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Rail ticket alerts

So now. Time to take care of the logistics for Challengers choosing to travel by rail.

The cheapest tix are Advance Purchase, and they're typically released 90 days in front. The best site is East Coast. You can sign up for a ticket alert at no charge, and you'll be eMailed as soon as tix for your travel date(s) are released. You'll have to request two seperate alerts - so, for example, one on May 07 and the other on May 22.

Click here to go directly to the East Coast ticket alert page

Note that not all stations are covered. Lochailort and Mallaig, for example. In these cases pick yr nearest destination - ie Glasgow in the this case. All destinations south of Montrose are covered.

And when the time comes to buy yr tix, remember to split your journey across train operators, buying multiple tix. This is where the real savings kick in. For example, buying a through ticket from Birmingham to Mallaig is going to cost serious money - but if you split Birmingham/Glasgow followed by Glasgow/Mallaig everything is good. Equally, if returning from Montrose to England, buy one ticket Montrose > any East Coast served directly by East Coast - ie Edinburgh/Newcastle/York - and then pick up an additional ticket on Trans-Pennine, Virgin or whatever.

You can research all fares through the main East Coast site - click here to access

Re: Rail ticket alerts

Good advice, Humphrey, and I hope those benefits continue.....do you know when the planned takeover of East Coast by this Virgin/Stagecoach combo is scheduled to start? Seems a shame to me, I liked East Coast too, but nobody asks the ordinary users, it seems.

Re: Rail ticket alerts

Yea, me too! I heard today that an unholy alliance of Virgin/Stagecoach will be taking up the Edinburgh > London line. And it's a d*mn shame. As a nationalised railway owned by you and me East Coast did a great job. And I personally know several of their workers. Frankly I'm all for state-owned railways - as in France and Spain where there's a fully integrated infrastructure and and a clear pricing system. #*goes back into cave to lick wounds#

Re: Rail ticket alerts

The takeover is scheduled for 1st March 2015. Looks like a stitch-up after the last franchising sell-out fell apart.

Re: Rail ticket alerts

We don't yet know the detail of the new sleeper franchise, do we?

I know the bid winner has been announced but I seem to recall the new franchise will take over just before the Challenge and, as I am considering sleeping my way up to Inverness, it would be handy to know the details.

Re: Rail ticket alerts

Urgggh . . . it's all a tad grisly, but right now the Big Snore - aka sleeper - is operated by Scotrail. So is outwith any of the east coast shenanigans. It's actually a very wonderful service - and there still tales that drivers may make "unscheduled" stops to accomodate gentlemen of the road. Trains have to take on water in the most unlikely places . . .

Re: Rail ticket alerts

Humphrey Weightman

And when the time comes to buy yr tix, remember to split your journey across train operators, buying multiple tix. This is where the real savings kick in. For example, buying a through ticket from Birmingham to Mallaig is going to cost serious money - but if you split Birmingham/Glasgow followed by Glasgow/Mallaig everything is good. Equally, if returning from Montrose to England, buy one ticket Montrose > any East Coast served directly by East Coast - ie Edinburgh/Newcastle/York - and then pick up an additional ticket on Trans-Pennine, Virgin or whatever.
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Do, however, be aware that there is a hidden pitfall in this approach.

Advance tickets can ONLY be used on the train that they are booked for ... so what happens if a connecting service fails to connect?

If you bought a "through" advance ticket then you will be allowed to use it on the next train even though it's not the train that you booked (not your fault that the connection didn't work).

If, however, you bought two independent tickets, then as far as they are concerned that is two separate journeys; and if your connecting services fail to connect then you may find yourself having to pay to upgrade your ticket to the full "walk up" fare for the second part of the journey, because they won't be interested in the reason you failed to catch the train for the second of your two journeys ... all that will matter is that you didn't. (You might be able to sweet talk them into treating it as a missed connection ... but I wouldn't bank on it!)

Just something to bear in mind ...