Stockport to Birmingham

[Starmill]

I am particularly disquieted by:

“As the removal of these permissions via Birmingham will impact on journey opportunities between the origins and journeys where the desire is to undercut ticket prices to Birmingham, these changes may generate comments from Rail Forum members.”

Reading between the lines: we are on to you, we are watching you, and we are going to get you?

I might have some 'comments' for you next time I go to Birmingham, ATOC

 

[Merseysider]

Reading between the lines: we are on to you, we are watching you, and we are going to get you?

I might have some 'comments' for you next time I go to Birmingham, ATOC

ATOC turns Stasi!

If the fare to Birmingham wasn't so frikking high we wouldn't need to undercut it. Because someone somewhere in TOC-land screwed up their pricing strategy we end up screwed over as a result of it.

Permitted routes are now being arbitrarily removed on the basis of their cost, rather than how reasonable the route actually is.

 

[All Line Rover]

ATOC have reversed the Stockport to Nuneaton change but have made many additional unreasonable changes, such as:

Wilmslow to Lichfield / Tamworth (1996 SOR £31.00, 1996 SVR £20, 2014 SVR £34.70): no longer valid via Birmingham, despite being more expensive than or similar to Wilmslow to Birmingham fares (1996 SOR £28.80, 1996 SVR £22.10, 2014 SVR £35.40) both in 1996 and 2014.

Manchester to Lichfield (1996 SOR £35.00, 1996 SVR £22.50, 2014 SVR £39.00): no longer valid via Birmingham, despite being more expensive than or similar to Manchester to Birmingham fares (1996 SOR £33.80, 1996 SVR £22.10, 2014 SVR £35.40) both in 1996 and 2014.

-----

In fact, the 2014 fares in general are rather interesting:

Stockport to Rugeley--: £17.50 (CDR), £20.50 (SOR) and £54.20 (FOR).
MAN/SPT to Lichfield--: £39.00 (SVR), £59.00 (SOR) and £130.00 (FOR).
MAN/SPT to Tamworth: £39.00 (SVR), £59.00 (SOR) and £130.00 (FOR).

At Lichfield, the fares more than double. Unless travel is permitted via Birmingham for Lichfield and Tamworth, there is no justification for these fare increases. There are no Virgin Trains services between MAN/SPT and Lichfield/Tamworth. Instead, the only option that avoids Birmingham is to catch a London Midland train at Stoke, continuing through Rugeley to Lichfield/Tamworth. Rugeley to Lichfield is £8.20 (2xSDS) and £13.40 (2xFDS).* So why are the fares to Lichfield and Tamworth priced at £38.50 (SOR) and £75.80 (FOR) more than the fares to Rugeley? Clearly it is because they are supposed to be valid via Birmingham! As such, I am very sceptical of ATOC's changes to permitted routes to Lichfield and Tamworth (and Nuneaton). These changes need to be challenged before ATOC attempt to make vast swathes of unreasonable and unlawful changes to other permitted routes. These changes are not being made to "correct omissions and remove anomalies", as ATOC claim.

Should ATOC request the DfT's consent and the DfT agree that travel via Birmingham should no longer be permitted, the fares to Lichfield and Tamworth (and Nuneaton) should be halved to reflect the more restricted validity of these fares, bringing them into line with fares to Rugeley.

*These are 'not Birmingham' fares. There are also 'Any Permitted' fares. So travel via Birmingham is not unheard of even for travel between the Trent Valley stations.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Sent off an FOI, we'll see what comes back...
Update: attached

Second half of the letter

Litchfield?
Rugley?

Should this man be trusted to change anything other than a light bulb? :roll: