Unavailability of off-peak tickets on certain routes

[thewolf]

Hi guys,


I recently made a trip from Hamstead to Stratford on Avon, and was puzzled at the lack of an off-peak day return, with the only ticket available an anytime return. I was even more perplexed when I checked the ticket machines at Moor Street to see an off-peak fare was available from Birmingham and also that my friend was able to get an off-peak fare from Selly Oak.

I thought maybe it was because I had to buy the fare on the train that an off-peak ticket was unavailable (the machine in the ticket office had gone bang and according to the sign at the station was 'awaiting a man with a big can of WD-40' ), so once we got to Stratford I asked in the office there and it indeed appeared the only available fare to Hamstead was an anytime return, the chap tried putting in Tame Bridge Parkway (one station further than Hamstead) and got the same result.

When I got home, I decided to do a bit of research and discovered that with the exception of Sutton Coldfield, there were no off-peak tickets available from Walsall line or Cross-City North stations to Stratford, while they were available from all other West Midlands station. So I decided to email LM about it, to see whether there was any real reason for such a strange situation.

I can however confirm that the reason for off-peak tickets not being
unavailable from Walsall and Cross City North stations are that these were
inherited from Central Trains and the situation will be reviewed.

That half-answered my queries at least, and its good to see they are 'reviewing the situation', but I remain curious about the 'inheriting them from Central Trains'. Surely all the stations in the West Midlands were 'inherited from Central Trains' and likewise the fares from these stations, or is it more just a case of the lack of the off-peak fare being inherited from CT?

Either way, I'm still quite puzzled as to why the situation was ever the case in the first place. Can anyone here shed some light on why it might be the case?

 

[northwichcat]

There's some fares between Cheshire and Merseyside where no off-peak day return exists. When I asked for a ticket on one of these routes one the man in the ticket office was convinced that something was wrong with the ticket machine as he saw no reason why there should be a peak day return and not an off-peak day return.

 

[OwlMan]

Probably because daytripper tickets + extensions exist. From Hamstead to Stratford they would cost £7-30. A lot off-peak tickets in the WM area are undercut by daytripper prices and the ticket office staff should know that and sell the appropiate Network WM product.

A daytripper is £5-50 and extensions are available as below

Available as an add-on to your

network Daytripper ticket and allows travel on all trains from the Network West Midlands area to the following stations, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, Lichfield and Warwick. £1.80
Available as an add-on to your

networkDaytripper ticket and allows travel on all trains from the Network West Midlands area to the following stations, Landywood, Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley. £1.00


Peter

 

[northwichcat]

Probably because daytripper tickets + extensions exist. From Hamstead to Stratford they would cost £7-30. A lot off-peak tickets in the WM area are undercut by daytripper prices and the ticket office staff should know that and sell the appropiate Network WM product.

That's not the case in all instances where a peak day return is available and an off-peak one is not.

For instance:

Knutsford to Newton-le-Willows

Anytime Day Single: £16.10
Off Peak Day Return: Not Available
Anytime Day Return: £16.60
Off Peak Return: Not Available
Anytime Return: £16.80
Cheshire Day Ranger: £18.00

 

[SS4]

Probably because daytripper tickets + extensions exist. From Hamstead to Stratford they would cost £7-30. A lot off-peak tickets in the WM area are undercut by daytripper prices and the ticket office staff should know that and sell the appropiate Network WM product.

A daytripper is £5-50 and extensions are available as below

Available as an add-on to your

network Daytripper ticket and allows travel on all trains from the Network West Midlands area to the following stations, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, Lichfield and Warwick. £1.80
Available as an add-on to your

networkDaytripper ticket and allows travel on all trains from the Network West Midlands area to the following stations, Landywood, Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley. £1.00


Peter

That would make sense but then how would it explain SUT having an off-peak day return?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Plus it doesn't take into account railcard holders who don't get the 1/3 off the daytripper. I do hope LM look into this since the daytripper isn't all that well published IMO

 

[thewolf]

I do indeed have a railcard, so the daytripper + extension would'nt be any use to me.

It still doesn't explain why all the other stations in the Network West Midlands area do have an off-peak return though.

Selly Oak, as an example, the SDR/SDS price is the same as from Hamstead, but they get a CDR and CDS as well, which costs 10 pence less than the daytripper with a Stratford extension...