Virgin Trains.

[voyagerdude220]

Hi all,

Does anyone know why VT couldn't have made the timetables starting from Monday available at least say a week in advance?

I know that you can get accurate info from journey planners, but it isn't quite the same IMO.

Also about VT, I find it very annoying that VT publicly stated a few weeks ago that "thousands" of Virgin Value singles are going unsold every day, and that there's even more available than ever before. (Or words to that effect)

Ever since the Value singles existed (in 3/7/14 day formats), up until a few weeks before the system changed to singles C/B/A (IMO a brilliant change), I could book Value singles on virtually any service combination which is just formed of VT services 06:00-16:00, and from 18:30 onwards.

Now, I struggle to book tickets on trains after 12:00, with NONE at all 13:00-18:00.

For some strange reason, this only really applies to VXC, and not to VWC as much, which is irrelevant if your going to destinations which VWC don't serve to/from.

Has anyone else also thought the same, about the reduction of value singles, despite VT stating the opposite?

 

[rail-britain]

It has always been VT policy not to release timetables until 24 hours before the timetable change
They should be available at VT stations on request only
The website is due to be updated with the 200709 files at 22:00 tonight

Virgin West Coast doesn't do many Value Advance fares, most are provided on Virgin Cross Country
Those that Virgin West Coast do do, are normally all sold out at least three weeks in advance now
However, as reservations often change in the last few days, I have found a small number are released in these last few days, especially First Class at weekends

Another trick is to split the journey
For example, there are almost never any Value Advance fares to/from Rugby
I've never been able to figure why this is
So by splitting the journey at Crewe seems to find alternatives, which are much cheaper than the traditional fare direct to/from Rugby
There are loads of other examples on the West Coast network, as I found when I travelled to/from Milton Keynes in June

Finally, although Value Advance fares may not be showing online, they may still be available
If you visit the GNER website you can not only check, but you can work out how many are left, as well as knowing which exact seats!

 

[voyagerdude220]

Thanks for that M8internet, i find VT's policy staggering to believe!

As for splitting tickets- Tried that several times, but in my cases, it ends up more expensive than travelling elsewhere, if i have the option.

I booked my Preston-Aberdeen day trip whilst back in Lancashire () just the day before travel, yet still got Value First Cs and Bs respectivley.


Also, at the same time, I booked Bristol to Preston, via Bournemouth.

Why?

Well:

A) No value singles (in either standard or first) available what so ever, apart from at silly o'clock.

B) Route coverage added to.

C) Value First C was available on the 14:46 ex Bournemouth! (Almost gave me a heart attack, because of the rarity of Value singles on the Bournemouth line, and also the fact it was a Friday afternoon/evening peak as we went through the Midlands on VERY overcrowded 221127)

D) Voyager bashing

F) First ever trip on SWT! hock:
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Hi M8internet.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/travelling_with_us/our_network/timetables/default.aspx

VT still haven't published any new timetables tonight.

There's still time though..

 

[Bonemaster]

Virgin Value tickets are funny beasts, often when I search from Coventry I can not find the ticket that I want so try some local stations, Leamington, Rugby, Solihull, or Nuneaton and they are easier to get often this involves a short drive or a short return or single ticket to get the train I want, the other trick is to break the tickets down via Birmingham New Street then you always pretty much get what you want

 

[theblackwatch]

Ever since the Value singles existed (in 3/7/14 day formats), up until a few weeks before the system changed to singles C/B/A (IMO a brilliant change), I could book Value singles on virtually any service combination which is just formed of VT services 06:00-16:00, and from 18:30 onwards.

Now, I struggle to book tickets on trains after 12:00, with NONE at all 13:00-18:00.

Like you I believe the availablility of these tickets has been severely reduced (or removed) at certain times. Back when HSTs/47s were still running on VXC, I had no problems getting cheap advance tickets on the 06.05 or 07.10 off Leeds. When I last tried this (a few months back, when VXC was using a hired in HST), I checked every single day over that period and it was a case of 'Computer Says No' for Virgin Value on the departure from Leeds. I've just done a random check for November 12th-16th and again there are no VV tickets available to Bristol on any early morning services. (No doubt someone with more time than me will start checking out loads of other ticketing options!)

I suspect VT are right in what they say, that there are a load of unsold VV tickets, but its most likely that these are all at ridiculous times when nobody wants to travel.

Still, we won't have VV tickets on XC for much longer - it will be interesting to see if Arriva's Adnace Purchase tickets are any different.

 

[rail-britain]

The website is due to be updated with the 200709 files at 22:00 tonight

Apologies, a day ahead of myself
The current timetable is still in effect, due to be updated at 22:00 on Sunday night

 

[voyagerdude220]

but its most likely that these are all at ridiculous times when nobody wants to travel.

Still, we won't have VV tickets on XC for much longer - it will be interesting to see if Arriva's Adnace Purchase tickets are any different.

Exactly- I really liked it when I used to travel on the 15:29 (13:25 ex Plymouth) Bristol Temple M to Preston Voyager service, as it meant that I could have a leisurely morning, without getting up earlier in the morning at Highbridge, and It's also limited stop Birmingham-Preston.

I've always wondered why VXC couldn't just do very limited stop services, just like VWC does on the VT6 timetable to Glasgow- I.e. Euston-Preston-Carlisle-Glasgow.

Why couldn't VXC do something like: Glasgow-Carlisle-Preston (ok, yes they do that, but)- Crewe, Birmingham, Bristol Temple M, Weston-Super-Mare, Plymouth?

I included Weston, on purpose, as I believe that we should have a decent service, which includes services leaving at say 10:00 towards the ECML, 13:00 towards WCML etc, in addition to the current ones.

And southbound perhaps 11:29 (i think) as it is ex ECML, 12:05 (08:29 ex Preston), 17:05 (ex Glasgow via ECML), 19:05 ex ECML.

I was going to say 15:05 ex ECML, but remembered that it's ex Manchester, not the ECML.

If i was in charge of timetabling at VXC, and had the option of doing so, I'd probably deliberatley open up loads of Virgin Value singles (but not to many, if it could lead to additional overcrowding), alter the timetable, to add a small amount of stops at popular, currently un served stations on the current network, and just show passengers what VXC could really do-

And then give the picture that New XC is really bad when it starts
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Apologies, a day ahead of myself
The current timetable is still in effect, due to be updated at 22:00 on Sunday night

Ok, thanks.

 

[rail-britain]

I've always wondered why VXC couldn't just do very limited stop services, just like VWC does on the VT6 timetable to Glasgow- I.e. Euston-Preston-Carlisle-Glasgow.

Why couldn't VXC do something like: Glasgow-Carlisle-Preston (ok, yes they do that, but)- Crewe, Birmingham, Bristol Temple M, Weston-Super-Mare, Plymouth?

This is one of the golden rules of transportation
If you are the only provider on a route, then you really need to serve ALL the passengers
This can make some services very slow as they need to serve all the main station
Don't forget that between Crewe and Plymouth VT to in fact miss out many of the intermiediate stations
With resources and timings as they are, this can sadly mean that every train on the route has stop at all the stations
However, if there is more than one operator then they may carve the route up between them, and this does happen on this route
Between Crewe and Birmingham, VT only serves the main stations while CT serve every station
Sadly, there is no such luxury between Birmingham and Bristol, so VT has to serve more stations than they would want to

However, as I understand it, Arriva XC will be making some fundamental changes to the service provision, which will provide a variety of stopping patterns, as well as shortening end-to-end journey times

VT6 has many limited stop services as they are competing directly with the lucrative Glasgow - London airlines, road (M1/M6), and East Coast
There isn't really much competition directly with the airlines on XC, except on price, and most passengers are leisure so short journey time isn't essential and such a high priority

This is also one of the reasons Stagecoach sold its Express coach operations to National Express in 1989
Their aim was to speed up services, by moving in to the Anglo-Scottish rail market, at the same time speed limiters were being phased into coaches reducing them to 65mph and banning them from outside lanes of some Motorways
Just compare journey times and fares between NatEx and VT, between Glasgow and London as they are now!
Ironically, Stagecoach reintroduced Express coaches through MegaBus.com, but the fares reflect the journey times!

 

[devon_metro]

Its part of the franchise specification to stop at Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter and Newton Abbot which is going to pull in far more passengers than just WSM and Plymouth of which very few people actually go all the way to Plymouth. Voyagerdude you are unlikely tp get AP on that particular service as it originates from Plymouth therefore fairly busy. Why not use the xx59 Bristol starters?

 

[voyagerdude220]

Its part of the franchise specification to stop at Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter and Newton Abbot which is going to pull in far more passengers than just WSM and Plymouth of which very few people actually go all the way to Plymouth. Voyagerdude you are unlikely tp get AP on that particular service as it originates from Plymouth therefore fairly busy. Why not use the xx59 Bristol starters?

I fully know that, Liam, I'm not stupid! :roll:

It's not the fact that it starts from Plymouth, which reduces the chance of VT value singles, but actually the timing of the service, as "the black watch" has correctly pointed out.

I used to be able to get Value singles Bristol-Manchester/Preston/Carlisle, on the majority of services 09:29-15:29, and 17:59-19:29, but if i needed to do the journey again (which i don't usually), I would be confined to 09:59, 11:29/11:59(only sometimes).

You can occasionaly get value singles on the 09:30 Penzance to Glasgow, (13:29 ex Bristol Temple M), but these are unsurprisingly rare.

I was just making examples, and wouldn't expect the WSM limited stop thing to happen at all. I used Plymouth, because no weekday services go to Paignton, from the NW. (or vice versa)

I do use xx59's, and love it, seeing that there's very rarely more than 5-10 people in FC, but it means that I have to change at the big, dark, tunnel of doom- (otherwise known as Birmingham N St )

 

[Techniquest]

If you thought getting Value Advance Single C/B/A (to use their more correct name) tickets on PRE - BRI is hard, just try getting one on the 0830 PNZ - Dundee! Impossible!

 

[voyagerdude220]

If you thought getting Value Advance Single C/B/A (to use their more correct name) tickets on PRE - BRI is hard, just try getting one on the 0830 PNZ - Dundee! Impossible!

Just like ANY train to Bournemouth, from Warrington/Wigan/Preston/Carlisle, no matter how far you book in advance, usually- Hence why i was surprised to get the Value First C 2 Fridays ago.

 

[rail-britain]

If you thought getting Value Advance Single C/B/A (to use their more correct name) tickets on PRE - BRI is hard, just try getting one on the 0830 PNZ - Dundee! Impossible!

I've found a few, but you need to book FSR Apex to/from Edinburgh, then Edinburgh to/from Penzance
Works out at £53.50 return

edit :
£26.75 single
Includes First Class Edinburgh - Penzance

 

[Techniquest]

No thanks, I want that Value Advance Single C! If I can ever get one, I'll be laughing. Although I might just save that run for an ALR!

 

[rail-britain]

Also, available as singles!
I recently booked someone an Elgin to Plymouth for £35.00 single
Again, the cheapest way to book it was as a Apex FSR fare from Elgin to Edinburgh, and then a VA1S from Edinburgh to Plymouth giving them 1st Class travel as well!

 

[Techniquest]

Not bad! No RCD discount I trust?

 

[Bonemaster]

Another Virgin Value tip guys is to try removing any railcards, you will still save just not as much but railcards seem to have a quota inside a quota