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Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please.

You are here: Home > Forum > Miscellaneous > The real thing (anything else rail-oriented) > Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please.

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Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 17:33 #30565
GoodbyeMrFish
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148 posts 		Strange question but i can't find info anywhere and as ive never done this before i will ask here if anyone knows.

On thursday i want to travel to grantham (return) i want to do this by buying two advance single tickets for the outward and return journey. If i goto east midlands train site and national rail even if i book tomorrow it will only cost 17 pound return where as if i just brought an off peak day return it will be more like 60 quid.

Do i have to buy online to get this discount or can i goto my local station 3 days before travel and get the ticket there with this discount. I cant find any info saying that this is online only deal, so im hoping that as long as its still brought the day before or a few days before i will still get it for this price, just from thetford station rather than nationalrail or EMT?

Thanks for your time sorry a bit long winded.

A very confused rail enthusiast.

Richard
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 17:40 #30566
John 23
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173 posts 		I've certainly done things like buying two singles at the Torquay and Newton Abbot ticket offices, and getting advance tickets, if there is any left in the allocation.
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 17:42 #30567
sloppyjag
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480 posts 		If it doesn't say "Web exclusive" or suchlike then it should be available at a window from human being. I say should as some advance fares will have quotas and may have been sold out by the time you reach said window/human being.
Planotransitophobic!
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 17:47 #30568
headshot119
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4869 posts 		Ticket offices can sell Advance tickets. However this type of ticket is Quota controlled so once they are gone they are gone. It is certainly advisable with Advance tickets to book online (Use East Coast or London Midland as they don't charge booking fees and have a decent interface.) and then pick them up at the station on the day of travel.
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 18:41 #30570
benstafford
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88 posts 		Chiltern, Southern, Southeastern and redspottedhanky.com all use the same excellent booking engine mentioned above. By far the best, allowing you to select either the train you want or the fare, with a grid for finding the best fare if you are flexible on days.
Last edited: 12/03/2012 at 18:42 by benstafford
Reason: Spelling error
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 18:47 #30571
postal
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5195 posts 		It is probably worth checking directly with the train operator's web-site as some TOCs have some special deals which are only available on their own web-site and not through a third-party site.
“In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 18:53 #30573
GoodbyeMrFish
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148 posts 		National rail and Eastmidlandstrains are offering the same ticket, the prices the same and everything, so i think its all linked together somehow. Unfortunatly picking up on the day is'nt going to happen, Thetford is only a small station, and the train i want to leave on is at 6:26am theres no station staff there. And also i dont think you can pick up at the booking office, EMT says you need to use a machine with reference number etc. We dont have that machine at this station.

The plan is'nt set in stone yet anyway, because im still swaying towards going to retford again. But as i went there last time i do fancy something a bit different. Specially as the sand and stone and most intermodal/freightliners come off at grantham. theres only a small handfull that go further north on the ecml.

Im buying ticket tomorrow regardless of where im going so i will keep you guys posted as to how i get on.

richard
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 19:30 #30580
Peter Bennet
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5363 posts 		I've picked up at a ticket office before now- just presented the reference number.

Why not phone them and ask?

Peter
I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs!
Last edited: 12/03/2012 at 19:30 by Peter Bennet
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 19:38 #30581
Danny252
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1461 posts 		XC trains give a "collect at window" option:

"Collect at window

You will need the payment card used and your collection reference.
Tickets will be ready for collection 2 hours after booking."
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 20:57 #30586
headshot119
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4869 posts 		" said:
Chiltern, Southern, Southeastern and redspottedhanky.com all use the same excellent booking engine mentioned above. By far the best, allowing you to select either the train you want or the fare, with a grid for finding the best fare if you are flexible on days.
redspottedhanky.com don't use the same booking engine as the rest of them.
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
Last edited: 12/03/2012 at 21:34 by headshot119
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 21:32 #30588
Sacro
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1171 posts 		They use Webtis, the same as Southern and EastCoast (at the very least).
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 21:35 #30589
Josie
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310 posts 		" said:
" said:
Chiltern, Southern, Southeastern and redspottedhanky.com all use the same excellent booking engine mentioned above. By far the best, allowing you to select either the train you want or the fare, with a grid for finding the best fare if you are flexible on days.
redspottedhanky.com don't use the same booking office as the rest of them.
They certainly did when they launched; have they changed?

*checks* Nope, still looks the same to me
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 21:35 #30590
headshot119
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4869 posts 		Hmmm it's another site I'm getting mixed up with, but I can't remember which one.

EDIT

It's Mytrainticket.co.uk I was getting mixed up with.
"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
Last edited: 12/03/2012 at 21:38 by headshot119
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 22:35 #30592
pbinnersley
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431 posts 		I've purchased tickets to collect as Coventry station, but been able to pick them up from a machine at Birmingham New Street. Not sure how wide spread this facility is.

The main website for cheap advance tickets that aren't listed on National Rail and the other train Operators is MegaTrain, part of the Stagecoach Megabus scheme. I think they are currently ony available on selected trains to/from London St Pancras and Waterloo.

Hope this helps.

Peter.
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 22:52 #30594
Peter Bennet
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5363 posts 		" said:
I've purchased tickets to collect as Coventry station, but been able to pick them up from a machine at Birmingham New Street. Not sure how wide spread this facility is.
The 'where you pick up the ticket and which machine you designate' is a bit misleading. As long as you have the booking number you can collect the tickets from any booking office or any machine. Have not tested out the 2 hours thing yet but I'd imagine that is misleading too.

Peter
I identify as half man half biscuit - crumbs!
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 12/03/2012 at 23:48 #30596
Josie
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310 posts 		" said:
The 'where you pick up the ticket and which machine you designate' is a bit misleading. As long as you have the booking number you can collect the tickets from any booking office or any machine. Have not tested out the 2 hours thing yet but I'd imagine that is misleading too.
I've not been on there for a while due to various problems with my newsreader, but the conclusions drawn from uk.railway passim are that:

  • the list of stations is only there to make sure the purchaser knows that not all stations are hooked up to the online booking system, but tickets can indeed be collected from any station on the list, not just the one chosen

  • Trainline-based sites request and need up to two hours to process a purchase. WebTIS-based sites request varying amounts of time but in practice are almost always ready instantly.
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 13/03/2012 at 07:35 #30598
GoodbyeMrFish
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148 posts 		A booking clerk at cambridge told me that they can sell advance fairs, so im going to go to the station this morning and give it a go. Thanks for the responces its appreciated, thank you.

I will pop back on later, to let you know how i got on.

Richard
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 13/03/2012 at 11:42 #30600
GoodbyeMrFish
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148 posts 		The last update:

I went to the station this morning, all is fine, just 1 pound more than it was yesterday. Acheiving a saving of 35 pounds.

So thank you to everyone whos posted here the help was usefull, thank you.

Richard
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Re: Ticketing and Buying a rail ticket advice please. 13/03/2012 at 21:37 #30620
benstafford
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88 posts 		I've booked using a WEBTis system (Southern) and picked up at the station less than half an hour later.
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