Combining off peak tickets

[modernrail]

Hi,

I would appreciate some advice on a ticketing combo.

I am travelling back from Carlisle this afternoon and I have 3 off peak tickets. Carlisle to Warrington, Warrington to Crewe and Crewe to London.

I am okay to catch a direct train that does not stop at Crewe?

As a side point, the reason I have the odd combo is because of I stayed with a friend near Crewe on my way up to travel off peak as there were no advance fares available. I am now sat on the train I would have caught in London. It is completely empty. Only 2 carriages registering enough reservations to show anything up on the platform carriage indicator.

It is driving me absolutely crackers how much peak capacity we are wasting by pricing people off. Some might say they enjoy a totally empty carriage. It deeply troubles me - it is not the sign of a country firing on anywhere near all cylinders.

 

[alistairlees]

I am travelling back from Carlisle this afternoon and I have 3 off peak tickets. Carlisle to Warrington, Warrington to Crewe and Crewe to London.

I am okay to catch a direct train that does not stop at Crewe?

No. You will need to be on a train that stops at Crewe. Unfortunately that generally means the "via Birmingham" Avanti services, though you could also travel on an LNWR service from Crewe.

 

[robbeech]

You could, before you board, ask a guard of a service that doesn’t stop there if they’d let you travel, the worst they can say is no, but as Alistair rightly says it’s not permitted by default.

 

[modernrail]

Oh. Okay. I didn’t realise that. I thought as long as you had valid off peak fares it is okay, whereas with advance it is not.

My ticket are actually Warrington to Crewe and Alsager to London. Does that make any difference?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh. Okay. I didn’t realise that. I thought as long as you had valid off peak fares it is okay, whereas with advance it is not.

Only when combining with a season or Rover does it not have to stop.

My ticket are actually Warrington to Crewe and Alsager to London. Does that make any difference?

No.

 

[modernrail]

Okay, thanks for the advice. Bugger! New ticket then.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Oct 2025 ==

On a side note, two passengers across from me had tickets for the TPE immediately behind us that has been cancelled and the guard took great glee in telling them there is no ticket acceptance in place so they would need to leave this pretty much empty train and wait for whatever might turn up next, or pay an extra £105.

Luckily he had the good grace to come back and tell them it was okay they could stay on, but the mind really does boggle.