Reading to Bournemouth Return

[Thames99]

I'm going to be travelling next Tuesday and returning either the same evening or on Wednesday. I've been playing with the forum's ticketing site and it seems that booking from Wokingham gives cheaper fares if leaving at about 8 or 9 am. I want some flexibility and don't want to book advances and be tied to specific trains. Is it allowed to do this, but start and finish at Reading? I'm using a Senior Railcard if that makes any difference.

 

[jfollows]

Tickets from Wokingham to Bournemouth are valid on routes shown in map XR at https://data.atoc.org/routeing-maps

Clearly this shows the route valid via Reading. As long as the ticket purchased allows break of journey, then starting and/or finishing at Reading is fine. The railcard makes no difference (to routeing, but it affects fares, see below). The ticket needs to have no other restrictions, ideally to be routed "any permitted" and with no operator restrictions. It looks like the tickets from Wokingham to Bournemouth are "not via London" but that's fine also, as long as you don't try and go via London! Most cheap ticket restrictions seem to be B8:

Mondays-Fridays



Outward Travel & Return Travel
Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 07:45.

 

[JonathanH]

I'm using a Senior Railcard if that makes any difference.

The Senior Railcard can't be used until off-peak tickets are valid which is one factor in why it is much cheaper to buy a ticket from Wokingham to Bournemouth, valid from 0745, than one from Reading, valid from 0930.

 

[voyagerdude220]

The Senior Railcard can't be used until off-peak tickets are valid which is one factor in why it is much cheaper to buy a ticket from Wokingham to Bournemouth, valid from 0745, than one from Reading, valid from 0930.

There are no time restrictions on when Senior Railcards can be used.

 

[jfollows]

Senior railcard: OK as long as you’re travelling off-peak.

Discounts are not available on tickets for travel on morning peak services for journeys that start and end within the London & South East area (defined by the Network Railcard area – network-railcard.co.uk/map) on Monday to Friday (except on public holidays). The time when off-peak services start can vary by station. Use nationalrail.co.uk to plan your journey to identify when off-peak services start or ask rail staff for details.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Aug 2024 ==

There are no time restrictions on when Senior Railcards can be used.

Yes there are, see my post above.

 

[JonathanH]

There are no time restrictions on when Senior Railcards can be used.

There are restrictions on the use of a Senior Railcard in the morning peak where the journey is wholly within the former Network South East area.

 

[voyagerdude220]

There are where the journey is wholly within the Network South East area.

Apologies, I forgot the journey is within the Network area.

 

[jfollows]

Apologies, I forgot the journey is within the Network area.

So did I, at first!

 

[Thames99]

Thanks all.

Regarding tickets, the site is suggesting, amongst other options, an off peak day return. How can I find the limitations of a ticket? The site says this:

Off-Peak Day Return
Wokingham -> Bournemouth
Restriction code B8 applies
Railcard restrictions apply
Not valid for travel via (changing trains or passing through) London Terminals.

What is restriction B8? There is no mention of break of journey which I would need in both directions.

 

[Autoticketgate]

The terms of a restriction code can be found online, eg at nre.co.uk/b8 :

Applicable Days​

Monday to Friday
Mondays-Fridays

Outward Travel​

Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 07:45.

Return Travel​

Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 07:45.

In this case no mention of BOJ is made so by default it would be allowed.
The same wording can also be found on most (all?) ticketing sites, on the forum site (new/old) it's under "More details/Click for details" on the "Your Tickets" page.

 

[BongoStar]

Thanks all.

Regarding tickets, the site is suggesting, amongst other options, an off peak day return. How can I find the limitations of a ticket? The site says this:

Off-Peak Day Return
Wokingham -> Bournemouth
Restriction code B8 applies
Railcard restrictions apply
Not valid for travel via (changing trains or passing through) London Terminals.

What is restriction B8? There is no mention of break of journey which I would need in both directions.

Just to highlight, with the day return, you will not be able to use it the next day to return. So your plan of return either same evening or next day is limited.

 

[Thames99]

Thanks again. I assume that Off peak day returns or Off peak returns if I wish to have the flexibility to come back the following day are valid with any operator. The last direct Cross Country train from Bournemouth is relatively early so I would need to use SWR to Basingstoke and GWR from there if I travelled any later.

Last question, is a particular coach unreserved on Cross Country trains?

 

[BongoStar]

No. Off peak day returns are just that - valid for the day only. You cannot use it to return the following day.

What you are referring to is Off peak open return which gives you the flexibility to return within 30 days from date of outward journey.

 

[jfollows]

Thanks again. I assume that Off peak day returns or Off peak returns if I wish to have the flexibility to come back the following day are valid with any operator. The last direct Cross Country train from Bournemouth is relatively early so I would need to use SWR to Basingstoke and GWR from there if I travelled any later.

Last question, is a particular coach unreserved on Cross Country trains?

The tickets you are talking about

• are set by SWT SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY
• are restricted NOT VIA LONDON
• have restriction code B8 or UL
• have no operator-specific restrictions

so can be used on any operator and on any permitted route that isn’t via London.

See https://www.brfares.com/!expert?orig=WKM&dest=BMH&period=20240705 for more information.

 

[Merseysider]

Last question, is a particular coach unreserved on Cross Country trains?

According to the XC website you’ll want Coach B for unreserved seating, on 5 car trains only.

If a 4 car turns up, good luck I suppose

 

[Watershed]

If you're unlucky enough to be on a XC service formed of 4 coaches, there are only a handful of unreserved seats - they're the ones in coach D which aren't fitted with seat reservation displays above (seat nos. 57-64).

Plus coach F seats 43 & 44 - if they aren't in use as wheelchair companion seats.

 

[Thames99]

In the end I travelled a bit later so got an off-peak return Reading to Bournemouth to return the following day. I'm glad I booked seats as both trains were four car sets jam-packed.

The information regarding the validity of using Wokingham tickets will be useful in the future - I occasionally go to Bath or Bristol leaving fairly early, so I imagine your advice above will apply equally to these journeys.

 

[JonathanH]

I occasionally go to Bath or Bristol leaving fairly early, so I imagine your advice above will apply equally to these journeys.

If you mean different fares and departure times, no, because GWR price fares and set restrictions from Wokingham to the West broadly in line with those from Reading.

As Bath and Bristol are outside the former Network South East area, there are no restrictions in the use of the Senior Railcard, unless splitting at Didcot for the portion east of there.

 

[jfollows]

In the end I travelled a bit later so got an off-peak return Reading to Bournemouth to return the following day. I'm glad I booked seats as both trains were four car sets jam-packed.

The information regarding the validity of using Wokingham tickets will be useful in the future - I occasionally go to Bath or Bristol leaving fairly early, so I imagine your advice above will apply equally to these journeys.

Why do you imagine this?

 

[Thames99]

Disrgarding splits at Didcot to keep it simple, from Reading trains up to and including 09.25 are £53.25 single with a Senior Railcard.
09.55 and 10.25 are £29.55 and 10.55 onwards is £21.35

I was hoping that starting from Wokingham might make some of these early fares cheaper, but it seems not.

Were the cheaper fares Wokingham - Bournemouth due to getting the Railcard discount on earlier trains rather than changing peak/ off peak times?

 

[JonathanH]

Were the cheaper fares Wokingham - Bournemouth due to getting the Railcard discount on earlier trains rather than changing peak/ off peak times?

Mainly due to a different fare setter, that then allowed the railcard discount on earlier trains, and slightly different historical increases to those fares.

CrossCountry price Reading to Bournemouth
SWR price Wokingham to Bournemouth
GWR price Reading to Poole