Charlton travel.

Not much to be had savings wise on this but it's still possible to shave £13 to £15 off the full fare as follows, which is two maybe two and a half pints worth of coin up there.

All railcard/groupsave prices per person.

Travel up on 0540 off Plymouth and valid on both the 1903 and 2003 returning from Paddington.

Plymouth-Tiverton off peak day return £7-15
Tiverton-castle Cary off peak day return £11-20
Castle Cary-Newbury off peak day return £15-60
Newbury-Day travelcard zones 1-6 £19-85
Total fare £53-80

Travel up on the 0750 off Plymouth and again valid on both return services from Paddington at 1903 and 2003

Same fares and tickets as above as far as Castle Cary, then
Castle Cary-Pewsey off peak day return £10-55
Castle Cary-Reading off peak day return £10-50
Reading-Charlton off peak day return £16-45
Total fare £55-80

Also nothing to be saved by just getting tickets to Paddington and useing Contactless from there.

What a FOOKIN joke our railways have become. Stupidly expensive and complicated. Thanks anyway Bob for doing the legwork.

Yes, complete joke, non rail users should subsidise the railways, especially rich bankers season tickets which are frightfully expensive.

Top travel organising Mr Crow.
Surely a promotion to Official ATD Travel Agent is due ?

PatDunne wrote:

Yes, complete joke, non rail users should subsidise the railways, especially rich bankers season tickets which are frightfully expensive.

My season ticket from Folkestone Central to St Pancras including travel card zones 1-6 back in 2012 was still an eye watering £5580 a year and I certainly wasn't a banker on bankers wages but mearly a low level government wage slave aka a civil servant on £38k. Whel you look at the figures after tax each month it equated to almost 20% of my wages being stopped each month for my ST loan.
All the time that the train is the only real viable option if you can't afford to or are unable to live in London, then there's always a bumper payday for the train companies each January when the government give them to increase fares in line with inflation plus an extra 3% for good measure.

Earwegoagain wrote:

What a FOOKIN joke our railways have become. Stupidly expensive and complicated. Thanks anyway Bob for doing the legwork.

The main reason that split tickets are 8 times out of 10 for these trips (day trips) is that there is no provision for day return fares over longer distances. Hopefully that's something that will change in this imminent fares review and consultation being carried out by the DFT and the rail delivery group. But until then, unless you can bag a pair of cheap advance singles (which are almost non existent at weekends on GWR or work out more expensive than splits) then the complicated method of splitting is here for the foreseeable future.
I have seen some of the booking clerks at Plymouth advise and sell people that want day returns to like Bristol, Birmingham and London split tickets to save them but not all clerks do this and their not obliged to advise of it either.

#SHITARTIST wrote:

Top travel organising Mr Crow.
Surely a promotion to Official ATD Travel Agent is due ?

Have we got your company on the Charlton trip mate?

Bob Crow wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

What a FOOKIN joke our railways have become. Stupidly expensive and complicated. Thanks anyway Bob for doing the legwork.

The main reason that split tickets are 8 times out of 10 for these trips (day trips) is that there is no provision for day return fares over longer distances. Hopefully that's something that will change in this imminent fares review and consultation being carried out by the DFT and the rail delivery group. But until then, unless you can bag a pair of cheap advance singles (which are almost non existent at weekends on GWR or work out more expensive than splits) then the complicated method of splitting is here for the foreseeable future.
I have seen some of the booking clerks at Plymouth advise and sell people that want day returns to like Bristol, Birmingham and London split tickets to save them but not all clerks do this and their not obliged to advise of it either.

Careful Bob, you'll be getting the wrath of Gaffer's tongue shortly if you continue your dissing of the privatised railways. Ee loves 'em and is ATD's resident ex rail management boffin.
The trains I regularly catch have gone up 20% this year alone. These people should be locked up and their estates sequestrated.

beesrus wrote:

Bob Crow wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

What a FOOKIN joke our railways have become. Stupidly expensive and complicated. Thanks anyway Bob for doing the legwork.

The main reason that split tickets are 8 times out of 10 for these trips (day trips) is that there is no provision for day return fares over longer distances. Hopefully that's something that will change in this imminent fares review and consultation being carried out by the DFT and the rail delivery group. But until then, unless you can bag a pair of cheap advance singles (which are almost non existent at weekends on GWR or work out more expensive than splits) then the complicated method of splitting is here for the foreseeable future.
I have seen some of the booking clerks at Plymouth advise and sell people that want day returns to like Bristol, Birmingham and London split tickets to save them but not all clerks do this and their not obliged to advise of it either.

Careful Bob, you'll be getting the wrath of Gaffer's tongue shortly if you continue your dissing of the privatised railways. Ee loves 'em.
The trains I regularly catch have gone up 20% this year alone. These people should be locked up and their estates sequestrated.

State capture Bees, That's the way to go. Railways, water, gas, phones, the fkn lot under state control and not for foreign governments and capitalist oligarchsto extract profit from.

Punchy and myself will be on the 0540 up from Plymouth and returning on the 2003 from Paddington. If anyone wishes to join us for the quoted fare then I have a space on my railcard for a 2nd person, or a groupsave if anyone else wishes to join us for a day out in the smoke via Greenwich market for a few light refreshments and some top pie and mash at Goddards followed by a trademark 'bleddy typical Argo' performance at the Valley.

Looks like Me & young Reginald will be meeting you and punchy over Greenwich for light refreshments
And pie & mash all goes to plan bob

Perhaps something to add in general - I believe group saves are not valid on Crosscountry trains but some other railcards are, only on Southwestern & GWR in the western area. Must say this post is well researched and anything that kicks the train franchises in the nuts should be applauded - living for 39 years in Dorset & Worcester I've always tried to use the technique of splitting. The 2 stations in Devon that are the cheapest day returns to and from Plymouth are Tiverton & Axminster as these are the furthest east in the county which goes back to the cheap bus travel franchises of about 15 years ago where the trains were forced to compete in that area.

Bandwagon wrote:

Perhaps something to add in general - I believe group saves are not valid on Crosscountry trains but some other railcards are, only on Southwestern & GWR in the western area. Must say this post is well researched and anything that kicks the train franchises in the nuts should be applauded - living for 39 years in Dorset & Worcester I've always tried to use the technique of splitting. The 2 stations in Devon that are the cheapest day returns to and from Plymouth are Tiverton & Axminster as these are the furthest east in the county which goes back to the cheap bus travel franchises of about 15 years ago where the trains were forced to compete in that area.

You are correct , Group Save Tickets are NOT Valid on Crosscountry.

No part of our journey involves Arriva Cross-country so we're fine on the groupsave front. I have both a disabled railcard and a family railcard both downloaded on my phone so plenty of discount options available.
I know it's not permitted on Arriva Cross-country but on local trips it's rarely enforced from experience and I've only ever seen a train manager make a group buy a new tickets once. I've even seen an XC train manager on the last Penzance-Plymouth at night sell people a groupsave ticket from St Austell to Plymouth.
Groupsave are also barred on the sleeper at any time and on any service towards Penzance on a Friday between 1403 and 1903 for journeys originating from Paddington or Reading, The Friday exclusion is very poorly advertised and I've seen quite a few arguments with staff over this from passengers who have been sold tickets and not been told this.

Bob Crow wrote:

No part of our journey involves Arriva Cross-country so we're fine on the groupsave front. I have both a disabled railcard and a family railcard both downloaded on my phone so plenty of discount options available.
I know it's not permitted on Arriva Cross-country but on local trips it's rarely enforced from experience and I've only ever seen a train manager make a group buy a new tickets once. I've even seen an XC train manager on the last Penzance-Plymouth at night sell people a groupsave ticket from St Austell to Plymouth.
Groupsave are also barred on the sleeper at any time and on any service towards Penzance on a Friday between 1403 and 1903 for journeys originating from Paddington or Reading, The Friday exclusion is very poorly advertised and I've seen quite a few arguments with staff over this from passengers who have been sold tickets and not been told this.

Yes all correct and I agree your trip is based on GWR in the Devon region, I just meant to warn others for future travel - can also add the senior railcard that was a boon for me while I travelled from Worcester and latterly Dorchester as it can be used on all trains.
All information that helps the fans is top draw, well done!!

Some right nerds on ere.

Bandwagon wrote:

Bob Crow wrote:

No part of our journey involves Arriva Cross-country so we're fine on the groupsave front. I have both a disabled railcard and a family railcard both downloaded on my phone so plenty of discount options available.
I know it's not permitted on Arriva Cross-country but on local trips it's rarely enforced from experience and I've only ever seen a train manager make a group buy a new tickets once. I've even seen an XC train manager on the last Penzance-Plymouth at night sell people a groupsave ticket from St Austell to Plymouth.
Groupsave are also barred on the sleeper at any time and on any service towards Penzance on a Friday between 1403 and 1903 for journeys originating from Paddington or Reading, The Friday exclusion is very poorly advertised and I've seen quite a few arguments with staff over this from passengers who have been sold tickets and not been told this.

Yes all correct and I agree your trip is based on GWR in the Devon region, I just meant to warn others for future travel - can also add the senior railcard that was a boon for me while I travelled from Worcester and latterly Dorchester as it can be used on all trains.
All information that helps the fans is top draw, well done!!

Compared to the rest of the country, The fares here are ridiculously cheap. The Plymouth to Penzance (or any station West of Truro) for £7-15 return and the returns to Tiverton/Barnstaple or Axminster for the same price are ridiculously cheap.
In Summer Plymouth to Newquay on Arriva Cross Country's summer Saturday services are £1-80 each way when bought by their app or website and ticket printed at home or downloaded on device.

Bob Crow wrote:

Punchy and myself will be on the 0540 up from Plymouth and returning on the 2003 from Paddington. If anyone wishes to join us for the quoted fare then I have a space on my railcard for a 2nd person, or a groupsave if anyone else wishes to join us for a day out in the smoke via Greenwich market for a few light refreshments and some top pie and mash at Goddards followed by a trademark 'bleddy typical Argo' performance at the Valley.

Tempted to come up just for lunch at Goddards, some great boozers around there as well. Double pie and mash, good covering of liquor, bleddy handsome.

Further options.
Because of the 9 day closure of the slow Exeter to London line via Honiton, Standard off peak and super off peak tickets routed that way (via Honiton) are being accepted on the main line route to Paddington via Taunton.
A Super Off peak day return from Exeter St David's to Paddington is now £42 (railcard or groupsave price) and a Super Off peak day Travel card zones 1-6 form Exeter is £48 (railcard or groupsave)
These fares are valid on any direct services between Exeter and Paddington including the 0657 that the other multiple split options were not.
Return Plymouth to Exeter is £6-45 (railcard or groupsave)