Newcastle to Cambridge

[rich2020]

Hi,

I am currently with Newcastle University doing a PhD and I will be moving to Cambridge in February as my wife has found work with the University down there. The problem is that I need to be in Newcastle 3 days a week, and so I thought that I would travel up on, for example, the Monday morning and then back down to Cambridge on Wednesday.

I've checked the seasonal ticket calculator for an annual ticket... £16,748!? What a joke...

Anyways... I only need one return ticket a week. However, I don't know which days I need to be in Newcastle and so am looking for a sort of open ticket, once a week.

Is there something like this available at a decent price? I really don't want to have to drive as A) it is terrible for the environment, B) it's a long trip... but I will be forced to if I cannot figure out another way.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[PermitToTravel]

An off-peak return costs £76.75 (soon to go up to £77.50). This requires you to leave after 0930, change at Peterborough and go via Ely (not via Hitchin or London), and return within a month. You need a 16-25 railcard to buy such a ticket, but as a student you're eligible to buy such a railcard regardless of your age.

 

[rich2020]

Great, thank you PermitToTravel.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Unless I've missed something, a passenger using that season ticket to travel that journey 500 times a year (i.e. 250 return trips) will be paying about £33 per journey, which has to compare very favourably with the cost of motoring, and that is just the costs, disregarding the fatigue of concentration for 4 or 5 hours a trip, often in the dark. I would find that season ticket a very attractive option.

But your requirement for only one return trip per week is simply not an appropriate requirement for a season ticket.

If your study is "full-time education" then even if you are over 25 years, you would qualify for a 16-25 Railcard, which would entitle you to 34% of most rail fares. You could use that discount in conjunction with the most flexible and most expensive ticket (the 'Anytime') or the cheapest but which comits you to a specified day and time well in advance (the 'Advance'), or any of the off-peak options; (off-peak restricts you to departure from Cambridge after 10:00 departure from Cambridge).
The discounted 'Anytime' return via Peterborough and Ely is £113.85, the off-peak discounted return is £77.50, and the Advance fares are often avalable at £18:80, £41.60 and £51.50 for single journeys. The off-peak return can be used for a return journey any day within the following month, so even if you changed your plans, you would still be able to use in for returning the following week.
Further savings could be made by looking separately at the fares for different components of the journey, and sometimes the best bargains are a complex mix of Advance tickets for pary of the journey bought well in advance. But that might take a littel more research and committment.

Some of these prices still compare very well with the real costs of driving.

 

[crehld]

I was in a very similar position to you when I was undertaking my PhD, and had to travel to university every couple of weeks for several days at a time, making use of off peak returns as PermitToTravel suggests. I found the train journeys much better than driving. In addition to the cost saving, and the avoiding of fatigue and stress others have pointed to, the journeys gave me plenty of opportunity to read and write. Indeed, I was probably most productive while on a long train journey.

Anyway, I can only echo DaveNewcastle's advice that you should get a 16-25 railcard if you don't already have one. If you are over 25 then you only qualify if your PhD is full time. However, note that "full time" here is defined as "over 15 hours per weeks [sic], at least 20 weeks a year". Your course administrator (or similar) will need to sign and stamp the mature student declaration form to confirm this.

 

[Starmill]

At certain times of day you may find it quicker (or it might be necessary) to change at Stevenage, the fare for which would be £84.90 for a 'Not Via London' Super Off-Peak Return.

Unless I've missed something, a passenger using that season ticket to travel that journey 500 times a year (i.e. 250 return trips) will be paying about £33 per journey, which has to compare very favourably with the cost of motoring, and that is just the costs, disregarding the fatigue of concentration for 4 or 5 hours a trip, often in the dark. I would find that season ticket a very attractive option.

But your requirement for only one return trip per week is simply not an appropriate requirement for a season ticket.

What I will say is that Trainsplit does not offer a split for a journey returning a different day, so although there will still be ways to reduce the price they will take some commitment at finding and may require at least some of your travel plans to be firmed up in advance. If you'd like to discuss this further I would suggest maybe attending a Fares Workshop or doing so by PM after a little research, lest you or I might be judged as increasing "the number and the self-confidence of these 'lovers of complexity'" - and we wouldn't want that eh?

 

[PermitToTravel]

I hope it doesn't increase "the number and the self-confidence of these 'lovers of complexity'" to add that should the OP hold a ticket with the "via Ely" restriction and wish to travel via Stevenage, they only need to pay half the difference between the value of the tickets (the full difference, if going this way in both directions). This can be paid at any ticket office in the country or aboard the train.

 

[Tetchytyke]

At certain times of day you may find it quicker (or it might be necessary) to change at Stevenage, the fare for which would be £84.90 for a 'Not Via London' Super Off-Peak Return.

Very few Newcastle/Edinburgh trains stop at Stevenage, as a general rule you'd either travel all the way into London or change at Peterborough.

If you're on a full time PhD programme you can get the 16-25 railcard, and you can get the appropriate supporting letter confirming your full time student status from s3p.

 

[najaB]

Very few Newcastle/Edinburgh trains stop at Stevenage, as a general rule you'd either travel all the way into London or change at Peterborough.

Seems to be only the evening services, nothing that stops at Stevenage before 8pm. Makes most sense to change at Peterborough as all but one of the Stevenage stoppers also calls at PBO.

 

[rich2020]

Thanks for the help, guys. I am a full-time student, so thankfully I will be able to get the student railcard.

 

[bluealley]

I travelled this route numerous times in the 90s. Trains between NC and PB were much faster, fares were less complicated. British Rail/Inter City, those were the days.

 

[najaB]

I travelled this route numerous times in the 90s. Trains between NC and PB were much faster.

A bit of a rose tint on those glasses, perhaps?