Release of Advance purchase tickets when strikes cancelled?

[tornado]

Does anyone know if TOCs have to release Advance purchase tickets when a Strike is cancelled (in this case for the following few Sundays)?

I was planning on visiting a much loved elderly relative, but from the screenshot below I don't think it will happen. Sad the state of train fares in this country these days.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@tornado. Can't help with your specific query. Noted, however, that the prices shown in your screenshot are for Off Peak Singles. Presumably you'll be returning back to London in due course, so an Off Peak Return would likely be cheaper than 2 x singles, which will be a fairly decent saving. Also, do you qualify for a Railcard, which would almost certainly pay for itself on just this one trip?

 

[tornado]

The other day I want to travel has plenty of advance purchase tickets available. So yes you are right, but normally I can pick up AP for £40-£80 each, which in total is a lot less than £190 off peak return.

No, I don't qualify for a railcard. Just a normal member of the public wanting to use the national rail system at a fair price.

 

[Haywain]

Does anyone know if TOCs have to release Advance purchase tickets ... ?

No, they don't have to - they are completely unregulated.

 

[tonycockram]

Got it down to £82 or so going a bit earlier on lnerticket site

 

[tornado]

Thanks, but I imagine a 7 hr journey is not using an Avanti train.

I think TOCs should be mandated to make AP tickets available on every day of the year. Of course if they sell out that's another matter, but it's not the case here.

 

[Jan Mayen]

Thanks, but I imagine a 7 hr journey is not using an Avanti train.

I think TOCs should be mandated to make AP tickets available on every day of the year. Of course if they sell out that's another matter, but it's not the case here.

Especially on 25th December

 

[tonycockram]

Thanks, but I imagine a 7 hr journey is not using an Avanti train.

I think TOCs should be mandated to make AP tickets available on every day of the year. Of course if they sell out that's another matter, but it's not the case here.

The 10,33 expedition is avanti all the way. The even cheaper one is West Midlands to Birmingham then avanti.

Agree with your point though

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2025 ==

So the interesting thing is avanti are selling advance tickets on that route on that date.

 

[paul1609]

16th of March is an Old Firm match although its a lunchtime kick off it will have an effect all day. Sunday Afternoons/ Evenings are always expensive times to travel as its people returning from a weekend down south or to Scotland for work on Monday.

 

[MicroLithium]

The 10,33 expedition is avanti all the way. The even cheaper one is West Midlands to Birmingham then avanti.

Agree with your point though

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2025 ==

So the interesting thing is avanti are selling advance tickets on that route on that date.

If you're going at 10:33, you may as well go at 10:29, which cuts out 7 stops and is over an hour faster. £88.49 on trainsplit

 

[route101]

I have noticed with London to Glasgow/Edinburgh its around £80 one way is the lowest you can expect (Lumo cheaper but not always by much). Have they abolished the cheaper advance fares?

 

[A S Leib]

I have noticed with London to Glasgow/Edinburgh its around £80 one way is the lowest you can expect (Lumo cheaper but not always by much). Have they abolished the cheaper advance fares?

I find Carlisle to Watford Junction / Hemel Hempstead / Milton Keynes for around £25 each way (with a railcard, so ~£40 each way without) semi-regularly; I'd be surprised if starting at Glasgow / Edinburgh's that much more expensive. A lot of the time the cheaper fares are those going via Birmingham. (I'd guess Avanti advance fares to / from Euston and Watford Junction tend to be the same price as Avanti can't sell the place from Euston if it's taken from Watford Junction?)

 

[tornado]

The 10,33 expedition is avanti all the way. The even cheaper one is West Midlands to Birmingham then avanti.

Agree with your point though

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2025 ==

So the interesting thing is avanti are selling advance tickets on that route on that date.

Ah ok, so it seems I am actually wrong, and they have released some AP tickets for a cancelled strike day.

16th of March is an Old Firm match although its a lunchtime kick off it will have an effect all day. Sunday Afternoons/ Evenings are always expensive times to travel as its people returning from a weekend down south or to Scotland for work on Monday.

Perhaps there is an unwritten rule that AP are never available for popular football match times, or even every Sunday afternoon/evening (impossible to check due to forthcoming Strikes).

Anyway, looks like I'll be taking EasyJet instead. 4.5 hrs is long enough that I'm not tempted by the 7 hr alternatives just to get a reasonable price.

This never used to be the case. I remember a year ago booking the last Scotland train out of Euston for £50-£80 AP.

 

[paul1609]

Ah ok, so it seems I am actually wrong, and they have released some AP tickets for a cancelled strike day.



Perhaps there is an unwritten rule that AP are never available for popular football match times, or even every Sunday afternoon/evening (impossible to check due to forthcoming Strikes).

Anyway, looks like I'll be taking EasyJet instead. 4.5 hrs is long enough that I'm not tempted by the 7 hr alternatives just to get a reasonable price.

This never used to be the case. I remember a year ago booking the last Scotland train out of Euston for £50-£80 AP.

Was going to suggest going via Edinburgh as that isnt so bad depending on where your final destination is and realised this is the last day of the Durham Coast diversions. That'll be why theres no advances left on the WCML everybody heading to the central belt from London will be going via carlisle.

 

[tornado]

Just to follow up on this I ended up avoiding the Sunday strike day.

I booked one journey by train, using the via Bham train to Crewe, and then changing to the Liverpool train to Euston. At certain times of day the total journey time is only 5 hrs. I paid a reasonable £60.

The other journey on a different day I was again faced with a sea of £130 fares from Avanti. So I choose Easyjet from Luton to Glasgow. I will be using the excellent value 22 minute EMA+Dart train from St Pancras. Total including airport connections £45 - and I'll get to experience the DART for the first time.

Of course there's the question of why Avanti seem to be pricing people off trains that are nowhere near full...

 

[route101]

Just to follow up on this I ended up avoiding the Sunday strike day.

I booked one journey by train, using the via Bham train to Crewe, and then changing to the Liverpool train to Euston. At certain times of day the total journey time is only 5 hrs. I paid a reasonable £60.

The other journey on a different day I was again faced with a sea of £130 fares from Avanti. So I choose Easyjet from Luton to Glasgow. I will be using the excellent value 22 minute EMA+Dart train from St Pancras. Total including airport connections £45 - and I'll get to experience the DART for the first time.

Of course there's the question of why Avanti seem to be pricing people off trains that are nowhere near full...

Yes, I noticed them £130 advance one way fares. The off peak single is around that price.

Likely I am flying London to Edinburgh, although when you price train to airport and food at airport cost difference not too much.

 

[1D54]

Take your own food and either catch bus or walk to the airport if you have little luggage.

 

[infobleep]

Take your own food and either catch bus or walk to the airport if you have little luggage.

How long would it take to walk to the airport?

 

[1D54]

How long would it take to walk to the airport?

Did it last week, took 25 minutes going and 20 coming back. Up hill on the way but easily doable if as i said you are not laden with luggage especially a case on wheels. Arriva service A also goes from I think Kimpton Rd which is a couple of min walk from Parkway Station. on the DART side.