Marylebone - Stratford-upon-Avon routing

[Tim B]

Would be most grateful for someone's help with this.

I am intending to travel from London to Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow, returning Friday on a Chiltern Railway off peak return £ 27-50.

Is this ticket valid via Birmingham Moor Street on Chiltern mainline, then on London Midland to Stratford-upon-Avon ? I ask as it would be convenient for me to break my outward journey at Henley-in-Arden.

 

[barrykas]

Would be most grateful for someone's help with this.

I am intending to travel from London to Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow, returning Friday on a Chiltern Railway off peak return £ 27-50.

Is this ticket valid via Birmingham Moor Street on Chiltern mainline, then on London Midland to Stratford-upon-Avon ? I ask as it would be convenient for me to break my outward journey at Henley-in-Arden.

I'm afraid not, on several counts:

• It's not a through train
• It's not the shortest route
• It's not a mapped route
• You'd be doubling back between Moor Street and Tyseley
• Via Birmingham is generally a more expensive route than via Banbury

Cheers,

Barry

 

[Tim B]

I agree with your points Barry, all totally logical.

However, Chiltern website is offering the £ 27.50 off peak return fare on 10:15 out of London Marylebone tomorrow, arr Birmingham Moor Street 11:59 then Dep Birmingham Moor Street 12:30 on London Midland to arrive Stratford Upon Avon 13:21.
OK this is not the quickest or most direct train but it clearly states that it is available.

It is also offering me return journeys on Friday from Stratford Upon Avon to London Marylebone via Birmingham Moor Street departing 09:26, 12:26 and 15:26.

Just trying to get my head round this, if suck a thing is possible !

 

[barrykas]

Quicker than getting the next direct train (or one changing at Leamington) I'd guess...Personally I'd suggest getting an X17 bus from Leamington or Warwick. Runs hourly and stops right by the railway stations in both cases.

Pretty sure the NR journey planner would show the route via Brum as needing the more expensive ticket, BICBW.

 

[ShakespeareC]

BarryKas is correct about changing the train to Stratford at Leamington.

Stratford is not on the main Marylebone line so you have to change.
It is on the LMS line to Moor Street and Chiltern get there via a branch line. There is no need to go all the way into Birmingham to change and come back out again.

If you don't get a direct train from Marylebone, you can get off at Leamington Spa and change trains and then get a train that branches off across to Stratford, but while I think the general Chiltern trains to Leamington are 2 an hour I think the Stratford trains are about every 2 hours.

This branch line does not stop at Henley. It stops at Claverdon, Bearley and Wilmcote.

 

[barrykas]

As expected, both Journey Planner (the replacement for RJIS) and FasTIS show the via Banbury tickets as not being valid to double back at Moor Street.