Some Interesting Fares

[SickyNicky]

Those with access to the fares database (if you don't have access you can buy it online or from any bookshop - it's called Avantix Traveller NFM11) might be interested in the fare from Bordon to Liphook - I think the off-peak day return is particularly good value (restriction B3).

I wonder if you bought this fare how you would actually get to Bordon given that the station closed on 16.9.1957

Also try Fairlie to Oldfield Park route First Class return +ANY PERMITTED which seems to be undercut by a 14 day First Class ALR!

 

[Ivo]

Those with access to the fares database (if you don't have access you can buy it online or from any bookshop - it's called Avantix Traveller NFM11) might be interested in the fare from Bordon to Liphook - I think the off-peak day return is particularly good value (restriction B3).

I wonder if you bought this fare how you would actually get to Bordon given that the station closed on 16.9.1957

Also try Fairlie to Oldfield Park route First Class return +ANY PERMITTED which seems to be undercut by a 14 day First Class ALR!

How did you find these? Random trawling?

I was playing around on the TVM at Bath Spa station last night (with Temple Meads) and we didn't find the Fairlie fare. If only we had

So does my local station have the dubious honour of being home to Britain's most expensive fare?

 

[SickyNicky]

So does my local station have the dubious honour of being home to Britain's most expensive fare?

I believe the next highest fare is from Lelant Saltings to Achnashellach (or stations within associated clusters). So yes, it looks like yours is by some margin the most expensive ticket in the country.
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How did you find these? Random trawling?

You know me better than that

 

[Eagle]

Also try Fairlie to Oldfield Park route First Class return +ANY PERMITTED which seems to be undercut by a 14 day First Class ALR!

Just looked it up on a booking engine; I can't see any difference between the £1,206 ticket and the £361 ticket, both have identical routes and restrictions.

 

[SickyNicky]

The £361 fare doesn't have a Maltese Cross. That's one expensive cross London transfer!

 

[Yew]

The £361 fare doesn't have a Maltese Cross. That's one expensive cross London transfer!

Maybe the run a special train for you, like some LUL first class stock

 

[Eagle]

The £361 fare doesn't have a Maltese Cross. That's one expensive cross London transfer!

That'll be why I didn't spot it; all the itineraries that came up avoided London.
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As for Bordon, I'm wondering whether that's a bus link (through fares on the Stagecoach 18, perhaps). Certainly the station may reopen sometime in the next few years to tie in with the Government's massive housing development there.

 

[SickyNicky]

That'll be why I didn't spot it; all the itineraries that came up avoided London.
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As for Bordon, I'm wondering whether that's a bus link (through fares on the Stagecoach 18, perhaps). Certainly the station may reopen sometime in the next few years to tie in with the Government's massive housing development there.

Hmm. Sell a few of the £10,000 fares in Avantix at the moment and you'll be able to build something really fancy (and staff it ).

Presumably though, that fare is there so that the station can exist in Avantix but so that no-one actually tries to buy a ticket to it.

 

[Eagle]

Hmm. Sell a few of the £10,000 fares in Avantix at the moment and you'll be able to build something really fancy (and staff it ).

Presumably though, that fare is there so that the station can exist in Avantix but so that no-one actually tries to buy a ticket to it.

Yeah, it doesn't appear to be a bus link—or if it is, it's defunct—as I can't get any rail websites to give me an itinerary for it (and also I think SWT's website might mention it if it were possible, what with them running all the buses and trains in that area).

Probably just a placeholder then.

 

[MikeWh]

There used to be a SWT run bus link from Bordon to Liphook IIRC. Might be ten years ago or more now.

 

[cookiescrumble]

There used to be a SWT run bus link from Bordon to Liphook IIRC. Might be ten years ago or more now.

SWT stopped this a few years back, it was run by stagecoach. Ran between Bordon and Liphook. My dad used to drive this route .

 

[barrykas]

Yeah, it doesn't appear to be a bus link—or if it is, it's defunct—as I can't get any rail websites to give me an itinerary for it (and also I think SWT's website might mention it if it were possible, what with them running all the buses and trains in that area).

The Manual shows the Bordon bus link being via Farnham or Haslemere, with through fares only being available from certain (unnamed) stations. Relevant NLCs are K396 via Haslemere and K397 via Farnham.

The full range of Railcard and PRIV discounts is available on the through tickets.

The link is also mentioned on the SWT site, as using Stagecoach routes 18 and 19...But again, no fares or indication of applicable stations is given.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[First class]

Just looked it up on a booking engine; I can't see any difference between the £1,206 ticket and the £361 ticket, both have identical routes and restrictions.

FAIRLIE 9452 - OLDFIELD PARK 3219

(Derived from GREENOCK CENTRAL 9681 - BATH SPA. 3271)

The £361 ticket is not valid via London as it is routed NOT VIA LONDON (700)


rte NOT VIA LONDON 700

VWC
(S/R)
FOS S 180.50
FOR R 361.00
SOS S 143.50
SOR R 287.00
SVR 2T R 163.00

The £1206 ticket is routed +ANY PERMITTED (000)

rte +Any Permitted

VWC
(S/R)
FOS S 603.00
FOR R 1206.00
SOS S 212.50
SOR R 425.00
SVS 3A S 174.90
SVR 3A R 175.90

 

[Dewedin]

The other day at the York fares workshop we stumbled across Boundary Zone 6 - Newhaven Marine, looks like the taxi service from Newhaven Harbour is back on the menu!

Surely there is potential for publicity re: Fairlie - Oldfield Park, the +Any Permitted FOR Newquay - Kyle of Lochalsh was about £150 less when it was reported on!

 

[Ivo]

The other day at the York fares workshop we stumbled across Boundary Zone 6 - Newhaven Marine, looks like the taxi service from Newhaven Harbour is back on the menu!

Surely there is potential for publicity re: Fairlie - Oldfield Park, the +Any Permitted FOR Newquay - Kyle of Lochalsh was about £150 less when it was reported on!

The £1,206 fare isn't even priced by XC - it's a Virgin flow. Beardy'll love that :roll:

 

[mildertduck]

I can't get any rail websites to give me an itinerary for it

Using the EC booking engine, if I type Bordonviafareham and Bordonviahslmere in the autocorrect, which then claim not to exist if I select one....

 

[Dewedin]

I have forwarded details about the £1206 fare (e.g. which stations it can be found for, the fact Virgin set the fare) to all the major national papers.

 

[Eagle]

I have forwarded details about the £1206 fare (e.g. which stations it can be found for, the fact Virgin set the fare) to all the major national papers.

Did you remember to include the price of a FC 14ALR for comparison? :P (Although, the FOR is valid for over twice as long...)

 

[Dewedin]

I felt it would overcomplicate the issue! And give an easy 'obvious mistake' excuse to ATOC.

 

[bnm]

I have forwarded details about the £1206 fare (e.g. which stations it can be found for, the fact Virgin set the fare) to all the major national papers.

Good call. Anyone emailed Bary Doe?

 

[RJ]

What exactly will it achieve? Is there any purpose to reporting it to the press other than to start trouble? I can't see them paying out or giving any individual recognition for flagging it. Although I stand to be corrected if they do.

 

[bnm]

What I hope would be achieved is the fare being reduced considerably.

CrossCountry reduced the £1000+ 1st Class fares on flows from Cornwall to the far north of Scotland when they were widely derided.

Yes, it may be an error, but such gross errors need to be publicised to ensure fares setters are kept on their toes....

 

[RJ]

I suppose it'd be too easy to email the TOC directly via customer services so they can get it sorted more quickly . Sometimes it seems this place full of supposed enthusiasts is anti-railway, why else would the prosect of derisory bad press be preferrable to a more logical and tactical approach?

 

[NathanPrior]

If anyone has it, look up New Eltham to St Pancras International not via London Underground with a YP Railcard and see if it comes up with £2.90 fare via Gravesend on HS1

 

[bnm]

I suppose it'd be too easy to email the TOC directly via customer services so they can get it sorted more quickly . Sometimes it seems this place full of supposed enthusiasts is anti-railway, why else would the prosect of derisory bad press be preferrable to a more logical and tactical approach?

Use all the tools at your disposal is my call. I have actually emailed Virgin as well...

 

[yorkie]

...Sometimes it seems this place full of supposed enthusiasts is anti-railway...

Surely the people who allow for fares to be so extortionate are anti-railway? After all, extortionate fares are designed to reduce demand, aren't they?

As for contacting Customer Services, for most TOCs (though not all I admit) that involves going to someone who has not got a clue about anything, reads from a (poor, insufficient) script and you have to send repeated requests before it reaches a manager. The pricing managers don't appear to want to engage with us or let us contact them, and make us do it the hard way.

I do feel sorry for Virgin on this issue though, as their Customer Services is one of the better ones (though they do have a few clueless ones who they really should weed out!) and it is clearly a mistake.

But, for the wider issue, I think people have every right to go to the media to complain about extortionate fares.
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If anyone has it, look up New Eltham to St Pancras International not via London Underground with a YP Railcard and see if it comes up with £2.90 fare via Gravesend on HS1

"No fares have been found"

Which booking site allows it?

If you book online, and obtain an itinerary, print it, and travel with that itinerary then you are valid and they should not charge an additional fare. The 'worst' they can do is withdraw the ticket for investigation (to get the website fixed) and issue a free of charge zero-fare replacement ticket for you to complete your journey by the route agreed in the contract.

 

[NathanPrior]

It was allowed on 13th/14th Jan when I checked it on SouthEasterns own one but now it's been widthdrawn. Gotta still email SouthEastern about it, hmm.
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I've just wiped out the staffs claim at Ebbsfleet that it's not allowed to be used on HS1

From SE site:

Tickets that are not valid on the high speed route specifically state ‘Not Valid on HS1’, unless a supplement has been purchased.

As it didn't say that, I think I win..I did state this a million times to them though, but they are apparantley always right.

 

[yorkie]

Nathan - this fare you speak of was discussed 3 weeks ago in this topic: Routeing oddities and you recognised back then that the routeing had been removed

Clearly, the error has been fixed. It is not supposed to be a permitted route, the routeing "Any Permitted" means any route permitted in the Routeing Guide. Sometimes routes that are not permitted will be suggested by booking engines, my advice on what to do in that case is available in the Have I been sold the correct ticket? thread which I later expanded on in the Permitted Route Falkirk to Glasgow thread.

But this thread is for bizarre fares, rather than discussing unusual routes.

 

[RJ]

Surely the people who allow for fares to be so extortionate are anti-railway? After all, extortionate fares are designed to reduce demand, aren't they?

As for contacting Customer Services, for most TOCs (though not all I admit) that involves going to someone who has not got a clue about anything, reads from a (poor, insufficient) script and you have to send repeated requests before it reaches a manager. The pricing managers don't appear to want to engage with us or let us contact them, and make us do it the hard way.

I do feel sorry for Virgin on this issue though, as their Customer Services is one of the better ones (though they do have a few clueless ones who they really should weed out!) and it is clearly a mistake.

But, for the wider issue, I think people have every right to go to the media to complain about extortionate fares.
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"No fares have been found"

Which booking site allows it?

If you book online, and obtain an itinerary, print it, and travel with that itinerary then you are valid and they should not charge an additional fare. The 'worst' they can do is withdraw the ticket for investigation (to get the website fixed) and issue a free of charge zero-fare replacement ticket for you to complete your journey by the route agreed in the contract.

It's an anomaly that isn't supposed to be there though - I'm of the opinion that if someone has made a mistake, they should be given a reasonable chance to correct it before going in all guns blazing. I know of one pricing manager who seems to be very proactive in (attempting to) "fix" anomalies, in fact I'm pretty sure there's an unwritten policy that any time I get pulled up on board that the tickets I use must directly be reported to them .

 

[Tomonthetrain]

One interesting fare had reared its head, although since the last time it shown its head, it's doubled! (Can't say except via PM (If i could attach images via the iphone app, although i can give the station codes) as if ATOC/The TOC see it...it'll go back to the fare before its prior incarnation)