West Midlands Day Ranger (Crewe - Hereford)

[Lddex]

Hello,

I'm planning on travelling from Crewe to Hereford tomorrow. According to National Rail Enquires the cheapest fare is a West Midlands Day Ranger for £24 .

When looking at what a West Midlands Day Ranger was on the NR site - it said

Network West Midlands area (West Midlands county) plus rail network within the following boundary:

Crewe, Stafford, Stoke, Nuneaton, Northampton, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Redditch, Hereford and Gobowen.

However it then goes on to say

Not valid between Crewe and Hereford (Marches Line) on Arriva Trains Wales services.

Being that the train that NR are saying for me to catch is run by Arriva from Manchester to Milford Heaven. My question is does this train use the Marshes Line or not, As there seems to be no other service from Crewe to Hereford.

Hope that all makes sense. Just trying to get the cheapest ticket as travelling from Macclesfield to Hereford, and have found I can get a £5 bus ticket to Crewe and if I am able to use this West Midland Day Ranger then it works out a lot cheaper than the £55 return from Macc to Hereford.

Any other alternatives or options would be great.

Thanks.

 

[Techniquest]

WMDR definitely not valid Crewe to Hereford via Shrewsbury. Crewe to New Street then to Hereford, or Crewe to Smethwick Galton Bridge, then to Worcester via Kidderminster and to Hereford would be valid on a WMDR. It's also valid from Stoke on Trent to Stafford and onwards to Birmingham and onwards to Hereford.

If you're coming back the same day, a WMDR and a return from Macclesfield to Stoke on Trent would be significantly cheaper than the Off Peak Return!

 

[Lddex]

Cheers for your input. I thought all trains via crewe ended up on the Marches line to Wales, but thought I might have been mistaken.

Why does NR show it as the cheapest fare then next to a train that goes via Shrewsbury. Lucky I did;t buy online and turn up tomorrow to have the conductor tell me that the WMDR is not valid on their train.

Surly this is a big mistake on Network Rails part.

I can see that there is a same day return for £31 from Crewe to Hereford that with my £5 day saver bus ticket might work out cheaper than Macc to Stoke then a WMDR if I have my sums correct.

 

[Romilly]

The cheapest Macclesfield to Stoke-on-Trent return would appear to be a £7.30 offpeak day return valid only on Virgin Trains West Coast: first available outbound train would be the 0956. The anytime version is £8.30 and would also be valid on e.g. the 0856 or 0756 or 0656.

Even cheaper would be a Macclesfield-Kidsgrove offpeak day return at £6.80 and valid on the 0915 and later departures.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

If you check the West Midlands Day Ranger map on the National Rail site, you will see it excludes Shrewsbury-Hereford via Ludlow.
It is only valid from Crewe to Hereford via Wolverhampton and Worcester.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/promotions/West_Midlands_Ranger.pdf
Plenty of XC trains Macc-Brum (the Ranger is valid from Kidsgrove), and hourly LM Birmingham-Hereford.

If you really want to go the Marches route on ATW, you need a Heart of England 3 days in 7 Rover, which has a much wider geographic validity.
You then get 2 other days in the week to tour the midlands on the same ticket (eg Leicester/Oxford/Gloucester).
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/promotions/Heart_of_England_Rover.pdf

 

[Lddex]

Thanks LNW-GW. Each options seems to be getting cheaper than the £56 return which I would have to change several times anyway.


But this still does not explain why NR lists it as the cheapest fair for a service that it can't be used on. Its system seems to know not to offer it before 9am, so why does it not offer it at all when the train it tells me to catch goes via Shrewsbury.

How many other journeys are they listing fares that are not valid.

 

[Romilly]

I think that the short answer has to be that NRE is wrong. However, NRE doesn't sell tickets, and when you click through to a ticket-sales site to buy the WMDR for the direct Crewe-Hereford service you then find that the retail site is not offering the WMDR but just the £31.20 offpeak day return. So you are unlikely to end up in an awkward position if buying online (or at a ticket office), but I agree that if you can buy the WMDR from a ticket machine at Crewe, and were to do so on the basis of your research on NRE, there is scope for an unhappy outcome.

 

[Lddex]

I think that the short answer has to be that NRE is wrong. However, NRE doesn't sell tickets, and when you click through to a ticket-sales site to buy the WMDR for the direct Crewe-Hereford service you then find that the retail site is not offering the WMDR but just the £31.20 offpeak day return. So you are unlikely to end up in an awkward position if buying online (or at a ticket office), but I agree that if you can buy the WMDR from a ticket machine at Crewe, and were to do so on the basis of your research on NRE, there is scope for an unhappy outcome.

Good point. I forgot that NRE just link to the main train provider. I should have tried clicking on the link. I normally just do some quick research and then buy at the machines on the day unless there are advance fares listed.

 

[bb21]

I don't think anyone on here can tell you why NRE were offering the WMDR for the proposed itinerary. Perhaps lodge a complaint with NRE and see what they say? I am sure quite a few people would be interested in hearing their explanations, if any.