FGW Advance tickets

[penaltyfines]

Anyone know why FGW Advance tickets are stuck on available up to 8th December? It's been there for the last 2 weeks or so...

Could this be to do with a winter timetable or something?

 

[shinkansen1966]

Anyone know why FGW Advance tickets are stuck on available up to 8th December? It's been there for the last 2 weeks or so...

Could this be to do with a winter timetable or something?

Looks like it's still 8 December according to:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/booking_horizons.html

No need, most other places selling tickets for new December timetable, which starts 10 weeks on Monday (4 October).

 

[bnm]

FGw still finalising the timetable for later in December for the period of the Reading blockade perhaps?

 

[fgwoll1e]

Should be more dates released at some point next week.

 

[penaltyfines]

The ticket window has now been exteneded, but on the outward portion the cheapest advance is about 3x the normal cheapest fare, and on the inward there are *no* advance fares available.

Knowing I can usually get these quite cheap in advance, even at 4/6 weeks notice, do train operators release advance ticket in one go right at the start of the booking window, or do they release them in batches over time?

 

[fgwoll1e]

FGW are still only booking until the 8th December...

 

[penaltyfines]

The window *seems* to have been extended, but there are no advance tickets available on the train(s) I want to travel on.

Does anyone know if tickets are released in one batch right at the start of the window/horizon - or are they released in batches ?

 

[TEW]

Usually they would all be released at the start but certain trains may be released later or have no AP tickets released at all. Which train do you want to travel on?

 

[wibble]

TOCs generally release the quota in one go and amend the availability of each price tier as you get closer to the date of travel. If there are any major events or engineering work, the overall quota released may be smaller than normal and/or fewer cheaper priced tickets are made available.

 

[DJ737]

G'day there

Coming up for Xmas/New year for a change and just checked the journeys to get between my reletives in Elsenham & Lamphey, no advance fares available

Most journeys will involve a bus connection around the Reading area.
Although there is an all night routing offered : Elsenham-Tottenham Hale-Victoria-Clapham Jnc-Basingstoke-Bristol TM-Newport-Lamphey which entails a 5 hour wait at Bristol TM in the middle of a December night.

I think i will have to hire a car this time round, shame because I enjoy rail journeys in the UK.

Cheers
DJ737
Melbourne, Australia

 

[penaltyfines]

2x Standard Single (no railcard) 10th Dec Taunton to Paddington after 1800hrs

Max spend is £15 each (£30 for the 2 of them), I've booked advance tickets before now at £11.50 on these trains (there's £14.50 fares too) but for some reason they went straight in at £24.00 or higher.

Also the SOR is £189.00 and even the SSR is £59.70 - absolutely crazy expensive! Almost funny really...

 

[philjo]

DJ737, which day are you travelling?

on 27/28 December there is an hourly through service from Paddington to Newport leaving Paddington at xx:15, albeit it is diverted via High wycombe & Oxford so takes a lot longer than normal. (3 hrs 16 minutes)
If you search for London to Newport on through services it does come up. (though AP tickets are not yet available for that week)

I was having problems with these services as the journey planners were not bringing up these diverted services as part of a journey involving change of train at newport. I suspect that as the train is not going on its normal route the planner has decided that it does not match the routeing guide for a valid route.
I can get the times for individual legs of a journey but putting a whole journey in sends me on some weird routes.

I was looking for times to go to Shropshire on 28 december - will probably actually go using WSMR or from Euston via Crewe but thought going on the diverted service to Newport would be a different route for a change.

 

[Lima]

I hope I'm posting on the right thread here....

I want to travel from Gobowen to Bridgend on 28th December 2010. I cannot seem to find any advance fares for this journey at all, not only for 28th December but also not for any other date I put in (I tried several random dates in Oct and Nov 2010).

Does anyone know if this is the same problem mentioned here about FGW and 8th Dec? Most of my journey would be on Arriva Trains Wales as far as I know, not FGW, although I think the last part is FGW.

Thanks so much for any help! I really don't want to have to pay the full "anytime" fare.

 

[TEW]

2x Standard Single (no railcard) 10th Dec Taunton to Paddington after 1800hrs

Max spend is £15 each (£30 for the 2 of them), I've booked advance tickets before now at £11.50 on these trains (there's £14.50 fares too) but for some reason they went straight in at £24.00 or higher.

Also the SOR is £189.00 and even the SSR is £59.70 - absolutely crazy expensive! Almost funny really...

£23 overall cost on either the 2114 or 2123 Taunton-London Paddington. The SSR from Taunton is expensive but the fare from Penzance is actually rather good value in my opinion at £82.60.

 

[tony_mac]

I hope I'm posting on the right thread here....

I want to travel from Gobowen to Bridgend on 28th December 2010. I cannot seem to find any advance fares for this journey at all, not only for 28th December but also not for any other date I put in (I tried several random dates in Oct and Nov 2010).

Does anyone know if this is the same problem mentioned here about FGW and 8th Dec? Most of my journey would be on Arriva Trains Wales as far as I know, not FGW, although I think the last part is FGW.

Thanks so much for any help! I really don't want to have to pay the full "anytime" fare.

You should really start a new thread, to keep things separate and you may get more responses.

It seems that there are no advance fares available for that journey.

They are available from Ruabon, and according to a literal interpretation of the rules, you would need to actually get the train to and from Ruabon.

 

[Squaddie]

I tried to book a couple of FGW First Class Advance tickets from Cardiff to London for Sunday 12 December. But the tickets are still not on sale, and I see that engineering works mean that the 150-mile journey will take three and a half hours.

So I bought a couple of tickets on National Express instead - still three and a half hours, just as relaxing as First Class on FGW, but only 50p each.

 

[penaltyfines]

£23 overall cost on either the 2114 or 2123 Taunton-London Paddington. The SSR from Taunton is expensive but the fare from Penzance is actually rather good value in my opinion at £82.60.

True I see the £23 but that's still expensive

 

[TEW]

That's the cheapest it will ever be, it is the lowest advance fare. It is only £11.50 each and the fare you mention paying before.

 

[penaltyfines]

Sorry I mis-read.

Those trains are too late, we have an early Eurostar out of St Pancras Intl the next day.

The earlier ones are circa £23 each, which *are* too expensive.

 

[TEW]

It's still not bad value for the length of the journey, a 143m journey on a Friday afternoon which is a busy time to travel.

 

[penaltyfines]

This is later evening, 8pm onwards which isn't so peak.

In terms of value... Driving will cost me £30 return - forgetting the later servies as they're too late, at £23 each single that's almost £100 return.

I'd pay a 50% premium for travelling by train, or 100% premium max for first class, but not 200% just for standard... not good value!

 

[TEW]

It may not be £100 return though, as on the way back you may be able to get cheaper fares. Friday evening is still a busy time to travel though, and most the trains from Taunton-London have come from Penzance and Plymouth.

 

[penaltyfines]

It may not be £100 return though, as on the way back you may be able to get cheaper fares. Friday evening is still a busy time to travel though, and most the trains from Taunton-London have come from Penzance and Plymouth.

£23 x2 plus if I get the cheapest return at £11.50 x2, plus I should add tube travel at £10 return is still £80... 160% premium!

 

[Squaddie]

£23 x2 plus if I get the cheapest return at £11.50 x2, plus I should add tube travel at £10 return is still £80... 160% premium!

Only if you place zero value on the convenience of sitting on a train with a good book and a sandwich rather than driving in the dark and the rain along a busy A road. And if you expect to park for free in London.

To be honest, I think £23.50 for a one-way ticket from Taunton to London on a Friday evening is a very good fare.

 

[penaltyfines]

Only if you place zero value on the convenience of sitting on a train with a good book and a sandwich rather than driving in the dark and the rain along a busy A road. And if you expect to park for free in London.

To be honest, I think £23.50 for a one-way ticket from Taunton to London on a Friday evening is a very good fare.

If you read the thread, you will see I do place a 50% premium/value on train travel, 100% for first class. Even given:

Car journey - door to door, yes I do get free parking at the end. And the passenger can read a good book and a sandwich . Getting into London at 9/10 after rush hour has passed.

'Train' journey - drive to the train station, pay for parking or park nearby and walk with luggage, train to Paddington, walk to Bakerloo line (+luggage), top up Oyster, change for Victoria line, then a bus then a short walk (did I mention luggage?).

So no I don't think that's good value actually!

And I'm not sure who they're kidding at £180 standard open return, with what may be 10% rise in the new year.... 2 people could come up SSR and stay in the Park Lane for the night cheaper than that!!!

 

[Flamingo]

So do - That'll teach them!

 

[Squaddie]

'Train' journey - drive to the train station, pay for parking or park nearby and walk with luggage, train to Paddington, walk to Bakerloo line (+luggage), top up Oyster, change for Victoria line, then a bus then a short walk (did I mention luggage?).

But you would put yourself through all this if the fare were £11.50, and won't because the fare is £23 - so the price you put on that inconvenience is £11.50?

There are some journeys where the train is simply not the best option.

 

[Zoe]

There are some journeys where the train is simply not the best option.

Taunton to London though is the type of journey that is well suited for the train.

 

[Squaddie]

Taunton to London though is the type of journey that is well suited for the train.

I agree, and think that £23.50 is a very good fare for a Friday evening.

But if you have a significant road or underground journey at each end and luggage, as penaltyfines does, then perhaps driving is more convenient.

 

[Zoe]

But if you have a significant road or underground journey at each end and luggage, as penaltyfines does, then perhaps driving is more convenient.

Good luck with the M5/M4 on a Friday evening.