Rugby to Newbury question.

[David57]

Good afternoon.
My Sister wants to travel from Rugby, via London to Newbury Sat 20/5, and return Sunday 21/5.
She wants to break her journey in Reading on the outbound leg, to drop her case off at the hotel in Reading, then resume her journey to Newbury.
After her concert on the Saturday night, she wants to return to Reading for her hotel, and return to Rugby on Sunday morning.
Any ideas about restrictions and break of journey implications?
Senior railcard held.
Departing Rugby and Reading about 11.00 ish.
Many thanks.
DP.

 

[jfollows]

A Rugby to Newbury off-peak return via London costs £51.90 and has restriction code 2D which are simply time restrictions Monday-Friday so irrelevant here (https://www.brfares.com/!faredetail...n&flow=0&multi=0&fare=5&rte=200&ldn=1&tkt=SVR if you want the details).
Break of journey is permitted.
The outbound ticket is valid for one day, the return ticket is valid for one month.
Therefore the proposed itinerary is fine and covered by this ticket.
Other tickets such as advance tickets may be cheaper if this is important, but will have their own restrictions and your sister would need separate tickets for the four journey legs if so.

Two things for your sister to bear in mind:

1. The ticket probably won't operate the barriers at Reading, in which case she need to go through the staffed gate and say "I'm breaking my journey here"
2. Some railway employees don't understand the rules and do things like scribble over the date of the return ticket when it's first used. They're wrong to do this, and the return ticket is valid for a month, can be used on many different days and can be used to break the journey multiple times en route.

 

[Class800]

I wouldn't be so pessimistic about break of journey. I've done so at Reading, my ticket worked the gate and staff seemed fine anyway. No ticket is guaranteed to work gates

 

[gray1404]

I do wonder if a lot of the staff manning the gateline at Reading are RPIs. I've never had a problem, except once being told an Off Peak ticket wasn't valid at a time it was (I was finishing my journey so I just stood my ground and was let out), but I do notice if a manual check is required at Reading it does get a detailed look, and ticket retained if Reading is the final destination, at the ticket rather then just a casual glance.