Nottingham - Reading

[Kier]

Hi,

I would like to book an advance single from Nottingham to Reading travelling with Cross Country. I would much prefer to change at Derby rather than Birmingham New Street but the search engine does not give this as an option. Is there a way to configure the search to allow this?

Thanks,
Kier

 

[Ianno87]

I recently booked a Bristol to Long Eaton journey for my wife. VTEC's site insisted on changing at New St whilst XC's came up with Derby. Might be worth having a go on a different site?

 

[Romilly]

Try booking on new.trainsplit.com and use the Advanced Options to specify a change at Derby.

Or try booking on C2C where, for the times I was looking at, a change at Derby appeared to be the default option.

 

[RailAleFan]

https://www.buytickets.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/

Did a couple of tests for Nottingham to Reading and both had the itinerary changing at Derby rather than Birmingham...

 

[Kier]

Thank you all for the replies and advice.

 

[edwin_m]

A couple of years ago I managed to buy an Advance where the main leg was Derby to Nottingham on EMT and the "and connections" was Reading to Derby!

 

[ashworth]

I’ve recently had a very similar problem trying to book a Mansfield to Bristol ticket. I tried EMT, XC and Chiltern and they all only gave me journeys changing at Nottingham and Birmingham. I managed to find journeys changing at Cheltenham or Gloucester by using the GWR website and adding via Yate.

What I was trying to do was book journeys that avoided travelling on a crowded Voyager by changing at Cheltenham or Gloucester to enable me to travel from Nottingham on a 170 and then using a GWR local service to Bristol. I actually quite like Voyagers and their large windows when I don’t have luggage but my small case fits very well on the overhead rack of a 170 and so I would prefer that. I once had to travel all the way from Exeter to Derby on a rammed Voyager with my case pressed next to my legs resulting in a very uncomfortable journey.i

 

[edwin_m]

What I was trying to do was book journeys that avoided travelling on a crowded Voyager by changing at Cheltenham or Gloucester to enable me to travel from Nottingham on a 170 and then using a GWR local service to Bristol.

I think the GWR locals go into Gloucester, so presumably adding "via Gloucester" would achieve the same.

 

[ashworth]

I think the GWR locals go into Gloucester, so presumably adding "via Gloucester" would achieve the same.

I know they do, and I tried that first, but for some reason it didn’t work and I was still given a change at Birmingham. I’m very happy with what I could get from the GWR website with a change at Gloucester. The Cardiff to Nottingham trains can be quite busy on Saturday mornings and with a reserved seat from Gloucester to Nottingham that will be useful.