the route to Fishguard!

I can well imagine that clerks in a suburban station may never have come across such tickets before, or if they have, it will have been a while ago!

 

[TEW]

When I had to change at Advance ticket at Guildford recently the clerk was unsure of the process. However in the ticket office they had an A5 notepad which was full of a step-by-step guide on how to do unusual requests. After she had consulted that she managed it without too many problems. It looked like the guide had just been produced by someone in the ticket office, I wonder if Sail Rail was one of the things it had a guide to, and I wonder if any other ticket offices have similar help available.

 

[simonm]

Thanks for all the advice - I would like to book the Advance ticket as it does save a few quid, but the reason I need it from a Ticket Office is that I have some RTV vouchers to use up. I would also like to make sure there is a reservation for the ferry "just in case". I have been messaged a helpful station in London, so will try there.

Many thanks!

 

[Haywain]

Reservations are not usually a problem, but the quotas that are available for Rail Sail tickets are remarkably small.

 

[Eire Sprinter]

Not a direct answer to the original question but possibly of use for future reference:-

For a journey commencing at Rosslare Harbour, the ticket can be purchased from Stena Line at Rosslare in person or by phone (debit card free; credit card has a fee) and collected when presenting for check-in. Stena Line are highly conversant with issuing the tickets but the ticket stock is still the coupon booklets.

The SailRail fares via Stena Line are - at the moment - still at the 2013 levels though for Irish Ferries (Dublin-Holyhead) the fares seem to have increased for 2014.

For a journey from elsewhere in Ireland e.g. Wicklow - Carmarthen, buy from Irish Rail.

I understand an Irish Rail online SailRail booking facility is planned.

Was able to buy a SailRail starting from England from Irish Rail a few years ago without any problem. Normally I buy a single here and a single when returning.