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Trains
If I'm making a journey in two weeks, will the tickets be cheaper now or if I buy next week/closer to the date?
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Possibly now - although it really depends on the journey and the service operator. I always use www.thetrainline.com - they allow you to select between different prices offered. Be wary though - some are very restricting and leave you stranded if you miss your train! Also, it is sometimes cheaper to get a direct train, than to change so watch out for this too!
Have a nice trip wherever it is you're off to! :-)
Or you can use the national rail enquiries site. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
(Posted in 2 parts):
'Walk-up' tickets (i.e. those purchased immediately prior to travel) are always the dearest.
Most discounted tickets are available up until 6.00p.m. on the day before travel but a few types of tickets require booking a minimum of 7 days in advance. You should, however, note the following:
1. All discounted tickets are sold 'subject to availability'. There are usually quotas available for each train and it's not unusual for all of the cheapest tickets, on the most popular trains, to have been sold at least a month before travel.
2. All discounted tickets require you to travel on a specific train and you must occupy only the seat which has been reserved for you.
3. Because of the above, it's no good getting to the station several hours early and saying to staff "Look, I'm here now. Couldn't I just get on the next train, anyway?". They won't let you do this. (The only exception which most companies make is, for example, when someone can prove that they've just attended a hospital for treatment which was expected to take several hours only to find that their appointment has been cancelled).
4. Again, because of the above, don't expect to turn up late and be permitted to board another train without further payment. (Obviously, if your journey involves a change of trains and you miss your connection because the first train is late, then arrangements can be made for you to complete your journey. Just speak to the conductor of the first train, or the staff at the interchange station, before getting on the 'wrong' train). I admit that, sometimes, I've made up excuses for customers (e.g. "Please, Mr Conductor, pass this ticket on your train because the customer was delayed by a road traffic accident on the way to the station"), but you shouldn't rely on all rail staff being so generous (and so prepared to annoy their bosses!)
'Walk-up' tickets (i.e. those purchased immediately prior to travel) are always the dearest.
Most discounted tickets are available up until 6.00p.m. on the day before travel but a few types of tickets require booking a minimum of 7 days in advance. You should, however, note the following:
1. All discounted tickets are sold 'subject to availability'. There are usually quotas available for each train and it's not unusual for all of the cheapest tickets, on the most popular trains, to have been sold at least a month before travel.
2. All discounted tickets require you to travel on a specific train and you must occupy only the seat which has been reserved for you.
3. Because of the above, it's no good getting to the station several hours early and saying to staff "Look, I'm here now. Couldn't I just get on the next train, anyway?". They won't let you do this. (The only exception which most companies make is, for example, when someone can prove that they've just attended a hospital for treatment which was expected to take several hours only to find that their appointment has been cancelled).
4. Again, because of the above, don't expect to turn up late and be permitted to board another train without further payment. (Obviously, if your journey involves a change of trains and you miss your connection because the first train is late, then arrangements can be made for you to complete your journey. Just speak to the conductor of the first train, or the staff at the interchange station, before getting on the 'wrong' train). I admit that, sometimes, I've made up excuses for customers (e.g. "Please, Mr Conductor, pass this ticket on your train because the customer was delayed by a road traffic accident on the way to the station"), but you shouldn't rely on all rail staff being so generous (and so prepared to annoy their bosses!)
(Second part):
5. Although you can book online, it's probably better to visit the departure station in person. The staff may well know a few quirks of the ticketing system which don't show up with the online services. (e.g. If the stations along the line are A, B, C, etc. and you book online for a journey from A to K, the system will tell you the appropriate fare(s). What it won't do is to tell you that it's cheaper to buy two tickets, one from A to D and another from D to K.
6. If you visit a ticket office in person, insist on being told the cheapest way to complete your journey. Even if staff know some quirks of the system they're not obliged to tell you them unless your question forces them to do so. (In my example above, if you ask for a ticket from A to K, that's what they'll sell you unless you specifically ask for the cheapest way of travel, which forces them to offer the cheaper way of doing it).
7. If you do decide to book online and there's an error with your tickets then station staff won't be able to refund your money. You'll have to buy full price tickets for the journey and then try to seek compensation from the online booking agency. (I've seen tickets issued by Trainline which were sold at a ticket price only offered by company X but were for a time when these fares weren't available anyway, on a train operated by company Y and with seat reservations in coaches which don't have seat numbers!).
Finally, to return to your original question. There is no point waiting a while before booking. Unlike air fares, the price of rail tickets never goes down as the date of travel approaches, only up!
Chris
5. Although you can book online, it's probably better to visit the departure station in person. The staff may well know a few quirks of the ticketing system which don't show up with the online services. (e.g. If the stations along the line are A, B, C, etc. and you book online for a journey from A to K, the system will tell you the appropriate fare(s). What it won't do is to tell you that it's cheaper to buy two tickets, one from A to D and another from D to K.
6. If you visit a ticket office in person, insist on being told the cheapest way to complete your journey. Even if staff know some quirks of the system they're not obliged to tell you them unless your question forces them to do so. (In my example above, if you ask for a ticket from A to K, that's what they'll sell you unless you specifically ask for the cheapest way of travel, which forces them to offer the cheaper way of doing it).
7. If you do decide to book online and there's an error with your tickets then station staff won't be able to refund your money. You'll have to buy full price tickets for the journey and then try to seek compensation from the online booking agency. (I've seen tickets issued by Trainline which were sold at a ticket price only offered by company X but were for a time when these fares weren't available anyway, on a train operated by company Y and with seat reservations in coaches which don't have seat numbers!).
Finally, to return to your original question. There is no point waiting a while before booking. Unlike air fares, the price of rail tickets never goes down as the date of travel approaches, only up!
Chris
Of course if the 83 is your year of birth, then you should shell out the �20 for a YPR (young person's railcard - I'm sure you knew that though!) - you can save the cost back in one journey (usually 1/3 off all fares - but not valid on the train - so always buy in advance!) - I LOVE mine!
Safe journey! :-)
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