Seat reservations - standard ticket

[Chrisbolton]

Hi there

Im sure I can do this, but if I reserve seat for a standard ticket (not an advance), am I free to use any train that day?

Thanks
Chris

 

[Tetchytyke]

You may reserve one seat with a ticket, so you can't reserve a seat on lots of trains. But so long as you have a walk-on fare (i.e. not an Advance ticket) then you don't have to take the train you have a reservation for.

The usual time restrictions would apply to off-peak and super off-peak tickets.

 

[Chrisbolton]

Thats great, cheers

Maybe this should be a separate thread, but me and my brother are going to Saltaire on Saturday, Im going from Bolton, my brother from Walkden. The reason for the question was because we want reserved seats together for the Manchester to Leeds leg. To book it as one journey, would it be valid if we booked the train from Hindley?

 

[Romilly]

This Saturday the journey planners are showing rail replacement buses from Bolton towards Manchester.

There is no fare for Hindley-Leeds-Saltaire, you would have to get separate tickets for different parts of the journey.

If you both travelled together from Walkden to Saltaire via Manchester Victoria and Hebden Bridge and Leeds, you could get a Northern Duo ticket for a total of £21.60 for the two of you (this is the price for two adults: there are no child or railcard reductions). However, you would have to travel together for the whole journey. If it is important that you start from Bolton, then I think that you would need to buy a £21.60 Northern Duo ticket for Salford Crescent to Saltaire for the two of you, and you would need to buy a Bolton-Salford Crescent return ticket for yourself, and your brother would need to buy a Walkden-Salford Crescent return ticket for himself.

There are Hindley-Saltaire offpeak day return tickets which you could buy as you suggested for a total of £41.80 for the two of you (undiscounted adult fares). They would get you by bus from Bolton to Manchester Victoria, and your brother by train from Walkden to Manchester Victoria, then both of you by train to Bradford, you would need to walk between Interchange and Forster Square stations, and then get the train to Saltaire. These tickets are not valid via Leeds.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There is no fare for Hindley-Leeds-Saltaire, you would have to get separate tickets for different parts of the journey.

The "Any Permitted" fares appear to be valid for Hindley-Saltaire via Manchester and Leeds. Why do you think otherwise? Splits may still be advised to save money, though.

As for seats together, can you book at a staffed station? They should be able to arrange reservations together even on different tickets.

 

[Chrisbolton]

Hi, thank you for the replies.

I am using Tesco clubcard points via RSH, and my brother has a disabled rail card, so Im guessing that the Northern Duo couldnt be used? (Incidently i thought that the whole journey had to be by Northern rail - could they be used on TPX to Leeds?)

 

[Romilly]

The "Any Permitted" fares appear to be valid for Hindley-Saltaire via Manchester and Leeds. Why do you think otherwise?

I was using the Virgin Trains East Coast website and it would not offer me any through tickets for Hindley-Saltaire journeys via Leeds. However, prompted by this question, I see that NRE suggests that the £41.80 fare I have already mentioned would be valid via Leeds (but then only via Manchester Piccadilly).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was using the Virgin Trains East Coast website and it would not offer me any through tickets for Hindley-Saltaire journeys via Leeds. However, prompted by this question, I see that NRE suggests that the £41.80 fare I have already mentioned would be valid via Leeds.

I think there is a fares rule related bug going on at present which may make some valid journeys not show on some planners. Via Manchester and Leeds strikes me as it could be the shortest route and therefore valid anyway? I can't think of another sensible one off hand. It's certainly a completely reasonable choice of route so in practice nobody is likely to get questioned even if not technically Permitted, but I believe (and NRE seems to confirm) it is Permitted.

Edit: Yes it seems the bug is still affecting VTEC's site; it won't identify any through fares at all for that journey, which is incorrect.

 

[Chrisbolton]

Yeah, I checked on thetrainline (I know, though I never buy tickets!), and it seemed ok. Although it didnt show a stop at Walkden?!

 

[Tetchytyke]

I am using Tesco clubcard points via RSH, and my brother has a disabled rail card, so Im guessing that the Northern Duo couldnt be used? (Incidently i thought that the whole journey had to be by Northern rail - could they be used on TPX to Leeds?)

I don't know if RSH sell the Northern Duo or not, but you wouldn't get a railcard discount on a Duo ticket. The Duo ticket is routed "Via Hebden Bridge" therefore you wouldn't be able to use TPE.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yeah, I checked on thetrainline (I know, though I never buy tickets!), and it seemed ok. Although it didnt show a stop at Walkden?!

By default it'll probably send you via Bolton.

 

[Romilly]

But probably not via Bolton this Saturday as there are no trains going that way.

 

[Chrisbolton]

Hi, it goes via Salford Crescent, Deansgate and Oxford Road, by train

 

[Romilly]

Which presumably means that your brother will need to get a local train from Walkden to Salford Crescent, and you will need to get a rail replacement bus from Bolton to Salford Crescent. Just one further thought: if your ticket is discounted by reference to your brother's railcard, you won't be able to use the ticket between Bolton and Salford Crescent as you won't be travelling with your brother and his railcard for that bit of your journey.