h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have to travel from Woking to Cambridgeshire at the weekend, so looked at several of the online train ticket sites. All of them, including the rail company 'official' sites gave the cost as £59, yet when I called the rail travel number they informed me it will be £29. both are definately single fares.

Is this common?

I also spotted that there are passes available offering good value unlimited travel on British Railways, but they are only available to foreign travelers.

I get really annoyed about the cost of commuting in the south, at home in liverpool I could get a return on the train for a 30 mile trip for ~£3 the journey takes about half an hour. Here in the south a similar journey (between Poole and Southampton) costs ~£15, the distance and travel time are the same and both lines have ~ 4 trains an hour travelling the route.

It's disgraceful and it's all John Major's fault.
It all depends on which train operator and how much they think they can get away with.
It cost me £6.40 (ok not too bad, but the train was disgusting) to get from Southampton to Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, and took 55 minutes. A journey of some 20 miles maybe, achievable in about 25 minutes by car (off peak).

I'm just glad I don't have to get the friday afternoon train from waterloo-poole anymore...standing room only makes it sound luxurious

I would *love* to get the train to work instead of driving (in my old job/house I used to get the bus...it was fine but it used to make me travel sick I don't get that on trains ) but to get to the trainstation at each end involves a bus journey, cunningly timed to miss the train and cause 15-30 minutes waiting in the cold/rain. Train journey's were the main cause for me buying a mobile phone back in the heady days of 1998.

I love trains...I hate train companies

Yes I do see that different operators will charge different fares for journeys of a similar distance, but I'm talking about the SAME trip.

Same day etc, just depends who you ask, as to what you will be charged. I supose Trainline or whomever pocket the extra £30

It's not the old *through london* premium is it? You can usually get a good £10 or so off a journey if you avoid london...is it definately the same route (ie identical stations all the way not just identical start and end points).

Both are via london, including the tube!

The only other possible reason I can think of is if it's like cheap airline tickets...where there is a limited number of very cheap tickets and once they've sold the price goes up...is it possible that the phone line has up to date info whereas the websites sell on the assumption that all the cheap fares have gone?

Being cynical (and having had quite a few run in's with the phone line using bad info...5 minutes transfer time on the west coast mainline!!! yeah right they've never used virgin before then) I would question the person on the phone about everything...why it's cheaper, the exact route, the conditions of the ticket (maybe they offer cheap tickets if you promise to buy things from the buffet )...everything and anything....they should know why the websites charge more...and if they don't email the websites...you might get a free ticket out of it

I know exactly what you mean, I used to travel up and Down to devon every other weekend and not only was the price insane but it changed every couple of weeks. Finally my dad didn't believe me and decided to check what the price actually was... took him half an hour on the phones and he came out with 3 different totals Train prices change according to what train you are on, whether it is school hollidays (when they hike the prices up) and whether it is a bank holliday. And then they also have all those discount cards to get confused over. Total nightmare

Do you have to use more than one train company's lines? If so it could be a something along the line of...

Your journey involves paying money to company A and company B...

If you ask company A how much the ticket will cost - they'll quote you the total price, which is broken down into the price of the journey on their own line (including any discounts/special offers/supplements they have to offer with their own part of the service) plus the standard amount they will be billed by company B for their part in the journey.

So

Total ticket cost = A + B - discount A



If you ask company B they'll work out the ticket price using their own discounts for their section and the standard price for company As section



Therefore

Total ticket cost = A + B - discount B



Oh and if you ask a completely different company - who have negotiated discounts with both company's A and B, you might be able to get a ticket that costs

A + B - discount A1 - discount B1

(But of course the discounts offered to the third company might not be the same as the discounts offered directly to the public by either of the two original companies)

Clear now?

(Go by bus - its far less risky )

That is scarily complicated for a train ticket.....

I really enjoy travelling by train these days but I only do so as part of my job and thus dont have to worry about the fares!

Also I can almost always arrange my jouneys outside peak hours and can travel first-class, which for some reason makes an enormous difference to the way the railway staff treat you!

Much nicer than car travel!

I did spend 12 years commuting by rail into London from Hertfordshire though and that was murder! Take a lot to make me do that again.

I can beat yous all on the price differences....

A few years ago I set about getting train tickets to travel down to Cornwall for the eclipse. 1 Adult and 1 Child. As I didn't have internet access, I just had to phone... the first time I was given a quote of £160 for both of us, I forgot the details so I phoned again, spoke to a different person and was told £190! The next day I thought I'd phone a third time just to check, and spoke to a lovely young man who told me I could by a Family discount card for £20, which would enable my little sis to travel anywhere in the UK for £2 for a year - bargain! (don't know if they still do it but ask - it's not a deal they advertise greatly)

In total we ended up paying about £90 inc. the price of the discount card, and including an upgrade to first class for the biggest leg of the journey!

Unluckily for some, the only other Great Western travelling up from Cornwall on the way back was cancelled, so we had to keep turfing people out of our seats! They pretended to be asleep but it didn't work...mwuhahahahaaaaaa

It just goes to show that 90% of the time it depends on who you speak to, and what sort of day they've had.

* Always phone twice
* Always be courteous
* Ask lots of questions!

Queegle

Well I have called 3 times and got the same price each time.
There are no discount cards applicable.

I have been assured that the phone up price includes tube through london (I have been given times!) It is standard class.

I have called trainline to ask what is going on, but their customer service line is too busy to help me, and hangs up. I have emailed them and await their response.

I to would like to travel more by public transport but they don't make it easy!

Toc, the price National Rail Enquiries gives out is the cheapest possible price for your journey, which is often one that you have to book in advance, and which may be sold out by the time you come to book.

The person you spoke to should have told you something like "This ticket is sold in limited numbers on a first come first served basis, so we can't guarantee availability." Damn, I know too much.

The NRES people don't know if those tickets are still available, which is why they're also supposed to tell you to call the train company involved, or check at your local station. If The Trainline isn't showing those tickets, I'd guess they're sold out.

Does anyone know a good therapist who can make me forget I ever worked for National Rail Enquiries?

Just to be contrary, I tried to buy the tickets over the phone yesterday (the travel office at woking is only open til 3pm)

The chap told me that was the 'walk on' ticket price, so I still don't see where the increase is

Must admit, Dr. E.V, that the folk on the rail enquiry whatsit have been very polite, helpful and above all, consistant!

ugh. Also, what if you buy a ticket to somewhere not very far away at a station owned by one company but travel on a train owned by another, higher-priced one? the cost is the same whichever train you get. However, if you were going for the whole journey, the price varies according to operator.
I have recently reduced my daily travel costs from £11 per day (ticket and car park, including the 3rd off for railcard) to as little as £3.70 by going to a station half an hour away which has a free car park. (Even factoring in petrol costs, it is still far cheaper.) The whole journey (including car drive) takes 1 and 1/4 hours less than before. This sort of thing really does not encourage complete dependence on public transport.
HOWEVER! they tell me I cannot use a railcard before 10, but do not say why. (I do not ask as I am in rush.) I bring leaflet that came with said railcard and ask them to point it out, they refer to a vague bit about minimum fares. I refute this saying I have used it before 10 at many stations, with discount (and besides the amount I paid before 10 was in fact more than after, if y'follow, since that's off-peak)- THEN do they explain that you get a discount if the price is over £7. Nowhere does it say this on the leaflet.