train ticket prices

[ruth1964]

Hello & good evening...could anyone answer this question please?
If you buy a ticket on the train is it the same price as if you had bought it at the booking office?

[JK2]

I always use Virgin rail online to book my train tickets and either have them sent first class to my home (at no charge) or collect them from a machine at the mainline station - usually Euston. I think that I can often get much cheaper tickets on line than I would at a booking office - especially if you are booking 2 - 4 weeks ahead and can get one of their advance special deals. For example I have had tickets from London to Manchester for as little as �16.50 return (using my railcard also). I am going on Monday and this time it has cost me �29.35 return unfortunately - but that it still a lot cheaper than normal fare.

[JK2]

Sorry I've just re- read your question & realised you said buy on the train - not on line.

Yes I believe it is the same price on the train as at the booking office but I think it will be the full price - no special deals. However Heathrow Express from Paddington is more expensive if you buy it on the train. Gatwick Express is the same price as the booking office.

[dzug]

Yes a ticket bought on the train (in a non-penalty fare area) will be the same price as the SAME ticket bought at the booking office.

You may find (as the previous poster says) that some types of cheap ticket are not sold on the train and that you will have to buy a full fare one

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):
I used to run a large railway station. I got asked this question several times per day (usually by people who'd arrived at the very last minute for their train!).

With the exception of special services (such as Gatwick Express), you're always expected to purchase a ticket prior to boarding any train. (Obviously, that doesn't apply at unstaffed stations). It's actually a criminal offence to board a train, without a ticket, if you've been presented with the opportunity to buy one prior to travel.

In some parts of the country, particularly in the former 'Network South-East' area, you have to pay a penalty fare if you're found to have boarded without a ticket.

Where rail companies don't impose penalty fares, the rule is that you'll be charged for an Open Single, or Open Return, ticket. If you're travelling at peak times, that might mean that you'll pay exactly the same 'walk-up' fare that you'd have paid at the ticket office. However, you won't be able to purchase Saver or Cheap Day tickets at off-peak times.

For example, if you turn up at Norwich station requiring a peak-time Standard class return ticket to London, for immediate travel, it will cost you �66 for an Open Return. If you buy it on the train, it will still cost you �66. However, if you travel off-peak, to & from Norwich, it will cost you �38 at the ticket office (for a Saver Return) but �66 on the train (for an Open Return).

[Buenchico]

Further down the line, travelling from Colchester to London, the same principles apply. (i.e. you pay more on the train at off-peak times). However, because Colchester is in a penalty fares zone, you can be charged double the higher fare So a day return ticket will cost you either �36 (Open Return) at peak times or �17.60 (Cheap Day Return) off-peak. If you board without a ticket, you can be charged �72 (2 x Open Return) or else be offered a �20 fare to the next stop along the line + a full-price single from there to London, leaving you to purchase a separate ticket for your return journey.

If possible, always try to buy your tickets in advance (either online or at the station). If you have to pay on the day of travel, always go to the ticket office if there's one open. If there's no ticket office, use a ticket machine if there's one available and you've got sufficient change (or a credit/debit card). If there's no proper ticket machine (or you've not got a suitable method of payment) use the alternative machine (if available) which let's you pay part of your fare, and then pay the rest on the train or at your destination. Only board the train without making any payment if there's no payment facility available at the station. If you board from a station where the booking office is closed, you'll still pay the same fare as you would have done at the station. (On-train staff know which hours the booing offices normally open. They receive pager messages about other closures).

The rail companies prefer customers to pay prior to travel because:
(a) it cuts down on the number of people who try to evade payment ;
(b) it means that their on-train staff carry less money, reducing the temptation for someone to assault them in order to steal their cash ; and
(c) it costs them less because on-train staff are paid commission on ticket sales, whereas booking office staff aren't.

Chris

[ruth1964]

Thankyou all so very much for your very detailed information especially Chris (Buenchico)

Have a lovely day ... Ruth x