Ticket Advice

[lewis_2626]

Hello I was wondering if anyone could help me on booking this train journey with the best price possible.
I need to get a train from Lichfield Trent valley to Stoke-on-Trent but I need to exit the station for hour or so and then get a train from stoke to Manchester piccadilly. I also need to return the following day departing at 6:30pm back to Lichfield Trent Valley.

 

[jfollows]

Off-peak return Lichfield-Manchester £53 as long as you leave Lichfield 09:00 or later, you don’t say.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jul 2024 ==

Otherwise advance tickets to suit your itinerary.

 

[Dirty_Mac]

https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/ has options that let you specify additional connection times. For example, you can try a Lichfield Trent Valley to Manchester Piccadilly advance, with an hour stopover at Stoke.

An example would be this one: https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/re...ass=false&flexible=false&selectionMethod=Grid

 

[Watershed]

Splitting so as to avail of a series of Off-Peak Day Returns could be cheapest if you want flexibility. Otherwise, as @Dirty_Mac suggests, I would use a site such as the forum's which allows you to specify extra interchange time at intermediate stations, and buy Advance tickets as appropriate.

 

[Haywain]

Splitting so as to avail of a series of Off-Peak Day Returns could be cheapest if you want flexibility. Otherwise, as @Dirty_Mac suggests, I would use a site such as the forum's which allows you to specify extra interchange time at intermediate stations, and buy Advance tickets as appropriate.

Not coming back the same day, so day returns won't be any use.

 

[LYradial]

https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/ has options that let you specify additional connection times. For example, you can try a Lichfield Trent Valley to Manchester Piccadilly advance, with an hour stopover at Stoke.

An example would be this one: https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/results?FromStation=7012910&ToStation=7029680&Adults=1&OutboundDate=12/08/2024&OutboundTime=09:15&Intensive=1&advb:Via=7013140C60&adv:ib:Via=7013140C60&searchBy=0&firstClass=false&flexible=false&selectionMethod=Grid

would a Litchfield to Stockport advance allow you to leave the station at stoke

 

[jfollows]

would a Litchfield to Stockport advance allow you to leave the station at stoke

No
But this is effectively two tickets with an hour inbetween so it’d be reasonable to leave the station for an hour, hard to see a big problem on the day.

 

[Watershed]

Not coming back the same day, so day returns won't be any use.

Ah sorry, missed that.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Off-peak return Lichfield-Manchester £53 as long as you leave Lichfield 09:00 or later, you don’t say.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jul 2024 ==

Off Peak Return Lichfield TV -> Stoke-on-Trent at £25.90 (travel at or after 0900) then Off Peak Return Stoke-on-Trent->Manchester Stns at £21.30 (at or after 0930).

Slightly cheaper, definitely valid, and allows the flexibility the OP requires, assuming they're not travelling too early.

 

[jfollows]

Off Peak Return Lichfield TV -> Stoke-on-Trent at £25.90 (travel at or after 0900) then Off Peak Return Stoke-on-Trent->Manchester Stns at £21.30 (at or after 0930).

Slightly cheaper, definitely valid, and allows the flexibility the OP requires, assuming they're not travelling too early.

Good call.
Returning via Crewe wouldn’t be possible, but it doesn’t look as if that’s a good route in general anyway for Manchester to Lichfield.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Returning via Crewe wouldn’t be possible..

Presumably the OP was contemplating taking the 1830 TfW service from Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe for an onward connection. Instead, just five minutes earlier, there's usually an 1825 XC service from Manchester Piccadilly, calling at Stafford (arrive 1921) (via Stoke-on-Trent), and by changing at Stafford, the OP can get the 1932 WMR service direct to Lichfield TV (arrive 1949).

The WMR service will have come from Crewe, but the minimum connection time there coming off the TfW from Manchester is invalid.