Lichfield to Euston - Routes?

[baz2277]

Hi all,

I occasionally (every few months) head down to London from Lichfield Trent Valley on the Super Off Peak Return ticket type. Is this ticket valid on a routing via New Street on the Cross City Line and vice versa which would allow a BOJ in Birmingham for a few hours? Just as an alternative one day to travelling direct from Euston back to Trent Valley?

I had to use this route last weekend with signalling problems in Stafford, but it would be handy to be able to use it as a change.

Can anyone confirm/help?

Cheers

 

[jfollows]

Lichfield Trent Valley to London "any permitted" tickets are valid on routes shown at https://data.atoc.org/routeing-maps as:

• TV
• WM + TV
• WS + GC

WM + TV allows travel via Birmingham

The Super Offpeak return (https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail?orig=LTV&dest=EUS&expert=on&flow=0&multi=0&fare=4&rte=42&tkt=OPR) limits you to WMR & LNR trains only, but not to specific routes.

So, to be clear, yes, you’re fine going via Birmingham and breaking your journey there with this ticket.
EDIT Per the correction from @Haywain later, break of journey is only allowed in the return direction, sorry, I missed that.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I occasionally (every few months) head down to London from Lichfield Trent Valley on the Super Off Peak Return ticket type. Is this ticket valid on a routing via New Street on the Cross City Line and vice versa which would allow a BOJ in Birmingham for a few hours?

Is the Super Off Peak Return from Lichfield Trent Valley one which is routed "WMR&LNR only" to London Euston or is it maybe "via High Wycombe" to London Terminals?

 

[jfollows]

Is the Super Off Peak Return from Lichfield Trent Valley one which is routed "WMR&LNR only" to London Euston or is it maybe "via High Wycombe" to London Terminals?

I assumed the former because @baz2277 referred to using the direct Trent Valley route ordinarily.

 

[baz2277]

Yes its usually marked as WMR&LNR only - so I was hoping as the Cross City Line is WMR run, I could use this to get back to LTV, I know I can't use Avanti on this option

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I assumed the former because @baz2277 referred to using the direct Trent Valley route ordinarily.

You're right and the OP has confirmed so. Travelling via High Wycombe (to/from Marylebone) would of course be an alternative to travelling to Euston. And the OP would also, obviously, get the chance to have a break of journey in Birmingham when interchanging from New Street station to Snow Hill / Moor Street. P.S. Presume "via High Wycombe" routed tickets can also be used from Lichfield T.V. via Nuneaton/Coventry/Leamington Spa (if the OP ever wants to vary their future journeys to/from London).

 

[baz2277]

Thanks for confirming the details everyone!

 

[jfollows]

P.S. Presume "via High Wycombe" routed tickets can also be used from Lichfield T.V. via Nuneaton/Coventry/Leamington Spa (if the OP ever wants to vary their future journeys to/from London).

WS + GC only allows via Nuneaton and Coventry for this route, not via Birmingham (unless also via Stafford!).

 

[Haywain]

The Super Off Peak Return does not allow break of journey on the outward leg, so you can only break in Birmingham on the way back from London.

 

[jfollows]

The Super Off Peak Return does not allow break of journey on the outward leg, so you can only break in Birmingham on the way back from London.

Thank you, I missed that, I thought I hadn’t …….

 

[Mcr Warrior]

WS + GC only allows via Nuneaton and Coventry for this route, not via Birmingham (unless also via Stafford!).

Possibly drifting off topic, but are you saying that a £38.20 Super Off Peak Return ticket from Lichfield T.V. to London Terminals (Marylebone), route "via High Wycombe" can't be used into Birmingham via Aston?

 

[jfollows]

Possibly drifting off topic, but are you saying that a £38.20 Super Off Peak Return ticket from Lichfield T.V. to London Terminals (Marylebone), route "via High Wycombe" can't be used into Birmingham via Aston?

Yes, I am saying that.
I doubt it's the shortest route, or within three miles of that, and the routeing guide maps exclude this.

 

[Haywain]

I doubt it's the shortest route, or within three miles of that, and the routeing guide maps exclude this.

I would be very surprised if using the direct Lichfield - New Street train was queried though.

 

[Class800]

Thank you, I missed that, I thought I hadn’t …….

Using station facilities, needing to pass through barrier to change platform, it's fine

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Aug 2024 ==

I would be very surprised if using the direct Lichfield - New Street train was queried though.

agree, it's an obvious route

 

[jfollows]

But Lichfield-Stafford-Birmingham-High Wycombe-London is fine by this site’s ticketing function, as I expected.
Which is not an obvious route …. until you look at the routeing guide maps mentioned above.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I would be very surprised if using the direct Lichfield - New Street train was queried though.

Indeed. And just to add that the forum's own ticket selling site does seem to offer the £38.20 Super Off Peak Rtn fare with an itinerary Lichfield TV -> Birmingham New Street (via Aston) then a walk over to Birmingham Moor Street and onward (via High Wycombe) to Marylebone.

 

[jfollows]

Indeed. And just to add that the forum's own ticket selling site does seem to offer the £38.20 Super Off Peak fare with an itinerary Lichfield TV -> Birmingham New Street (via Aston) then a walk over to Birmingham Moor Street and onward (via High Wycombe) to Marylebone.

OK, good, I must have missed something in my analysis, because it's clearly a "sensible" route, for what little that counts!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

OK, good, I must have missed something in my analysis, because it's clearly a "sensible" route, for what little that counts!

To be fair, the route via High Wycombe alternative was a bit of a digression to see if we could find a cheap(ish) ticket that would validly allow the OP a (same day) break of journey in central Birmingham on the outward leg.

 

[JB_B]

OK, good, I must have missed something in my analysis, because it's clearly a "sensible" route, for what little that counts!

Re the via High Wycombe option, I think the route via Birmingham from Lichfield Trent Valley to Marylebone just squeaks under +3 miles compared to the shortest route via Nuneaton (at least according to the routeing guide data) - not sure that I'd have guessed that, either.

 

[jfollows]

Re the via High Wycombe option, I think the route via Birmingham from Lichfield Trent Valley to Marylebone just squeaks under +3 miles compared to the shortest route via Nuneaton (at least according to the routeing guide data) - not sure that I'd have guessed that, either.

The NRT mileage tables give Lichfield TV to New Street (table 70) as 17.5 miles + Moor Street to Marylebone as 111.25 miles (table 113), a total of 128.75 miles, versus 116.25 miles Euston to Lichfield TV direct (table 65). However the source of the mileage data used by the ticket selling sites may be different and the NRT figures may be wrong.