Manchester Victoria-Bradford Off-Peak return

[Welshman]

I note that a Manchester Victoria -Bradford Interchange Off Peak return via the Calder Valley is normally £11.90, but on the 8th March when the journey-planners direct you to travel via Stalybridge & Leeds, or Stalybridge and bus from Huddersfield, because of engineering works on the Calder Valley line, the fare shoots up to £22!

I appreciate there is a surcharge for travelling on FTPE rather than Northern, and there is a history of differing fares on the Huddersfield & Calder Valley routes, but it hardly seems fair, considering it is not the passenger's fault s/he is being diverted, and particularly mean that on some services, half of the journey is by rail-replacement bus from Huddersfield!

 

[Romilly]

My guess is that the journey planners are confused by there being two lots of bustitutions: journeys which involve a bus from Victoria to Hebden Bridge and then another bus from Hebden Bridge to Bradford don't appear to be registering as via Hebden Bridge journeys.

On the East Coast website, opting for via Hebden Bridge helped with the return journeys but only generated a few valid outward journeys for the £11.90 fare, but opting for via Mytholmroyd generated journeys throughout the day for the £11.90 fare.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

If I do a search on NRES for Manchester Victoria to Bradford Interchange I either get travel via Huddersfield (for a bus) or Leeds (for a train). These correctly show the 'Any Permitted' fare.

If I do another search, but specifically request travel via Hebden Bridge, I am given the bus only journey with a change at Hebden Bridge. These correctly show the 'Via Hebden Bridge' price.

Journey times via Hebden Bridge are noted as being at least 15 minutes longer than via Huddersfield (for the bus) and are overtaken by faster options, so are very much less likely to appear on journey planners without a specific search.