London and then the underground

[Steevee]

Hi Guys,

First post from me and a question!

I need to get from Stoke on Trent (SOT) -> London St Pancras Intl and then from there to Liverpool Street Station and then back again a couple of days later.

#1 - the ticket prices seem extortionate! £238 for an open return. Is this about right?

#2 - Can I get an open ticket for the underground so I can use that at my leisure whilst I am down there?

#3 - The tickets are for next week so no advanced fair available

Many thanks for any advice

 

[OwlMan]

In order that we can give the best advice could you please lets us know which days you are travelling and at what times you need to travel?

Peter

 

[GodAtum]

You could try getting a Stoke - St Pancars ticket and buy a travelcard while you are here.

 

[Steevee]

Yep, sorry that would be helpful.

It is going out first thing Tuesday morning (need to be at Liverpool street station for at least 9.30) and coming back Thursday night (After 5.30pm)

Cheers

 

[yorkie]

Do you have a Railcard? If not, are you eligible for one?

"Open" Returns are now renamed "Anytime" Returns. Do you really need to travel at peak times?

Is your journey time critical in that you have to travel as fast as posisble on Virgin, or would a slower option on London Midland be something you could consider?

London Underground do not sell Anytime ('Open') Returns, however you can get an inclusive Anytime Return from Stoke, to any station on the Underground.

If you wish to have unlimited travel (this is not the same as a return) then you can get a Travelcard.

Alternatively a good way to travel around London is to get an Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG) card.

Where does St Pancras come into it? Do you want to visit both St Pancras and Liverpool Street, or are you telling us you want to travel on the Midland Mainline route via Derby?

 

[MikeWh]

Can you give more details of actual dates and times, and confirm that S-O-T means Stoke on Trent? Also, did you mean St Pancras or would Euston do? I'm trying out Wednesday and Return Friday as an example and there are *some* advance fares still available.

On question 2, the ticket will allow one tube journey each way. If you want to do more then you can either get a travelcard for each day (£6.60 for unlimited travel after 9.30am in zones 1 and 2) or get an Oystercard which will charge just what you use but cap at the appropriate travelcard if necessary. There is a deposit of £5 which will be refunded if you surrender the card at Euston Underground before returning north.

 

[yorkie]

Stoke - Rugby Off Peak Return costs £33.50 is valid from 0415.

Depart Stoke 0648
Arrive Rugby 0728

Depart Rugby 1823 or 1923
Arrive Stafford 1852 or 1953

(Change trains at Stafford)

Depart Stafford 1901 or 2001
Arrive Stoke 1919 or 2019

Rugby - Zone U1 London Anytime Return costs £122.00

Rugby 0729
Euston 0822

Euston 1733 or 1833
Rugby 1821 or 1921

Note: No requirement to change at Rugby, simply stay on the same trains! You only need to change trains at Stafford.

One single journey in each direction is allowed on London Underground.

Total cost = £155.50

Saving = £82.50

Can you give more details of actual dates and times, and confirm that S-O-T means Stoke on Trent?

Good point, I assumed it did and edited his post. If he means somewhere else, then all the advice here is duff!

Again can I request that everyone posts the full name the first time round, after it has been named 3-letter codes can be used providing they are correct. (e.g. "I am travelling from Stoke on Trent (SOT) on Tuesday, and would like to leave SOT at 6am....") Thanks

 

[MikeWh]

OK, using your exact dates there are no advances on Tuesday that early, but there are some on Thursday evening; if you can wait to depart until the 2100 from Euston you can have that journey for £30.50.

 

[Steevee]

It's relatively time critical, in the sense that I need to be there pre 9.30am on Tuesday 25th morning.

I need to get to "E1 7HW" which is a couple of minutes walk from Liverpool street station.

Returning, I need to leave after 5.30pm on Thursday 27th.

So would I select Liverpool street as my final destination when booking the ticket?

 

[MikeWh]

It's relatively time critical, in the sense that I need to be there pre 9.30am on Tuesday 25th morning.

I need to get to "E1 7HW" which is a couple of minutes walk from Liverpool street station.

Returning, I need to leave after 5.30pm on Thursday 27th.

So would I select Liverpool street as my final destination when booking the ticket?

That works on the East Coast site, yes.

 

[John @ home]

Peak train fares are so expensive that, if I needed to be near London Liverpool Street from Tuesday 09:30 to Thursday 17:30, I would travel from Stoke on the Monday evening and spend an extra night in a hotel in or near London.

I would be tempted by something like:

Monday 25 January
1754 Stoke-on-Trent - Euston 2031
Off-Peak Return route London Midland only £33.00

Thursday 28 January
1829 Euston - Stoke-on-Trent 2105
Use return portion of Off-Peak Return ticket.

To find cheaper hotels, I would also consider taking the same trains to/from Watford Junction (Off-Peak Return route London Midland only £30.00).

 

[Max]

Peak train fares are so expensive that, if I needed to be near London Liverpool Street from Tuesday 09:30 to Thursday 17:30, I would travel from Stoke on the Monday evening and spend an extra night in a hotel in or near London.

I would be tempted by something like: To find cheaper hotels, I would also consider taking the same trains to/from Watford Junction (Off-Peak Return route London Midland only £30.00).

The Holiday Inn Express Watford Junction (right next to the station with free breakfast!) is currently available for £64 for the night, so a further saving of roughly £50!

 

[Steevee]

Thanks for all the advice - very useful.

Regarding this ticket;

06:48Stoke-On-Trent 08:22London Euston Train VIRGIN TRAINS 01h 34
08:22London Euston 08:50London Liverpool Street Tube n/a 00h 28

The arrival time from Stoke, and departure time from London Euston is the same. Is it the same train, or do you have to change?

Also - I think I will buy an Oyster Card when I am down there. Do you just pick these up from the ticket office at whatever station I am closest to?

 

[transportphoto]

Yep, Oyster cards are available for a £5 refundable deposit and are available from any tube ticket office.

This is returnable if you surrender your card to any Tube ticket office after use

 

[yorkie]

The arrival time from Stoke, and departure time from London Euston is the same. Is it the same train, or do you have to change?

There are regular services on the sub-surface Metropolitan, Circle & H&C line, from Euston Square station (a short, signed walk from Euston station) to Liverpool Street Station. These are full-size London Underground suburban trains, not tubes. At Liverpool Street, the Underground exit takes you directly to the concourse of the main station. There are no escalators, and only a few steps, as the trains run in cuttings and tunnels just below the surface.

Trains are very frequent, you shouldn't have to wait more than 5 minutes at most times, and the journey time does not take long. The times given are a rough guide for how much time to allow, not exact times of trains.

Also - I think I will buy an Oyster Card when I am down there. Do you just pick these up from the ticket office at whatever station I am closest to?

Yes, or online. If you register it, you can see your journey history online and top-up online. See https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do

Don't forget to touch in & out when entering and leaving the system at all times, when using PAYG. If you do not touch out it assumes you have gone somewhere far away and charges you a maximum cash fare for the journey.

 

[Olympian]

The Holiday Inn Express Watford Junction (right next to the station with free breakfast!) is currently available for £64 for the night, so a further saving of roughly £50!

Even cheaper - only £54.40 for tomorrow night - if you book it using this link

 

[Steevee]

Great - you have all been very helpful. Much appreciated.

 

[Max]

Even cheaper - only £54.40 for tomorrow night - if you book it using this link

Great minds think alike, I always use that link. http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/exclusive works too! I think the price was just a little more for the date the OP was travelling.