c2c New Booking Engine

[superalbs]

It seems that recently the new c2c booking engine has made itself available:
https://ticketsbeta.c2c-online.co.uk/c2cweb/index.html

I really like it! I'm sure there are a few faults (some of which I have found), but all in all, it's nice. Probably my new go-to booking site unless there are operator specific advantages.

 

[alistairlees]

All I get currently is

Sorry, we could not find any journeys based on your search. Please change your search details and try again.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Works fine for me. I remember reading somewhere that Trenitalia were planning on bringing in a new booking engine for c2c. But I have to wonder if it's just a new skin, and that they're using the same old Atos Wordline system underneath, since (on the basis of a few quick tests I've just done of known "troublesome" journeys) it appears to be coming up with lots of non-permitted routes that no other journey planners will allow.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

it appears to be coming up with lots of non-permitted routes

Well, apparently it would seem that "permitted" is merely a question of interpretation !

 

[Paul Kelly]

It also doesn't appear to be using the correct data (IDMS Reference Data as it's known) for TOC names - I noticed a mention of "London Midland" on there, which should be "West Midlands Trains" if it's using up-to-date data.

 

[cactustwirly]

Works fine for me. I remember reading somewhere that Trenitalia were planning on bringing in a new booking engine for c2c. But I have to wonder if it's just a new skin, and that they're using the same old Atos Wordline system underneath, since (on the basis of a few quick tests I've just done of known "troublesome" journeys) it appears to be coming up with lots of non-permitted routes that no other journey planners will allow.

Nope, I don't think it is, I just tried a journey and it gives the 'correct' routeing, but the Atos Worldline one gives extra routeings which are 'invalid'

 

[JonathanH]

Where is Plymouth Salt Rd? NRS code XDJ? This seems to be in the list of stations on the new website.

 

[ChrisC]

Works fine for me. I remember reading somewhere that Trenitalia were planning on bringing in a new booking engine for c2c. But I have to wonder if it's just a new skin, and that they're using the same old Atos Wordline system underneath, since (on the basis of a few quick tests I've just done of known "troublesome" journeys) it appears to be coming up with lots of non-permitted routes that no other journey planners will allow.

That's interesting because I tested it out this morning on a journey that I will be making in 3 weeks time. It came up with far more options than the EMT or LNER websites do including one route that almost certainly is not permitted. I'm very tempted to book it, with reserved seats and print out the details, as it will mean I can do the journey with only 2 changes of train instead of 4. It's not an outrageously roundabout route but all other websites I've tried, do not permit it.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Seems to be worse than I thought - it has problems applying time restrictions too. Try Brighton to Milton Keynes Central tomorrow morning - it's allowing the Off-Peak Day Single right through the morning peak (see attached). I wonder if it has accidentally been put live and is not accredited yet?

 

[Starmill]

The new supplier is apparently IBM and Trenitalia's 'PICO' service. I understand that the intention is that they will provide all retail services to c2c eventually, including websales and telesales, ticket office machines, ticket vending machines and portable ticket issuing machines.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Interesting

 

[Silver Cobra]

I've had a quick play-around with the new booking site, and I seem to have stumbled upon something interesting.

As part of a potential journey from my home station Arlesey to Southend Central on March 24th, I did a search for fares from Barking to SOC (I normally use a day travelcard from Arlesey and a return from Upminster to SOC, but engineering works on that day mean all fast C2C services are diverting via Dagenham Dock, so hence splitting at Barking for this). Expecting to see the usual £7.40 fare for a network railcard discounted super off-peak day return, I was quite surprised to see it showing a £6.50 off-peak day return as the cheapest fare for the journey:



I've checked on National Rail Enquiries, LNER's and VTWC's websites, and all three list the £7.40 super off-peak day return as the cheapest fare. BRFares also lists the £7.40 as the cheapest return fare for this journey. So it would be interesting to see how the C2C engine has come up with this £6.50 fare.

**EDIT: I think I understand why this is happening. The C2C website says they offer a 'discount' for off-peak fares bought at least 3 days in advance if booked through the C2C website. I'm guessing that is what is applying here, and also explains why NRE/LNER/VTWC aren't showing it. So nothing special with the booking engine.

 

[alistairlees]

I've had a quick play-around with the new booking site, and I seem to have stumbled upon something interesting.

As part of a potential journey from my home station Arlesey to Southend Central on March 24th, I did a search for fares from Barking to SOC (I normally use a day travelcard from Arlesey and a return from Upminster to SOC, but engineering works on that day mean all fast C2C services are diverting via Dagenham Dock, so hence splitting at Barking for this). Expecting to see the usual £7.40 fare for a network railcard discounted super off-peak day return, I was quite surprised to see it showing a £6.50 off-peak day return as the cheapest fare for the journey:

View attachment 59734

I've checked on National Rail Enquiries, LNER's and VTWC's websites, and all three list the £7.40 super off-peak day return as the cheapest fare. BRFares also lists the £7.40 as the cheapest return fare for this journey. So it would be interesting to see how the C2C engine has come up with this £6.50 fare.

**EDIT: I think I understand why this is happening. The C2C website says they offer a 'discount' for off-peak fares bought at least 3 days in advance if booked through the C2C website. I'm guessing that is what is applying here, and also explains why NRE/LNER/VTWC aren't showing it. So nothing special with the booking engine.

I came to the same conclusion. It's a CDR fare that is discounted by both the 33% for buying online in advance, and your railcard.

 

[cjp]

I came to the same conclusion. It's a CDR fare that is discounted by both the 33% for buying online in advance, and your railcard.

Yes it does seem like a way of getting extra discount on top of the railcard sadly, like so many others, it does not offer cycle reservations and the seat and carriage seems unchangeable (although I did not complete the booking so I can be corrected on this point)

 

[yorkie]

**EDIT: I think I understand why this is happening. The C2C website says they offer a 'discount' for off-peak fares bought at least 3 days in advance if booked through the C2C website. I'm guessing that is what is applying here, and also explains why NRE/LNER/VTWC aren't showing it. So nothing special with the booking engine.

Hmm.. sounds like an abuse of a dominant position to me, very questionable.

As for dodgy routeing, it allows Wymondham to Lowestoft via Ipswich, so it's either using Atos WebTIS or something that gives similar results.

 

[sheff1]

All I get currently is

Sorry, we could not find any journeys based on your search. Please change your search details and try again.

Same here and that was after telling me that I could not book a journey for tomorrow at all because the "time was in the past".

Does nobody do testing on these things ?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

They must also be using a really outdated station database - it doesn't have Maghull North, Kenilworth or any of the Scottish Borders Line stations included.

 

[alistairlees]

Hmm.. sounds like an abuse of a dominant position to me, very questionable.

As for dodgy routeing, it allows Wymondham to Lowestoft via Ipswich, so it's either using Atos WebTIS or something that gives similar results.

Post #10 is correct

 

[alistairlees]

They must also be using a really outdated station database - it doesn't have Maghull North, Kenilworth or any of the Scottish Borders Line stations included.

or Cambridge North or Lea Bridge

 

[exesoundtech]

Post #10 is correct

Indeed post #10 is correct. Was announced last spring, and is now coming to fruition:

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news.../view/italian-booking-technology-for-c2c.html

I suspect this is a whole new fares engine using the raw data feeds from RDG, rather than being built on one of the "usual suspect" underlying engines like SilverRail. Any commonality of errors is more likely due to falling into similar exception case traps as those who have gone before...

 

[superalbs]

They must also be using a really outdated station database - it doesn't have Maghull North, Kenilworth or any of the Scottish Borders Line stations included.

Cranbrook of 2015 is still not in there. It wasn't on the old one either.

 

[JB_B]

Cranbrook of 2015 is still not in there. It wasn't on the old one either.

Looks as though Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway (opened May 2013) is the most recent station included.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

At the bottom left of the home page is a link called "European Commission's ODR Platform" (Online Dispute Resolution) help page.
This is multilingual advice on how to complain about mis-selling on online retail sites.
However, it comes with a health warning that it doesn't apply from Brexit day in the UK if there is no withdrawal agreement.
https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/?event=main.home2.show

For a minute, I thought it was a link to multilingual versions of the c2c web site, but no such luck.
As far as I am aware, every European rail operator web site has some sort of multilingual capability, certainly English, but no UK domestic site has any sort of help for "foreigners".
Eurostar is an exception.

 

[greatkingrat]

The Trainline, for all it's other faults, does have a choice of 10 languages.

 

[Struner]

[...]
As far as I am aware, every European rail operator web site has some sort of multilingual capability, certainly English, but no UK domestic site has any sort of help for "foreigners"
Eurostar is an exception.

& the majority shareholder of Eurostar is French, maybe that helps.

 

[Mike395]

Definitely seems like there's work to do! It also won't let you book a return after midnight on a day return ticket (whereas the correct cutoff is 4:30am)

 

[Kite159]

The booking engine seems to think a Super Off-peak return from London to Birmingham "Via High Wycombe" is valid on the 18:45 departure from Marylebone (when the first service where the ticket becomes valid is the 19:15)

 

[Adsy125]

On a journey from Dorchester to Frome it wants me to get off the (through) train at Yeovil to change to one that gets there 30 minutes later

 

[Hadders]

Given the apparent number of errors one has to wonder how the hell this booking engine ever got accredited.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Looks as though Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway (opened May 2013) is the most recent station included.

Oxford Parkway (opened October 2015) is there, but Kenilworth (opened 2018) isn't.