West Kirby from Shrewsbury routeing

[TQ]

I've got to pop up to Liverpool next week to get my passport sorted, just been looking at the train fares and an off peak day return is £23.40. I travelled to West Kirby from Shrewsbury recently and the off peak day return was only £16.70 and as far as I can tell it is valid via Liverpool.

Am I right in assuming I am perfectly entitled to perform my journey using the SHR-WKI Off Peak Day Return or would I physically have to travel to and from West Kirby on the Wirral line to remain legal (theoretically, I don't know how it could be proved either way as I am entitled to break my journey on that ticket (I think)).

 

[telstarbox]

National Rail Enquiries (which is now definitive) gives an itinerary via Liverpool Lime Street so it's OK:

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servi...p/tomorrow/1715/dep?via=Liverpool_Lime_Street

And you are OK to break your journey on that ticket:

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=SHR&dest=WKI&tkt=CDR

 

[northwichcat]

If you travel via Chester opposed to via Runcorn you can buy an off-peak day return for Shrewsbury-Chester for £10.50 then a Merseyrail Off-Peak Day Saver for £4.70: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/prc6fc299b2143ba87026168f6f4c4d3.aspx

 

[TQ]

National Rail Enquiries (which is now definitive) gives an itinerary via Liverpool Lime Street so it's OK:

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servi...p/tomorrow/1715/dep?via=Liverpool_Lime_Street

And you are OK to break your journey on that ticket:

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=SHR&dest=WKI&tkt=CDR

Just as I thought then.

Out of interest is it technically breaking the terms of your ticket to start and end your journey in Liverpool? I realise it'd be nearly impossible to prove but are you allowed to travel on that ticket for SHR->LIV->SHR?

 

[Emyr]

Short travel is explicitly allowed in NRCoC, Condition 16:

16. Starting, breaking or ending a journey at intermediate stations You may start, or break and resume, a journey (in either direction in the case of a return ticket) at any intermediate station, as long as the ticket you hold is valid for the trains you want to use. You may also end your journey (in either direction in the case of a return ticket) before the destination shown on the ticket. However, these rights may not apply to some types of tickets for which a break of journey is prohibited, in which case the Ticket Seller must make this clear when you buy your ticket.

I think super-cheap advanced tickets are the most likely tickets to be invalid for breaking short.

 

[northwichcat]

I think super-cheap advanced tickets are the most likely tickets to be invalid for breaking short.

A lot of Off-Peak Returns between North Wales and London aren't valid if you start short at Chester/Crewe on the outward portion. They have restriction code VK.

 

[kieron]

A lot of Off-Peak Returns between North Wales and London aren't valid if you start short at Chester/Crewe on the outward portion. They have restriction code VK.

A lot of off-peak returns between Shrewsbury and the Wirral aren't valid to start short on the outward portion either, as ATW price a lot of returns with 8A codes. It's rarer on day tickets, though, and isn't an issue for the one TQ mentioned.

For the original query, there's a slightly cheaper (£16.30) anytime day return to Upton, which also allows you to use the same routes to Liverpool, and lets you break your journey there. It also lets you catch the train before 8.30am, if you're into that sort of thing.