How should I have done this?

[Egg Centric]

Tomorrow (well today given the time) I arrive into Manchester Piccadilly on a Watford-Manchester Stations advance. A little bit later someone else will arrive in Victoria on a Durham-Manchester Stations advance. Meanwhile I'll buy a metrolink ticket (not sure what yet as not that familiar with it), go and pick them up, sort out a Metrolink ticket for them, then bring them back to Piccadilly after which we'll both head to Manchester Airport (just the station - not flying anywhere just got a decent seeming hotel for free on Clubcard points) on a flexible Duo ticket.

I was in quite a rush arranging all this and it's complicated by the Watford-Manchester leg being expensed so first class while the others are standard. Still I feel I could have done better particularly about the cross Manchester part. What should I have done differently to have had the Picadilly/Victoria stuff covered so much as possible? It certainly seems like I should have bought the Duo ticket from Manchester Central Zone in hindsight if one is available?

(I have simplified this a bit since the Durham-Manchester is a split, automatically found through our eponymous ticket site, and both it and the Watford ticket are an advance)

 

[Alex365Dash]

What should I have done differently to have had the Picadilly/Victoria stuff covered so much as possible? It certainly seems like I should have bought the Duo ticket from Manchester Central Zone in hindsight if one is available?

You should get a Duo ticket from Manchester Airport to Manchester Central Zone, use the outbound for yourself from Piccadilly to Victoria and use the return portion to go to the airport with the other person from Victoria through Piccadilly to the Airport.

 

[plugwash]

is it legitimate to trave on your own on a duo ticket?

 

[Springs Branch]

is it legitimate to trave on your own on a duo ticket?

Definitely requires two travelling together on Northern trains, and a single traveller with a Duo might well find themselves buying a new ticket from the train conductor.

Between Piccadilly and Victoria, it's likely any Metrolink inspectors encountered on platforms or the tram would just look at the MANCHESTER CTLZ and date validity of the rail ticket, not be aware of the TOC-specific Duo restriction and not bother asking "where's your mate?"

 

[Watershed]

is it legitimate to trave on your own on a duo ticket?

As long as you carry both tickets, yes. There is nothing which specifies that there must actually be two people travelling (as is the case on Two Together or Family Railcard discounted tickets, for instance).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Mar 2023 ==

Definitely requires two travelling together on Northern trains, and a single traveller with a Duo might well find themselves buying a new ticket from the train conductor.

Citation needed...

 

[Merseysider]

Hmm. NRE states:

The Duo offers a full price return ticket and the second adult return ticket at half price when two adults travel together

Northern states:

simply buy your ticket and travel together to save 25%.

and just noticed too, NRE also has a category that states:

Adult Minimum: 2

It'd probably be fine on the tram but I wouldn't risk it on a train.

 

[PG]

but there don't appear to be any actual dedicated terms and conditions for this ticket.

I'm willing to bet that any pricing bod picking up on this will soon change that!

 

[Merseysider]

I'm willing to bet that any pricing bod picking up on this will soon change that!

Did spot something tiny hidden away on the NRE website (edited above) but for the life of me couldn't find a definitive list of T&C a la railcard conditions

 

[telstarbox]

If a single passenger uses a Duo there isn't any revenue loss to the TOC is there?

 

[fandroid]

If a single passenger uses a Duo there isn't any revenue loss to the TOC is there?

Since when has that stopped an RPI from giving the punter grief for an invalid ticket?

 

[Springs Branch]

. . . a single traveller with a Duo might well find themselves buying a new ticket from the train conductor.

Citation needed...

1) In 2017, on a day out with Mrs S.B. on a Wigan - Buxton Duo, I asked the guard on the train back from Buxton whether Mrs S.B. and I could split up in Manchester and travel back to Wigan on different trains. "Sorry mate, you both need to travel together on that ticket".

2) In 2019 Northern's Twitter answered a question "Can I get a duo ticket for one 1 person on the outward journey and 2 people on the return" with "this will not be valid, you must have two people present for a duo ticket".

https://twitter.com/northernassist/status/775673873224310784?lang=en

3) Northern's conditions seem quiet on the official position, but both Chiltern & Greater Anglia offer Duo tickets and specifically say in their T&C:-

https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/duo-ticket-terms-and-conditions

• A Standard Class return ticket for two people travelling together, with discount applied to second ticket when purchased with a full priced fare.
• Both customers must travel together at all times.
• This ticket can be purchased in advance or immediately before travel.

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/discounts/duo-tickets

Terms and conditions

• Duo is valid at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays only.
• Duo is available where Super Off-Peak Day Return fares are offered. The fare charged will be 1.5 times the Super Off-Peak Day Return and will permit two adults to travel.
• Duo is not available to London Underground destinations.
• Railcard discounts are not available.
• There is no Child discount on Duo, but up to four children accompanying two adults using Duo can each use the £2 Child Return fare.
• Duo is not available for journeys wholly within the Oyster area (Liverpool St/Stratford to Broxbourne, Hertford East and Shenfield).
• The two adults must travel together throughout their entire journey.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Oops.

I guess you can always just touch in and out for your journey from Piccadilly to Victoria.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Metrolink is not running from Piccadilly to Victoria today. It is bus replacement due to engineering works: https://tfgm.com/city-centre-works

 

[Wallsendmag]

1) In 2017, on a day out with Mrs S.B. on a Wigan - Buxton Duo, I asked the guard on the train back from Buxton whether Mrs S.B. and I could split up in Manchester and travel back to Wigan on different trains. "Sorry mate, you both need to travel together on that ticket".

2) In 2019 Northern's Twitter answered a question "Can I get a duo ticket for one 1 person on the outward journey and 2 people on the return" with "this will not be valid, you must have two people present for a duo ticket".

https://twitter.com/northernassist/status/775673873224310784?lang=en

View attachment 130664

3) Northern's conditions seem quiet on the official position, but both Chiltern & Greater Anglia offer Duo tickets and specifically say in their T&C:-

https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/duo-ticket-terms-and-conditions

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/discounts/duo-tickets

Travelling alone (only one person using any ticket) is fairly different to travelling seperately.

 

[Egg Centric]

Metrolink is not running from Piccadilly to Victoria today. It is bus replacement due to engineering works: https://tfgm.com/city-centre-works

Hmm that's annoying. What's the best way to do it by rail (I don't mind it being mildly irrational) - change at Salford Crescent?

(Wasn't this the whole point of the Ordsall Chord )

 

[Rail Ranger]

There is normally an hourly through train from Piccadilly to Victoria via the chord (the TPE Manchester Airport to Saltburn service) but that is not running because of the Stalybridge blockade! Yes you can change at Salford Crescent.

 

[aye2beeviasea]

This may be too late but there's a free bus every 10 minutes during the day (every 15- 20 minutes in the evening) between Piccadilly and Victoria

 

[Howardh]

Definitely requires two travelling together on Northern trains, and a single traveller with a Duo might well find themselves buying a new ticket from the train conductor.

Between Piccadilly and Victoria, it's likely any Metrolink inspectors encountered on platforms or the tram would just look at the MANCHESTER CTLZ and date validity of the rail ticket, not be aware of the TOC-specific Duo restriction and not bother asking "where's your mate?"

Interesting if the "Duo" was between two stations, and at the destination station one of the pair carried on their journey with a separate ticket and the second alighted and tried to get through the barriers with their duo ticket! To me they would be perfectly in order to do that, but does "duo" mean entering and leaving a station together??

 

[mangyiscute]

I don't know whether you'd want to, but the walk from Piccadilly to Victoria is under a mile and takes me 15-20 minutes, once you've waited for the tram etc i usually find it to be the fastest way anyway (and free ), so I'd recommend doing that

 

[greatkingrat]

Just tell the guard you have a split personality and then start talking to yourself!

 

[PG]

Just tell the guard you have a split personality and then start talking to yourself!