Megatrain + Bargain berth release dates

[Yew]

Hey gentlemen (and ladies)

I'm looking at doing a cheap trip up to Scotland, and to get the best fares I want to set alarms for the release dates.

Am I correct in thinking bargain berths are released on Fridays? as I am looking for the next week that will become available, and want to be on the ball. Also, MegaTrain tickets are released 8 weeks in advance, correct? I am hoping to set a reminder in my phone so I can get some of their cheapest fares.

Thanks a lot,
Yew

(Of course, photographs and a report will be posted shortly after the trip.)

 

[MikeWh]

No idea about bargain berths, but my experience of megatrain is that they are released 45 days in advance.

 

[Yew]

No idea about bargain berths, but my experience of megatrain is that they are released 45 days in advance.

Excellent, thanks. I'll keep checking with the SR website for BB's, as I think it should be released within thre week.

 

[bb21]

Like Mike says, megatrain tickets are released exactly 45 days ahead at midnight. Tickets for 3rd May are released tonight.

Bargain Berths are not released on a weekly basis. They seem to appear in large blocks of dates so you might need to just keep an eye on it. If you can be flexible, the cheap tickets all being booked up in one or two days is pretty low, especially for midweek dates.

 

[barrykas]

One thing to note about Megatrain is that the release appears to be automatic, and they have been known to (try to) cancel bookings close to the date of travel if the Train Company fails to provide them with the seats...Such as Bank Holidays or major sporting events.

 

[Yew]

Doing some research [1] I have found the new system, which is just part of their fares finder, using the WebITS system lets you reserve berths upto 12 weeks in advance, and usually coincides with the bargain berth releases. They usually put the weeks tickets online at around 9am on fridays, so I'll report back then

[1] 'Six ways to get scotrail bargain berth sleeper tickets', Simon Varwell, 20th July 2011 (Updated Q4 2012) Available: http://www.simonvarwell.co.uk/2011/07/six-ways-to-get-scotrail-sleeper-bargain-berth-tickets/comment-page-1/