Trains timetabled - no fares available

[Shelldean]

For a while now I've been trying to book a return from London to Blackpool North. For 2 adults with a two together card.
Going 27 Oct and return 30 Oct.

But I can't get a fare for this journey. I keep getting told that while trains have been timetabled no fares are available.

I was advised to try routing via Leeds which does give me fares, but surely as it's a less obvious route it's costing more?

Avanti west coast ( just one TOC I've tried) has the weekday tickets available up 21 Oct and then weekdays from 31st onwards again.
All weekend dates and Oct half term (24-28 Oct) are greyed out and if you click on them you get the message "Timetables not yet confirmed - Sign up for ticket alerts"

I have signed up for ticket alerts, but received nothing.
I was just trying to book a cheap getaway, and hopes to get early cheaper advance fares.
I feel I can't book the accommodation in case I simply can never get the tickets?

Someone has mentioned going an alternative route, like via Leeds.
But can anyone tell me if this more expensive?
Can anyone suggest an alternative route?

I've attached a screenshot of the message I receive on trainsplit, if it helps!

 

[plugwash]

unfortunately avanti are still playing at the psuedo-compulsory reservations bull**** and the likes of trainsplit have to play along. Timetabling, is also a total mess at the moment and they won't release reservations until the timetables are confirmed.

You could try booking the return journey now and the outward journey later, but you risk losing out if you can't snag an advance for the outward journey and have already booked one for the return.

I'm pretty sure via leeds is not a permitted route, so you would have to split if going that way.

 

[Hadders]

Your journey involves a Sunday and Avanti have not been confirming their weekend timetable until a week or so before. This weeks weekend timetable wasn't confiemed until Wednesday of this week. It's absolutely disgraceful to be honest.

Hopefully the situation will improve by the end of October but don't expect tickets to go on sale for the Sunday until a week or two before.

 

[TUC]

Your journey involves a Sunday and Avanti have not been confirming their weekend timetable until a week or so before. This weeks weekend timetable wasn't confiemed until Wednesday of this week. It's absolutely disgraceful to be honest.

Hopefully the situation will improve by the end of October but don't expect tickets to go on sale for the Sunday until a week or two before.

If the Emergency Measures Agreement with Avanti is renewed it should have provisions added so that, rather than guaranteeing income, Avanti make a loss on any journeys for which timetables are not confirmed a set period in advance and/or do not operate. Pressure isn't enough. Time to make the business suffer.

 

[Hadders]

If the Emergency Measures Agreement with Avanti is renewed it should have provisions added so that, rather than guaranteeing income, Avanti make a loss on any journeys for which timetables are not confirmed a set period in advance and/or do not operate. Pressure isn't enough. Time to make the business suffer.

That’s fine but it’s the DfT preventing recruitment….

 

[Shelldean]

Thanks very much for your help!

I'm not going to book the outward journey and hope I can get a return a week or so before, don't think my nerves would cope. Just in case I can't get a ticket! Or that I can get one but not at a reasonable price.

the via Leeds route I mentioned is several tickets with a change at Leeds.
Literally just looked and atm our fares would be £84.50 via train split, but two changes on return. I've attached my prefered journey of £94.30.

Is this a good price?

my concern with doing this particular journey is the TOC website says they don't know if engineering works will affect the Blackpool to Leeds journey! Last thing I need on a five hour journey is delays due to engineering works!

think I am going to have to rethink my short break.

 

[yorkie]

my concern with doing this particular journey is the TOC website says they don't know if engineering works will affect the Blackpool to Leeds journey! Last thing I need on a five hour journey is delays due to engineering works!

Your journey is Blackpool to London; if the first train is cancelled or rescheduled such that it would cause a delay, you would be entitled to a refund with no admin fee.

Alternatively if you did make the journey and got delayed you should be able to claim Delay Repay compensation (subject to the caveat that if it's advertised before 10pm, Northern may try to duck out of it on that basis; see other threads for more on that topic)

 

[30907]

Just to put this in context, the maximum you would pay for a return trip from Euston to Blackpool, assuming you can travel middle of the day outwards, is the Saver fare of £69.20 each.

Whether you want to save at most £22* each by taking a roundabout route and restricting yourself to specific trains is your decision.

*That is assuming that no Advsnce fares are made available on Avanti, which is unlikely but possible.

 

[Shelldean]

Am actually more

Your journey is Blackpool to London; if the first train is cancelled or rescheduled such that it would cause a delay, you would be entitled to a refund with no admin fee.

Alternatively if you did make the journey and got delayed you should be able to claim Delay Repay compensation (subject to the caveat that if it's advertised before 10pm, Northern may try to duck out of it on that basis; see other threads for more on that topic)

Am actually more concerned at having rail replacement buses if there's engineering works. As they would considerably lengthen my journey!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2022 ==

Just to put this in context, the maximum you would pay for a return trip from Euston to Blackpool, assuming you can travel middle of the day outwards, is the Saver fare of £69.20 each.

Whether you want to save at most £22* each by taking a roundabout route and restricting yourself to specific trains is your decision.

*That is assuming that no Advsnce fares are made available on Avanti, which is unlikely but possible.

thank you very much!
I am leaning towards not going Tbh and this helps a lot in making that decision.

we can travel outwards middle of the day, prefer to travel earlier but ££ is a bigger influence.
I only looked at the roundabout route as it was suggested to me, and it meant I could book the tickets now. giving me peace of mind. Whereas with the direct route I can't book till much later.

But one question does the saver fare of £69.20 include the railcard discount?

 

[Alex365Dash]

But one question does the saver fare of £69.20 include the railcard discount?

That would do, yes.

 

[aye2beeviasea]

unfortunately avanti are still playing at the psuedo-compulsory reservations bull**** and the likes of trainsplit have to play along. Timetabling, is also a total mess at the moment and they won't release reservations until the timetables are confirmed.

You could try booking the return journey now and the outward journey later, but you risk losing out if you can't snag an advance for the outward journey and have already booked one for the return.

I'm pretty sure via leeds is not a permitted route, so you would have to split if going that way.

Happy to be corrected, but according to the yellow pages maps MM+NP is a valid route which appears to allow Leeds via the Midland main line and Sheffield, then Bradford and Blackburn. I may have missed it, but travel by the East Coast main line seems to be only permitted if you then change onto the Midland and go by Sheffield but not Leeds. Odd.

 

[Chucky]

Sorry to hop on the back of this thread, but am I right in thinking that while Avanti haven't released advance fares for weekends it is still possible to buy an open ticket such as an off-peak return for one of the weekends they haven't released advances for yet? I'm looking to travel on 22 October.

 

[Ccross]

Just a note on the email alerts from Avanti - you might think the email will arrive as soon as bookings open - that’s not the case and I got the email alert hours after booking my tickets after checking manually and seeing it has opened!

 

[Hadders]

Sorry to hop on the back of this thread, but am I right in thinking that while Avanti haven't released advance fares for weekends it is still possible to buy an open ticket such as an off-peak return for one of the weekends they haven't released advances for yet? I'm looking to travel on 22 October.

In theory yes. The problem is Avanti have marked their trains as requiring 'compulosru reservations' and booking websites will not sell tickets as the timetable hasn't been confirmed and the seats released for booking.

You can get the off-peak return ticket from a ticket office , some ticket machines and a handful of online websites without a seat reservation but there is no point in doing this. The Off Peak Return costs exactly the same amount to purchase on the day of travel so there is no point in buying in advance if you can't get seat reservations.

The seat reservations will become available and it's highly unlikely that the trains will sell out at such short notice as most normal passengers will just find another alternative way to travel.

 

[Chucky]

In theory yes. The problem is Avanti have marked their trains as requiring 'compulosru reservations' and booking websites will not sell tickets as the timetable hasn't been confirmed and the seats released for booking.

You can get the off-peak return ticket from a ticket office , some ticket machines and a handful of online websites without a seat reservation but there is no point in doing this. The Off Peak Return costs exactly the same amount to purchase on the day of travel so there is no point in buying in advance if you can't get seat reservations.

The seat reservations will become available and it's highly unlikely that the trains will sell out at such short notice as most normal passengers will just find another alternative way to travel.

Brilliant. Thankyou.

 

[Shelldean]

So if I wait and buy saver tickets during the week before, I am looking at approx £140 for two of us return ( using the railcard) for a shorter direct route.
or purchase the roundabout route via Leeds for £94

Happy to be corrected, but according to the yellow pages maps MM+NP is a valid route which appears to allow Leeds via the Midland main line and Sheffield, then Bradford and Blackburn. I may have missed it, but travel by the East Coast main line seems to be only permitted if you then change onto the Midland and go by Sheffield but not Leeds. Odd.

Or does this mean I can't travel that route?

 

[paul1609]

The ticketing system is trying to tell you not to go to Blackpool. Its probably right if you want to go up north, the lakes, the dales, the peaks, Scarboro, Whitby, Northumberland, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all better destinations by far. (other destinations are available)

 

[Shelldean]

The ticketing system is trying to tell you not to go to Blackpool. Its probably right if you want to go up north, the lakes, the dales, the peaks, Scarboro, Whitby, Northumberland, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all better destinations by far. (other destinations are available)

yes I know Blackpool isn't everyone's choice.
but we wanted a cheap break, that we could get to by train and not need a car whilst there. I also adore pretty lights!! Hence the choice.

we've been to a few of the destinations you've mentioned, but for some of those a car is a wise choice once there. And we'd like to leave the car at home this time.

Tho funny enough Scarborough is on my back up list!

 

[PG]

For a while now I've been trying to book a return from London to Blackpool North. For 2 adults with a two together card.
Going 27 Oct and return 30 Oct.

In addition to the other suggestions it might be worth checking if your dates are in any way flexible in case any further strike action is announced? Two weeks notice is required to be given so potentially strike action could yet be announced which might mean some or all of the services you'd like to use may not operate...

 

[Shelldean]

In addition to the other suggestions it might be worth checking if your dates are in any way flexible in case any further strike action is announced? Two weeks notice is required to be given so potentially strike action could yet be announced which might mean some or all of the services you'd like to use may not operate...

Unfortunately no flexibility at all.
OH only has those days off, and I can only go during school holidays!

Blackpool is looking more and more unlikely, too many variables to worry about!

 

[totally]

Unfortunately no flexibility at all.
OH only has those days off, and I can only go during school holidays!

Blackpool is looking more and more unlikely, too many variables to worry about!

The problems that week both weekdays and weekends are caused by the Engineering work on th eWest Coast Mainline South of Stafford. All lines are closed and a special timetable will need to run. Of course Avanti have not yet produced it to cover the period 22nd to 30th October 2022. See this link.

Find details of current incidents | National Rail

A portal into UK rail travel, including information on ticket purchase and promotions, train times and delays, and more.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

[Shelldean]

Well if anyone is interested? They released the tickets for 27th a couple of days ago and for the 30th today.

We had decided not to travel to Blackpool due to all the uncertainty.
But I looked at the tickets out of curiosity. And using train split cheapest I could get was £94.46. For two adults with railcard.

 

[30907]

Well if anyone is interested? They released the tickets for 27th a couple of days ago and for the 30th today.

We had decided not to travel to Blackpool due to all the uncertainty.
But I looked at the tickets out of curiosity. And using train split cheapest I could get was £94.46. For two adults with railcard.

Near enough the same price as you found via Leeds as it happens. Thanks for update.