Ffestiniog Round Robin

[jon01]

I am planning on using this great value ticket in a couple of weeks and I have one question for those in the know, or anyone that has travelled on this route please

I shall be departing from Birmingham International using the £32 Round Robin ticket and I understand that there are no time restrictions on weekdays, but can I use Virgin and London Midland services to access the circular route and not just the Arriva Trains Wales services from/to Birmingham stations?

Many thanks

 

[yorkie]

Doesn't look like Birmingham International is included according to this map.

As for whether the ticket is TOC-specific, the Conditions of Carriage say:

B. VALIDITY OF TICKETS
10. Tickets valid only in trains of particular Train Companies
The validity of a ticket may:
a) be restricted to; or
b) prohibit
travel in the trains of a particular Train Company or Train Companies. Any such restriction
or prohibition will be shown on the ticket. If you travel in a train with a ticket that is not
valid, the relevant parts of Condition 2 or 4 will apply. If you are unable to use a ticket

For a Train Operating Company (TOC) restriction to apply it must be "shown on the ticket" for it to be enforceable.

I can't see anything to indicate it is TOC specific in the T&Cs, so I doubt it is, but without seeing the ticket I do not know what is printed on it, however others here may have purchased/seen one before.

Unless otherwise stated, tickets are vaild by any TOC.

 

[jon01]

Thanks for the quick reply

According to the Arriva website, there is a special ticket from B'ham Intl to connect to the loop

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/ExploreWales/FfestiniogRoundRobin/


I am worried about getting refused on an early/late rush hour service on Virgin or LM!

 

[John @ home]

According to the Arriva website, there is a special ticket from B'ham Intl to connect to the loop

http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/ExploreWales/FfestiniogRoundRobin/

This link indicates that "There is also a ticket available from Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool to Chester or Shrewsbury to access the circular route." I would expect that ticket to be valid from Birmingham New St. You will probably need an additional ticket Birmingham International - Birmingham New St.

 

[Smethwickian]

I used it a couple of months ago on VT between Crewe and Birmingham New Street as part of the trip. The ticket was checked onboard and no comment made whatsoever. I can't imagine why it would be queried.

The out and return tickets have the origin station to and from 'Ffest Round Robin' as the destination, so can be used in either direction. It doesn't need to be exchanged for anything else or endorsed before boarding the FR train - just hop aboard.

It does not give any TOC-specific info - just the usual vague validity 'as advertised' or 'see restrictions' as far as I recall.

I bought it from New Street for £32 but cannot recall ever seeing a price for International, where ATW's West Midlands services start from. The map on the website includes International, though. It also does just say 'Manchester' and 'Liverpool' without specifying individual stations, so it seems almost 'zonal' in pricing. Wouldn't mind betting International could sell it for £32, if staff really looked hard enough on the system.

I would imagine that for the tickets bought outside the loop itself, such as Birmingham or Wolverhampton, usual permittted routes apply to join the circuit as appropriate, within those shown on the ATW diagram for the ticket which pops up online.

As for worrying about peak trains, it quite specifically and clearly states in the T&Cs 'valid at any time'. Take a printout of that along if unsure.

 

[PaulLothian]

The pdf map accessed from http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/ExploreWales/FfestiniogRoundRobin/ does show B'ham International as valid for the ticket with add-on (£32).

It doesn't explicitly say, but should the Festiniog also include the Welsh Highland Railway? I understand them to be part of the same organisation, and they have run through services. It would be a good deal if so, but I bet it isn't included!


I have just realised that If I had known about this ticket, I could have used it to travel to somewhere exotic like Stockport or Telford when I was on holiday in Snowdonia last week - I'll just have to wait till next time!

 

[Olympian]

The £32 fare isn't available from Birmingham International in NFM08, only from New Street, Moor Street, Snow Hill and "Birmingham Stns". Has that changed in NFM09? If not then it looks like Arriva's own map is incorrect.

 

[Lad Brookes]

The £32 fare isn't available from Birmingham International in NFM08, only from New Street, Moor Street, Snow Hill and "Birmingham Stns". Has that changed in NFM09? If not then it looks like Arriva's own map is incorrect.

No. Still unavailable from BHI in NFM09.

As it happens I used one of these on Thursday from Birmingham (£8 with Priv, which was superb value).

 

[jon01]

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[Masbroughlad]

I went on it last year - great day out.

When I booked at Wolverhampton Travel Centre (or tried to) - they had never heard of it, which I found pretty shocking! I had to convince them it existed and that I had seen it on ATW website. After phone calls to ATW, they eventually sold me one, but it took far too long! Glad I booked the day before or I would have missed my train!!!

Brill day out though and we managed to squeeze in a couple of hours in Llandudno for fish and chips too

 

[gazthomas]

The Welsh Highland Railway isn't included to my knowledge.

I did it last October - Virgin Trains from Watford to Birmingham NS, then Arriva all the way up to Porthmadoc (I recommend Allports fish and chips), then Ffestioniog up to Blaenau for ATW through to Llandudno. The single car 153 was standing room only. ATW 175 back to Warrington for VT back to Watford. I bought the Birmingham version from NS station, though it did take a few minutes for it to be "found". Make sure you print out the web page! VT tickets from Watford to Birmingham and Chester to Watford allowed me to complete the trip easily in a day.

Photo's from my trip to whet your appetite:

https://picasaweb.google.com/GaryandHelenThomas/CambrianCoastOctober2010

Cheers!