Sailrail pickup...

[1B85]

I have found some suitable Advance ticket to get me from my location in the UK across north Wales to Holyhead and the Irish Sea to Dublin. I have purchased one as I know my date and time of departure.

I have also found a number of Advances to complete the return journey. But I will not be sure of my return date or time until after I have made the outward journey. Checking now, I can even purchase Advances available for tomorrow's journey as there are plenty available, even the day before travel, so the same should hold a few days before I plan to return, I can in theory make the booking.

However, my outward ticket was issued as a TOD eight digit code to be picked up at a railway station. That's fine for the outward, but I'm guessing there won't be any compatible TOD machine at Dublin Ferryport that will get me the ticket printed before I get on the ferry. I'm guessing a printed receipt won't do to get me as far as Holyhead where the nearest TOD machine is.

Are there any booking websites that have this available as an e-ticket or some other fullfillment? The site I booked on (Virgin) allows TOD pickups only.

 

[Wallsendmag]

To be honest you're lucky to find a site that'll book a Rail Sail as the mandatory reservations often cause problems.

 

[Hadders]

Purchase the return leg in Ireland. I think you’ll find that tickets sold in Ireland also offer more flexibility.

Might even be a handwritten ticket!

 

[Bungle965]

Purchase the return leg in Ireland. I think you’ll find that tickets sold in Ireland also offer more flexibility.

Might even be a handwritten ticket!

Yes, when I bought the ticket from the Stena over the phone and picked up the ticket at the Ferry Terminal in Dublin the women on the desk wrote out a handwritten ticket which covered myself and my family and stamped it.
Sam

 

[alistairlees]

Are there any booking websites that have this available as an e-ticket or some other fullfillment? The site I booked on (Virgin) allows TOD pickups only.

SailRail is a long way from being offered as barcode or anything non-traditional I'm afraid. It's orange tickets all the way (at least on this side of the Irish Sea).

 

[danm14]

Stena Line have told me (in writing, not by phone) in December that they will accept the booking confirmation e-mail and that having the ticket itself is not necessary if you're picking it up in Holyhead.

Irish Ferries told me at the same time that having the ticket is "generally" necessary, and that I should book on their website if I am starting in Ireland.

 

[Hadders]

The Irish Rail website is a good place to get information. Seems you can book online or at principle Irish Rail stations.

http://www.irishrail.ie/fares-and-tickets/sailrail

 

[danm14]

Irish Rail (at least in Connolly Station and two other large mainline stations) for some reason no longer sell tickets for travel on Stena Line, which is the only option for a conventional (not fast ferry) rail connected sailing from most stations any reasonable distance from Dublin, including the two mainline stations which couldn't sell me a Stena Line ticket.

Stena Line themselves can sell tickets by phone with a rail component on both sides of the Irish Sea, but need 14 days notice if there's an Irish rail leg.

 

[1B85]

There will not be an Irish Rail leg. Will go directly from Dublin Port to Holyhead. Am I going to be restricted to specific trains on the way back or can I just jump on any permitted route?

 

[Hadders]

Look at the link I posted above. The FAQs say any train can be used in Britain.

 

[Flying Snail]

There will not be an Irish Rail leg. Will go directly from Dublin Port to Holyhead. Am I going to be restricted to specific trains on the way back or can I just jump on any permitted route?

When you say "Advances" are you referring to the "Sailrail Advance" ticket type or are you trying to combine multiple regular Advances?

I can't see any reason other than breaking a journey to do the latter as a single Sailrail through to your destination will almost certainly be cheaper than any combination of tickets.

The "Advance" term used for these tickets is a bit confusing as they are not the same as normal Advances for TOC journeys. There is not a regular quota or increasing fare bands and the availability is to/from any station based on the fare zones, a ticket to Thurso will be the same price and availability as to London or Penzance. The only real restriction on buying is the ability of the booking system to cough up a valid journey, most refusals are down to the timetable data not giving up a correct (or any) journey and thus refusing to offer the fare rather than the fare actually being unavailable.

While a UK purchased ticket will have the appearance of a regular Advance with booked trains which restricts you to them an Irish purchased one will not. As said above the only issuing format available is as a handwritten CIV ticket. The word "Advance" will not be on the ticket, nor will any reservations or restrictions, only the origin, destination, and fare will be on the ticket.

The only difference between an Irish purchased Advance or Standard Sailrail is that you get a €5 discount for buying more than a day before travel. Validity and availability is identical and the Irish issuers do not use any booking system, only a list of stations to place the fare in the correct zone band. If you want a small or unusual station then try to figure out which band it is in yourself, the vast majority of tickets they sell are for the big cities so they aren't going to know any others and I'm not sure if their lists are comprehensive or just principal stations.

https://www.stenaline.ie/ferries-to-britain/rail-sail

There is no problem (apart from not getting the €5 discount) in turning up to the ferryport an hour before departure and buying then, while there are technically quotas the chance of being refused is virtually zero. The ferries are never full to passenger capacity these days.

 

[1B85]

I purchased my outward journey as an Advance, including specific trains through Wales to get me to Holyhead combined with the ferry (although the operator of the ferry is bizarrely listed as ATW). The terms and conditions are clear that it's an Advance.

I was wondering about the return leg as purchased from Ireland. The price is similar, once the currency conversions are taken into account, but I had a question about whether or not I'd be restricted to specific trains - obviously it's preferable to have the flexibility.

 

[gray1404]

Can I just check this then: there is no actual "Advance" quota for SailRail Advance tickets? The only requirement is that you buy the ticket the day before travel at the latest and you will get the slightly cheaper rate.

Or is there quota for journeys starting in the UK going to Ireland but not for journeys being booked in Ireland starting from there going to the UK?

 

[Hadders]

Can I just check this then: there is no actual "Advance" quota for SailRail Advance tickets? The only requirement is that you buy the ticket the day before travel at the latest and you will get the slightly cheaper rate.

Or is there quota for journeys starting in the UK going to Ireland but not for journeys being booked in Ireland starting from there going to the UK?

The ferry has a quota but it rarely sells out which I think applies in both directions. You have to have seat reservations if your tickets re purchased in Britain which could also be problemtic. Sailrail tickets purchased in Ireland don't require seat reservations on the traon.

 

[1B85]

Just to reactivate this thread, as I have a question. I will be travelling back to Stoke at some point next week, but about a week later, will be travelling Stoke to Glasgow.

A Sailrail single Dublin to Stoke is €41 and a Stoke to Glasgow Anytime single is £92 - no Advances as don't know which date will be travelling yet.

But I was wondering if I can simply buy a Dublin to Glasgow Sailrail and break my journey at Stoke for a week? Cost €50 for a Dublin-Glasgow ticket. Or does BOJ not apply on this route and I have to make the whole trip all at once?

 

[158820]

If you purchase a single from Dublin the date of travel will be on the cover ticket. See photo re break of journey in terms ans condiconditions.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Just to reactivate this thread, as I have a question. I will be travelling back to Stoke at some point next week, but about a week later, will be travelling Stoke to Glasgow.

A Sailrail single Dublin to Stoke is €41 and a Stoke to Glasgow Anytime single is £92 - no Advances as don't know which date will be travelling yet.

But I was wondering if I can simply buy a Dublin to Glasgow Sailrail and break my journey at Stoke for a week? Cost €50 for a Dublin-Glasgow ticket. Or does BOJ not apply on this route and I have to make the whole trip all at once?

The only kinds of fares available for the Dublin SailRail scheme are either 'Advance' or 'Standby' (note the lack of an Off-Peak, Anytime etc. option). Both of these restrict BoJ "except for connection purposes". Now, if you were going to Denton, which only has a weekly service, and you happened to travel the day after the weekly service, then I think you would be justified in breaking your journey for a week - it is, after all, for "connection purposes".

However, with an origin of Glasgow I don't think this is an acceptable break of journey given the frequency of trains, and so if you want to get good value tickets for that journey, the Sailrail Dublin combo is not the answer! (Hint, there are many other ways of getting good value tickets)