GWR - advance tickets stopped?

[LorryM]

I’ve noticed the Stroud - Paddington GWR tickets have increased from around £70 in advance to around £140 in March 2025 - can anyone explain to me why this is? I work in London once a week, but this price hike means it may be impossible for me to do so. It’s well I’ve the 4% increase projected?

 

[JonathanH]

Advance tickets can be withdrawn at any time or offered only at the most expensive levels. The DfT, Treasury and GWR will have decided that the market can support a higher fare level.

Really unfortunate, but the reality is that the DfT has to manage its rail budget, and changes that increase revenue and push more cost onto users will be seen as a way of doing that.

Are you referring to single fares or the return cost?

 

[30907]

It looks as though cheaper Advances from Stroud have been withdrawn on morning peak services on Tuesdays to Thursdays. Split ticketing doesn't offer much of a saving, however, there are cheaper fares from Bristol Parkway if you can't switch your working day or hours.

Edit in bold!

 

[JonathanH]

It looks as though Advances from Stroud have been withdrawn on morning peak services on Tuesdays to Thursdays.

Well that is what the second week of March looks like. First week still seems to show some peak advances.

It might be noted that there is no need to book an Anytime Day Single in advance, so the original poster could keep checking for now.

 

[30907]

Well that is what the second week of March looks like. First week still seems to show some peak advances.

The forum site doesn't go beyond the first week (12 weeks ahead). But you are right - you can buy an Advance on the 0831 for 90p less than an Anytime Return

A further option for the OP is to catch the 0625.

 

[andreoid]

Same situation as the original poster. Travel from Stroud to London once a week.

These Advance tickets have all of a sudden stopped; bad for my wallet.

2nd week of March is the Cheltenham festival, so maybe related? But cheap Advances were available for all of March in 2024 hrug:

I hold out hope they will be released in early January as part of a GWR sale (here's last year's blurb: https://www.gwr.com/sale)

 

[Discuss223]

Advance tickets can be withdrawn at any time or offered only at the most expensive levels. The DfT, Treasury and GWR will have decided that the market can support a higher fare level.

Are franchised operators obligated to offer Advance tickets for sale? It seems to be a purely commercially driven product.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Are franchised operators obligated to offer Advance tickets for sale?

No. The regulated fare is the Off Peak Single/Return for long distance and the Anytime Day Single/Return and monthly and longer seasons (possibly also weekly?) for short distance. Nothing else is required to be offered at any given price or at all.

It seems to be a purely commercially driven product.

It is. The only place where any regulation is applied to Advances is LNER's fare increase trial.

 

[GoneSouth]

Split ticketing doesn't offer much of a saving, however, there are cheaper fares from Bristol Parkway if you can't switch your working day or hours.

Stroud to Bristol Parkway isn’t that easy by train, but if there are cheaper tickets available from BP, does that also mean there are cheaper tickets available from Swindon? The OP could change there on the way down to London but presumably the return journey could be direct without being subject to the higher fares?

 

[island]

2nd week of March is the Cheltenham festival, so maybe related?

I suspect this is the issue. 11-14 March are red hot demand times for GWR along that route.