VXC Ideas?

[voyagerdude220]

Hi all,

I really want to get a HUGE amount of Virgin Voyager mileage next Saturday 10th November, before Arriva start to screw XC up the following day.

I'm looking at trains to/from Manchester, and quickly came up with this:

05:10 Manchester to Glasgow Central arrive 09:00
09:20 Glasgow Central to Reading arrive 17:38
17:56 Reading to Bristol Temple M arrive 19:15 (FGW)
19:29 Bristol Temple M to Manchester Picc arrive 00:01.

It'll be a bit pricey for FC singles by the looks of things, seeing you cant upgrade value standard singles onboard the train. SOSs are rip-offs in these examples.

I'm very annoyed that I can't do Manchester/Preston to Plymouth/Penzance, due to the engineering work around Devon.

Thanks for any other suggestions, but please remember that I'll need to book very soon, and also want to travel FC, even if it isn't as good at weekends.

 

[matt]

Why do you assume that Arriva will automatically mess up CrossCountry the next day. To the casual traveller there will be no difference in the service till at least the December timetable change.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Why do you assume that Arriva will automatically mess up CrossCountry the next day. To the casual traveller there will be no difference in the service till at least the December timetable change.

I was saying it sarcastically/ joking.

Do you know that Arriva are £37m short, for the XC franchise?!

(News from a member of VT staff very recently)

 

[Tom]

Who isn't £37m short?

SWT are about £800m short probably.

 

[91101]

VoyagerDude, are you one hundred percent sure that you can't upgrade the Advance Purchase fares? I've never had any bother in the past with doing it on Virgin. GNER are generally quite strict in keeping WeekendFirst to Standard Open/Saver/Weekender tickets but I've never come accross the phenomenon with Virgin.

If you're buying SOS tickets I presume you're buying them with a PRIV in which case in 99% of cases you're able to check with the Guard and sit in First Class for free.

If you're buying SOS and you're not on a priv, you're obviously a millionarie , however, Virgin do have a policy of passing SOS/SOR (Non-PRIV) in First Class at weekends, since they are the most expensive type of tickets available in STD class. GNER generally also have the same policy, again, doesn't apply if its PRIV discounted, you either have to pay the upgrade or get let off by the guard cos it's a PRIV.

 

[rail-britain]

You are not supposed to upgrade Value Advance fares
However, some Train Managers do do it
Ironically, purchasing a Value Advance First fare can be cheaper than a Value Advance plus the Weekend First Supplement
Also consider splitting the tickets at the fare boundaries
For example
Manchester - Preston
Preston - Glasgow

That's also very tight arriving at Glasgow at 09:00 for the 09:20 departure
Missing that would really screw your day and wallet up!
I usually allow an hour for connections when travelling on Value Advance fares, not so critical on Saver and Open tickets!

 

[voyagerdude220]

Yes, i know all the basic tricks (and better) you've been stating on here m8internet.

I don't see 20 minutes in Glasgow as tight at all, and have done a Preston-Glasgow-Preston earlier this year, which officially arrived into Glasgow at 15:07, and departed 15:14. [221109 to 390026]

I didn't look at the departure boards at all, as I just looked around for a Pendo in the station as we pulled in, went straight to it, and was very happy that FC was at the north end, due to the S&C diversion.

However, like you say m8internet, in my cases, it is sometimes cheaper to buy a FCS/FBS single, compared to the VCS/VBS +£ 10/£15/£20 VWU.

IMO, an hour is FAR too long, but I am concerned about the Reading connection, judging by my route knowledge.

I'm not certain that I'm going to do this by any means, and i'm still looking for any possible brain waves which someone may have on here. (But i'm not holding my breath over it!)

 

[First ScotRail]

Do you know that Arriva are £37m short, for the XC franchise?!

(News from a member of VT staff very recently)

They are already a joke and they havent even started!

 

[voyagerdude220]

They are already a joke and they havent even started!

They've always been a joke to me, ever since I knew the bad news that Virgin had lost Cross Country

 

[W14Fishbourne]

Do you know that Arriva are £37m short, for the XC franchise?!

(News from a member of VT staff very recently)

What sort of cobblers is that? Arriva will have set its income and cost projections out as part of its bid, which no member of VT staff will have had access to. Besides, Arriva will not know its actual income until the franchise begins, so how can anyone say that it is £37m adrift.

 

[91101]

20mins should be perfectly fine at Glasgow Central in my experience, I'd even say it was slack for a connecton fron GLC-GLQ! Your Reading connection is fine in theory, but Reading PSB have a moto: "You Get a red before you get owt else" so I'd be at the very front of the train as it will probably terminate/reverse (depending on if its continuing to Bournemouth) in platform 7, and ready to sprint over the bridge to platform 4 (The down fast platform), or you could be lucky and you end up in 3 so its just a cross platform interchange.

 

[me123]

20mins should be perfectly fine at Glasgow Central in my experience, I'd even say it was slack for a connecton fron GLC-GLQ!

GLC is an easy station to transfer in if you're just on the high level. You could probebly have a 5 minute transfer, so I'd agree that a 20min transfer'd be fine here.

 

[Jim]

Same Staff, same trains, just different staff clothing!

 

[Tom B]

I suspect the "£37m short" is messroom chatter, nothing more.

 

[djw1981]

The 0510 ex Manchester will continue to be Virgin operated until Dec 2008, for route learning etc stuff, despite all other Manchester - Glasgow services going over to TPE/

 

[yorkie]

I don't see 20 minutes in Glasgow as tight at all, and have done a Preston-Glasgow-Preston earlier this year, which officially arrived into Glasgow at 15:07, and departed 15:14. [221109 to 390026]

Yeah but I am pretty sure I saw a train about 2 hrs late on the departure boards at Carlisle on Sunday! If the trains call at Motherwell then your 20mins effectively becomes more like 45 mins, which is far safer...

If you miss that connection you have no comeback at all, so you would need to buy a new ticket. If you are prepared to take the risk then that's fine, but don't dismiss it as an impossibility.

IMO, an hour is FAR too long, but I am concerned about the Reading connection, judging by my route knowledge.

Any connection can go wrong. On Saturday my train was 86mins late, and it's the only time I've had a significant delay on that route so far...

 

[me123]

I would agree with Yorkie that a 45 minute Motherwell Connection is a better option if it is available. I think most VXC services still call there, in fact, with the Pendos tending to run through. Plus you get to see "beautiful" Motherwell. There's a nice wee Greaggs up the road...

 

[rail-britain]

I prefer the safety of an hour between connections, especially at weekends
Ironically when I do my Glasgow - Preston trips on Class 390s it is the same crew I travel with, Glasgow - Preston - Glasgow
When I did my Glasgow - Euston trip I did the same, with an hour at Euston
Just as well I did as services were diverting via Northampton northbound and being delayed 20 minutes southbound

Quite different when they are advertised connections with the same TOC
In most cases the train is held for up to 15 minutes, after that the TOC will put you in a taxi!

 

[87015]

In most cases the train is held for up to 15 minutes, after that the TOC will put you in a taxi!

Which TOCs are you travelling with where connections are even heard of???hock: Nought round here will even entertain the idea :x

 

[Tom]

I think m8 books assistance....