Chesterfield - Middlesborough advice please

[ANDYS]

Hi all.

I just need a bit of advice to help my wife plan a trip for work.

She will be travelling from Chesterfield - Middlesborough via Darlington on Monday 24th April. She needs to travel early so it looks as though she will be using the 06:15 from CHD to Darlington and then the 08:31 to Middlesborough.

She then needs to continue later from Middlesborough to Newcastle. Again she intends to travel on the 17:43 straight to Newcastle.

On the day after, she needs just one ticket from Newcastle back to CHD and intends to travel on the 17:41 or 18:43 service straight through.

Can anyone help with ticketing advice. Should she split, or get advance? Any help gratefully received.

Thanks in advance, Andy S

 

[robbeech]

Whilst Chesterfield to Newcastle is valid via either Darlington or Middlesborough it wouldn't be valid (I doubt) via both. So you would be looking at more than one set of tickets for this journey.

The most flexible way would likely be an anytime return from Chesterfield to Middlesborough, allowing break of journey at Darlington (it seems she is only there for the general connection time for onward travel so likely isn't going far) and then an Anytime return from Middlesborough to Newcastle (there are a whole bunch of these so choosing the right one is important).

There is a anytime short distance return for £14.60 which would allow return within a month, but with this ticket she would have to travel back via Middlesborough the following day. The anytime short distance at £20.60 or indeed the off peak if evening peak restrictions don't apply here (check) return at £17.60 seem to be the most suitable. This would allow travel back via Darlington and up to Newcastle, or direct via Hartlepool and then would be permitted on a direct service from Newcastle the following day if it calls at Darlington where she would effectively swap back onto the return portion of the Chesterfield ticket.

There may be split points to make this cheaper as it's not a cheap journey. Of course there may also be advances if she is absolutely sure of what trains she intends to and will be able to catch.

 

[mikeg]

Whilst Chesterfield to Newcastle is valid via either Darlington or Middlesborough it wouldn't be valid (I doubt) via both. So you would be looking at more than one set of tickets for this journey.

I disagree. Map DY+YA allows travel via Darlington, then Middlesbrough (permitted doubleback for interchange purposes only under the group stations rule) and then on to Hartlepool, Sunderland and Newcastle.

However officially I believe this to be for interchange purposes only, so no BoJ allowed at Middlesbrough.

Is it absolutely necessary to travel to Middlesbrough via Darlington?

 

[brompton rail]

I disagree. Map DY+YA allows travel via Darlington, then Middlesbrough (permitted doubleback for interchange purposes only under the group stations rule) and then on to Hartlepool, Sunderland and Newcastle.

However officially I believe this to be for interchange purposes only, so no BoJ allowed at Middlesbrough.

Is it absolutely necessary to travel to Middlesbrough via Darlington?

By changing at YORK for a direct service to Middlesbrough your wife would arrive about quarter of a hour later than via Darlington. This would avoid the issue above, but involve a wait at York from 07.23 until 08.15 (and the 05.56 Derby to Newcastle is one of the best performing XC trains, usually arriving YORK spot on time!)

 

[bb21]

For a through ticket, you will need the Anytime Return, at a whopping £142.40 hock:

Avoid CrossCountry's peak premium by purchasing a simple set of splits as detailed below to allow her to do the intended itinerary:

Chesterfield - Sheffield singles each way £5.30 (Anytime on Day 1) + £5.20 (Off-Peak on Day 2)
Sheffield - York Anytime Short Return £24.90 (priced by Northern, favourable price)
York - Middlesbrough Off-Peak Return £33.40 (valid via Darlington, no time restriction - priced by TPE, favourable, or lack of, time restrictions)
Eaglescliffe - Newcastle Anytime Short Return £20.60 (use from Middlesbrough on the outward and use to Darlington on the return - priced by VTEC)

The total for this set of splits comes to £89.40. There may be other cheaper splits but I don't have time to look right now.

Strictly speaking Eaglescliffe to Newcastle is not permitted via Middlesbrough but no one is going to care. In any case, you can use the return portion of the York - Middlesbrough ticket to get back to Thornaby when leaving Middlesbrough, where you immediately switch to the Eaglescliffe ticket to continue to Newcastle. That would be 100% permitted.

It would be even cheaper if you are happy to faff around with excesses, as the £20.60 ticket is only £14.20 if routed Via Hartlepool, which applies on the outward journey. If you buy that instead, you can excess the return journey for half the difference, ie. £3.20, thereby saving £3.20.

 

[ANDYS]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will pass it all on and see what happens.

Andy S

 

[Zamracene749]

Using advance singles, she can do the entire trip for around £48 quid by splitting at York.

£13.50 on the 06.17 to York, then £7.20 on the 08.15 York to Middlesbrough Arrive around 0912.

Buy on the day £10.70 single to Newcastle on the 17.43 departure.

On the tuesday, it's £7.10 on the 1843 Newcastle to York then £9.70 1945 York-Chesterfield(the same train throughout) HTH

 

[TUC]

In addition to suggestions above for Chesterfield-Newcastle fares, there is the option of breaking the journey on these (as long as it is a flexible ticket) at Thornaby, and then buying a Thornaby-Middlesbrough day return. Both the Darlington-Middesbrough train (and the York-Middlesbrough TPE service) and the Middlesbrough-Newcastle train call at Thornaby, so she could use the combination of tickets to travel through from Chesterfield-Darlington-Middlesbrough (or Chesterfield-York-Middlesbrough) and then through from Middlesbrough-Newcastle at the end of the dsy.

 

[ANDYS]

Thanks for all the advice. My wife has passed the details onto work and they will buy the tickets for her.

Cheers, Andy S