WebTIS Non-Existant Fares

[clm]

Hi there! This is my 1st post and I'm wondering if I can get a little help.

I am trying to buy a ticket from Cambridge to Carnforth for Saturday 17th March. Having looked on the National Rail Enquiries Website, I found an advance fare of £9.90 (with a 16-25 railcard) for a train from Cambridge (departing 10:30) to Stevenage, then a (East Coast) train from Stevenage to Leeds and then a train from Leeds to Carnforth. Naturaly, given that East Coast are offering 10% off their advance tickets when bought through their website I decided to buy the ticket from them.

However, when I am taken to EC's website on clicking "Buy Now", neither the fare nor the particular train that I had selected on NRE is displayed (i.e. no trains departing at 10:30 are shown). If I amend the search on EC's website to specify "Via Huntingdon" I am able to make the particular group of trains appear that I selected on the NRE site (i.e. the 10:30 is shown), however the only fares available are Anytime and Off Peak Fares, no Advances.

Interestingly having looked into this further, it appears all websites based on the WebTIS booking engine (i.e East Coast, London Midland, RedSpottedHanky, etc) have the same problem, while websites based on thetrainline's booking engine (e.g. First Transpennine Express) do not have this issue.

So my question is, does anyone have any ideas about how I can buy this ticket from the EC site to get the 10% off? I have tried emailing EC about it, although it appears to have stumped them as I haven't got a reply

Thanks in Advance!

 

[OwlMan]

Have you selected the "Show Slower Routes" link at the bottom of the left hand column.
Select this and tick the four lower boxes. Your train should then show.

Peter

 

[extendedpaul]

A railcard fare of under £10 for that journey seems such a good deal that if I was you I'd grab it now rather than worry about saving another 99p !

 

[SickyNicky]

When you are searching, specify Via Leeds and the £8.80 discounted fare should show up.

You do this by clicking on "More Options", selecting "Via" and typing in "Leeds"

 

[philjo]

Sometimes I find entering "via Skipton" helps if wanting to use the Leeds-Carnforth service as sometimes the system insists that it is quicker to use the northern Leeds-Preston train then finds no advance fares available.
Doing this I have booked advance fares in the past to Windermere via Skipton using East coast from Stevenage to Leeds & changing again at Lancaster - these were about half the cost of going via euston (though a longer journey).

 

[clm]

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, ticking the four boxes, specifying "Via Leeds" or "Via Skipton" still doesn't seem to work. Although it does produce a £8.80 advance fare, it is for Cambridge to Ely, then Ely to Peterborough, then Peterborough to Leeds, then Leeds to Carnforth (NRE shows Cambridge to Stevenage, Stevenage to Leeds, then Leeds to Carnforth).

I don't particularly want to do this, as from experience Ely to Peterborough services are absolutely rammed even on weekends, and that is no fun at all with heavy luggage.

I realise its a good deal and I've got it before, but since 10% could at least in theory be saved I thought I'd at least have a go!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I can't see via Stevenage and Leeds being a valid route (double back through Hitchin). Fastis won't allow it for any fares.

Did NRES note you might need two tickets?

 

[clm]

I can't see via Stevenage and Leeds being a valid route (double back through Hitchin). Fastis won't allow it for any fares.

Did NRES note you might need two tickets?

Nope, just the once advance ticket was indicated. I've done the exact same journey before for the same fare, but booked it through Transpennine Express (so didn't get the 10% off).

The East Coast website does allow me to buy an Anytime or Off Peak for that particular journey, just not an Advance.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Easement 700070 says simply "Customers may double back between Hitchin and Stevenage." so I don't think that's the problem, more like WebTIS isn't applying the routeing guide correctly...

 

[LexyBoy]

I note that the tickets brought up on NRE via Stevenage are routed Peterboro & EC (rather confusingly). Could it be that NRE interprets this as "passing through Peterborough", whilst EC interprets it as "joining an EC service at Peterborough"?

Personally I'd forgo the 10% discount on such a cheap fare and book it ASAP. If it's a regular journey you could play around to see if EC's site can be coaxed into giving the route you want.

I can't see via Stevenage and Leeds being a valid route (double back through Hitchin).

700070 Customers may double back between Hitchin and Stevenage.

 

[philjo]

The system generally calculates the quickest route so it might be deciding that using the Leeds train from Peterborough is quicker than going via Stevenage - I seem to remember that some of the Carnforth trains don't connect very well in Leeds

Try entering "via Stevenage" - though of course that means you can't also specify via leeds or Skipton

There was a period when I kept finding the EC site would default to me changing at Hitchin & again at Peterborough instead of doing 1 change at Stevenage.

Easement 700070 was introduced after some of us complained about removing the Stevenage Group which included Hitchin. Removing the Stevenage Group penalised Letchworth-Cambridge passengers from not being able to double back from Stevenage (even though on the Leeds services from Stevenage the next stop is Grantham) This easement solved that problem for passengers using EC services at Stevenage to/from the north.

 

[clm]

Personally I'd forgo the 10% discount on such a cheap fare and book it ASAP. If it's a regular journey you could play around to see if EC's site can be coaxed into giving the route you want.

Yeah, I am wary that the fare may will disappear altogether / increase in the near future, but I'm sure you'll understand that it would be really irritating to go and book it then get a useful reply from EC / find a solution the next day (as sod's law states will happen ).

I've tried all sorts of different options on EC's site, specifying all sorts in the "Via" box, but I either end up with the train and no advance fares, or no train at all. I'm thinking about giving them a ring, but I'm conscious that I'll just spend my afternoon being passed from pillar to post from people that don't understand what I'm asking to people that understand what the problem is, but don't know what to do about it.
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Try entering "via Stevenage" - though of course that means you can't also specify via leeds or Skipton

Tried this, the 10:30 doesn't show up at all. All I get is services via London. Thanks anyway!

 

[philjo]

If you specify via Skipton the EC site does let you book for that train from Royston changing at Stevenage & Leeds. the Royston-Carnforth railcard discounted single is £8.80 on that date. you would also need a single from Cambridge to Royston £3.50 with a railcard.

alternatively you could get the earlier 09:55 FCC train to Stevenage & book from Foxton - (the 10:30 doesn't stop before royston and the train has to stop at the station where you change from one ticket to another) the advance Foxton-Carnforth fare is still £8.80 & get a Cambridge-Foxton single for £2.70

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Easement 700070 says simply "Customers may double back between Hitchin and Stevenage." so I don't think that's the problem, more like WebTIS isn't applying the routeing guide correctly...

Fair enough, I'd forgotten that easement, although it doesn't explain Fastis not showing the route up at all.

 

[clm]

If you specify via Skipton the EC site does let you book for that train from Royston changing at Stevenage & Leeds. the Royston-Carnforth railcard discounted single is £8.80 on that date. you would also need a single from Cambridge to Royston £3.50 with a railcard.

alternatively you could get the earlier 09:55 FCC train to Stevenage & book from Foxton - (the 10:30 doesn't stop before royston and the train has to stop at the station where you change from one ticket to another) the advance Foxton-Carnforth fare is still £8.80 & get a Cambridge-Foxton single for £2.70

Thanks for the advice, but both of these options result in a total price higher than if I bought the Cambridge to Carnforth advance though Transpennine Express (£9.90).

 

[stut]

I don't particularly want to do this, as from experience Ely to Peterborough services are absolutely rammed even on weekends, and that is no fun at all with heavy luggage.

Worth checking the origin of the Ely-Peterborough service. From personal experience, the trains originating in Norwich are indeed rammed at weekends, but the ones from Ipswich (once every 2 hours) are much more civilised.

(I'm assuming that the ones from Stansted would show up as direct from Cambridge, rather than changing in Ely...)

 

[clm]

Dammit! The fare's gone up now! Sorry for not listening to those that said to just buy it. That's really made me irritated with EC for not replying to my email, as that is what I've pretty much been waiting for. I guess I'll just buy it now before it goes up any more. Thanks for your help everyone though

 

[156402]

Dammit! The fare's gone up now! Sorry for not listening to those that said to just buy it. That's really made me irritated with EC for not replying to my email, as that is what I've pretty much been waiting for. I guess I'll just buy it now before it goes up any more. Thanks for your help everyone though

I assume you were expecting a virtually 'instant' response on the basis you chose the medium of email? When I worked TOC Customer Service department, regardless of how an issue was communicated, the same response time applied. It would be entered into a database and then dealt with in order of reference.

I would advise in future for such a urgent issue, to make a phone call rather then wait for a written reply.

Out of curosity, how much extra has the journey cost you for holding out for 89p discount?

 

[clm]

I would advise in future for such a urgent issue, to make a phone call rather then wait for a written reply.

Out of curosity, how much extra has the journey cost you for holding out for 89p discount?

Thanks for the advice, I'll bear it in mind for next time. It's cost me £3.30 extra, which isn't all that significant, just annoying.

Thanks Once Again!