Manchester Area Dodgy Fares? & Evening Ranger query

[Deerfold]

I have a need to go from Manchester to Littleborough in the evening in the near future and looked up the fare on EastCoast.co.uk. I noted that from Victoria it was £3.20 and was about to move onto my next task when an old memory surfaced.

I googled the GMPTE Evening Ranger and found it was £2.00 - considerably cheaper and valid on the trams in the central area.

I'm actually travelling from Piccadilly but knew the Littleborough trains go from Victoria.

I looked up Piccadilly to Littleborough which again quoted £3.20 via Metrolink.

I've a few questions:

If you asked rail staff for this fare would they be obliged to point out the evening ranger is available?

If so, should the online version?

Is the Picadilly to Littleborough ticket valid on the tram? If not, it's certainly not clear from the website.

The next day I'm likely to be approaching Manchester from the same direction, but coming out of West Yorkshire. I'll have a WY Day rover as I'll be doing quite alot in West Yorks over day and am presumably best getting a Walsden-Littleborough single and an evening rover (all the trains the evening rover is valid on stop at walsden). I'm probably getting on the train at Hebden Bridge or Bradford. I shouldn't have any problem getting the single ticket at the station, but can I buy the GMPTE evening ticket? Can I buy it on the train if not or am I supposed to get off and on again at Littleborough - in which case I want to go for the only 20 minute gap there is there.

Many thanks for any help with this.

 

[janb]

My interpretation is that Manchester - Littleborough wouldn't be valid on the tram. If you're outward journey is between 18.30 and 21.00 then an evening return @ £1.65 plus an optional 80p single on the Metrolink may be cheapest way.

 

[Stuwhu]

I think tickets from Manchester stations to GMPTE stations and vice versa are marked Manchester Central Zone and are valid on trams in the city centre (stations between Victoria, Piccadilly and G-Mex)

 

[Deerfold]

My interpretation is that Manchester - Littleborough wouldn't be valid on the tram. If your outward journey is between 18.30 and 21.00 then an evening return @ £1.65 plus an optional 80p single on the Metrolink may be cheapest way.

I didn't know there were evening returns. Are these not available on-line either? Presumbly I'm still cheaper with the £2.00 evening ranger if I am taking the tram (and whilst I'm usually not bothered I will have luggage).

 

[142094]

The evening returns are a Northern promotion, only available in the Manchester area, have a look here.

 

[furryfeet]

I think tickets from Manchester stations to GMPTE stations and vice versa are marked Manchester Central Zone and are valid on trams in the city centre (stations between Victoria, Piccadilly and G-Mex)

This is indeed correct. Any rail ticket marked Manchester Central Zone is valid on metrolink in the city centre. I was told this by the booking clerk at Bolton this weekend.

Well done Northern - I wish other operators would take up this idea and sell cheap tickets in the evening.

Does anyone know if a similar promotion is in use at say, Birmingham ?

 

[ChrisTheRef]

The website won't show rovers if you put in two stations for arrival and destination.

Staff should tell you if they're aware of it, but obviously, they might not be that switched on. Personally, I'd have to be quite awake to not just type in the stations and say "£3.20 please!"

 

[OwlMan]

This is indeed correct. Any rail ticket marked Manchester Central Zone is valid on metrolink in the city centre. I was told this by the booking clerk at Bolton this weekend.

Well done Northern - I wish other operators would take up this idea and sell cheap tickets in the evening.

Does anyone know if a similar promotion is in use at say, Birmingham ?

Yes a West Midlands Evening Return is £2 see
http://www.networkwestmidlands.co.uk/newticketfinder/super_off-peak_return.aspx

 

[Mojo]

These tickets were originally created by the PTEs and not the TOCs.

 

[northwichcat]

I think tickets from Manchester stations to GMPTE stations and vice versa are marked Manchester Central Zone and are valid on trams in the city centre (stations between Victoria, Piccadilly and G-Mex)

No it's just the other way around. If you start at Stalybridge and ask for a return to Manchester your ticket would say Manchester CTLZ, if you started at a Manchester Station (Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Rd, Deansgate) it would say Manchester STNS and be invalid on any Metrolink service.

 

[clagmonster]

The ticket from Piccadilly to Littleborough will be issued from Manchester Stations, route any permitted and hence not valid on the tram. If you tried using one and came across a TTI, I believe you could be charged a £100 standard fare. However, if you booked it online and had a booking confirmation stating that travel is valid on the tram, I would imagine that if it got that far, East Coast would have to refund this to you as you have entered into a contract including travel by tram.
However, a cheap evening return from most south Manchester suburban stations is priced at £1.65, the same price as that from Victoria and is routed Metrolink (GM) so is valid via the tram. Stockport would be a good one to get, and is valid for train between 18:30 and 21:00.

 

[Deerfold]

The ticket from Piccadilly to Littleborough will be issued from Manchester Stations, route any permitted and hence not valid on the tram. If you tried using one and came across a TTI, I believe you could be charged a £100 standard fare. However, if you booked it online and had a booking confirmation stating that travel is valid on the tram, I would imagine that if it got that far, East Coast would have to refund this to you as you have entered into a contract including travel by tram.
However, a cheap evening return from most south Manchester suburban stations is priced at £1.65, the same price as that from Victoria and is routed Metrolink (GM) so is valid via the tram. Stockport would be a good one to get, and is valid for train between 18:30 and 21:00.

Good plan, but where would I be able to buy that ticket? I'll be arriving at Manchester by Virgin from London (I could have probably have got a through ticket at minimal extra cost if I'd known what I was doing when I bought that ticket).

 

[yorkie]

Good plan, but where would I be able to buy that ticket? I'll be arriving at Manchester by Virgin from London (I could have probably have got a through ticket at minimal extra cost if I'd known what I was doing when I bought that ticket).

At any National Rail station, or on board trains where there is a member of staff with a ticket issuing machine who is willing to sell tickets for onward journeys.

What ticket do you have?

An Off Peak Return (SVR) from London Terminals to Manchester Stations (Route: Any Permitted) is £66.20, which is 10p more than a SVR from Kensington Olympia to Littleborough (Route: +Manchester) including the tube.

 

[Deerfold]

At any National Rail station, or on board trains where there is a member of staff with a ticket issuing machine who is willing to sell tickets for onward journeys.

What ticket do you have?

An Off Peak Return (SVR) from London Terminals to Manchester Stations (Route: Any Permitted) is £66.20, which is 10p more than a SVR from Kensington Olympia to Littleborough (Route: +Manchester) including the tube.

I've got an AP £29 for the 1720. I wasn't originally going to Littleborough...

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the evening ticket outside Manchester. To be honest for 35p I'm not overly bothered.

 

[yorkie]

In theory any ticket machine should have them, I am unsure why they are not available online, but I believe that the ticket booking sites are in breach of the rules of impartial retailing by not offering them. No worries if it's only 35p in this case though!

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Is the Picadilly to Littleborough ticket valid on the tram? If not, it's certainly not clear from the website.
.

No. As stated earlier, a ticket issued from any station in the GMPTE area TO Manchester will have a destination of "Manchester CTLZ". This allows travel on the city zone of the Metrolink trams.

A ticket from Manchester outwards will have an origin of "Manchester Stns". This DOES NOT allow travel in the trams, so if you were at Piccadilly you would have to make you own way across town at your own expense.

My suggestions would be:

If you are leaving Manchester between 1830 and 2100 ask for an evening return from Stockport to Littleborough. This costs £1.65, has a route "METROLINK (GM)" and is valid across town on the tram - yet is the same price as a Manchester to Littleborough ticket.

If you are leaving after 2100 ask for an Evening Ranger, which is £2, and also valid on the tram across town.
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The next day I'm likely to be approaching Manchester from the same direction, but coming out of West Yorkshire. I'll have a WY Day rover as I'll be doing quite alot in West Yorks over day and am presumably best getting a Walsden-Littleborough single and an evening rover (all the trains the evening rover is valid on stop at walsden). I'm probably getting on the train at Hebden Bridge or Bradford. I shouldn't have any problem getting the single ticket at the station, but can I buy the GMPTE evening ticket? Can I buy it on the train if not or am I supposed to get off and on again at Littleborough - in which case I want to go for the only 20 minute gap there is there.

Many thanks for any help with this.

Provided the train you are travelling on between West Yorkshire and GMPTE land stops at both Walsden and Littleborough then the above combination is fine. Hebden Bridge booking office staff are quite good in my experience (if there is disruption an old BR blackboard gets dragged out to advise what is happening!) and will no doubt be able to oblige in selling any ticket you require. Otherwise you should be able to get one on the train - but the chances of a ticket inspection after tea time on the Calder Valley is rare, unless it is a Leeds Guard on. I tend to find that Leeds crews will come down and do tickets pretty much most of the time, whereas the Manchester Vic crews seem to spend most of the time in the back cab!

 

[scrapy]

A Manchester stations to Littlebrough single/evening return from Manchester Piccadilly (marked as Manchester statons) is indeed not valid on the Metrolink, however it is valid for travel to Littlebrough from Piccadilly/Oxford Rd/Deansgate to Littlebrough via Salford Crescent.