VT Liverpool - Cambridge

[ChrisTheRef]

If I can travel for free on Virgin services, what is the cheapest way of getting from Liverpool to Cambridge.

I have a 16-25 railcard.

I was shocked to see how high the London - Cambridge fare is!

 

[First class]

£10.05

London Terminals - Cambridge CDR route NXEA Only

By any train except those
timed to depart Mondays to
Fridays before 0815

There is a super off peak return at £9.25 NXEA Only- but restriction is confusing in Avantix and seems incomplete.

Plus £5 YP TravelCard

TOTAL: £15.05 YP

 

[ChrisTheRef]

oopsy!

 

[yorkie]

With no limits on how long it takes? I suspect it may be a cheap LM only ticket to Euston, then walk to Liverpool Street (allow plenty of time - you may want to use Oyster instead ) and then a NXEA only ticket (as described) from there.

If you are returning same day, there is the useful Prestatyn to Nottingham CDR ticket as recommended by Ashworth gets you half way at a cheap price, but it's difficult to see how you'd get much time in Cambridge by the time you got there!

What time do you need to be there by? Are you staying overnight?

If you wanted to travel at peak time then the +Any Permitted fare of £54.50 isn't bad, as that's valid on any train. Cross Country want a fiver more before 09:30 for a, quite frankly, rubbish route on local stoppers. They don't deserve your custom as they clearly don't want it.

 

[dk1]

Liverpool Street Cambridge is fine now & again but if you had to do it all the time you can see why punters use the non-stop 50 min King Cross cruisers in their droves.

 

[jopsuk]

"Super off peak" on the Liverpool Street line is Saturday and Sunday. The faster services (of the two off-peak an hour) take little over an hour. The slows take a bit more, especially on a Sunday when they stop at most of the lamp posts in the Lee Valley.

 

[mathmo]

I've found a couple of options:

• XC have some £6.60 advance tickets from Birmingham New Street or Nuneaton to Cambridge. Get one of the Liverpool trains that stops at Nuneaton then use that. I think this is your absolute cheapest.
• You can get Advance tickets from Rugby or Birmingham New Street to Cambridge for £7.25 (possibly less, though I haven't seen any) with a 16-25 Railcard if you book far enough in advance. This allows you to get the tube and any sensible connecting service from King's Cross or Liverpool Street. I know very few/no Liverpool trains stop at Rugby or Birmingham New Street but do some creative thinking!

Absurdly it is basically as cheap to get two advance tickets from somewhere miles away than get a CDR London-King's Cross! It's also definitely cheaper if you want to come back on a different day!

 

[First class]

Is everyone oblivious to the fact he said he can travel for free on Virgin?

Liverpool-London is a VT service.

Therefore only London-Cambridge is left to pay.

 

[Chris-P]

go NXEA from Liv St to Cambs, it's either £9.25 (weekends, super off peak day return), £10.05 (off peak day return) or, from KX it's £19.10 for an off peak return (return any time within a month)

 

[MCR247]

Are you travelling free because of the first class thing where there wasn't any food?

 

[ChrisTheRef]

No, a family friend is part of the Traveller scheme, I'm very jealous!

 

[dk1]

Is everyone oblivious to the fact he said he can travel for free on Virgin?

Liverpool-London is a VT service.

Therefore only London-Cambridge is left to pay.

But wasn't Mathmo just saying that he knows this. It is just sometimes cheaper to get an AP from the West Midlands to Cambridge on XC rather than on FCC/NXEA from London terminals? The distance he travels on Virgin makes no difference if it purely comes down to the cheapest fare available.

I must say though, outside peak hours the chances of a Pendo calling at Nuneaton are pretty non existant.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

But wasn't Mathmo just saying that he knows this. It is just sometimes cheaper to get an AP from the West Midlands to Cambridge on XC rather than on FCC/NXEA from London terminals? The distance he travels on Virgin makes no difference if it purely comes down to the cheapest fare available.

I must say though, outside peak hours the chances of a Pendo calling at Nuneaton are pretty non existant.

Correct, only the 1948 and 2048

Whoever mentioned Birmingham, good idea, Virgin have no direct trains, but quite a few stop at Crewe, in which case, that'd work!

Thanks for the suggestions guys, keep 'em coming!