National News Great British Rail Sale - gimmick or good idea?

[Essexyellows]

https://greatbritishrailsale.nationalrail.co.uk/#/great-british-rail-sale

Can get to that London town place for £11.50 each way - so would encourage us not to drive down to Brent Cross, dump the car in their car park and get the tube in as we normally do.
Anyone tempted?
Good idea?
Politically motivated?
Environmentally motivated?
Easing the cost of living?

 

[Oslernorth]

The trains and Buses will always be a mess under this very odd way of funding. Any reduction in price will always be welcome. But it’s a small distraction from the problem.
If it was fully nationalised, then a good service would be a vote winner. If it was fully privatised without creating a monopoly, then good routes and services would out compete bad ones, a winner for the traveler.

But currently we have a hybrid of national and privatisation which means companies bid to run the cheapest service for the government, then are given cash to run it. The less they spend, the more money they make!

 

[OUFCGav]

It has been very carefully focussed, travel in end April/May, outside school holidays, off peak, limited destinations.

And of course being a government website it doesn't work very well, I have clicked on 5 "buy Tickets" links and 3 give "Not Found - The requested URL was not found on this server" errors.

 

[MarkG]

It's a small timeframe of available dates of just about 1 month, and if you want to stay over somewhere for a long weekend, advance hotel prices have probably already gone / you've already booked travel anyway.

 

[Essexyellows]

General consensus appears to be .............. "Nice headline, not much use".

Sorry Grant - YF has spoken.

 

[MarkG]

I've decided to go to Rotherham, and it would have been nice to get some of the fare half price, but of course the offer doesn't start until next week.

 

[OUFCGav]

I've decided to go to Rotherham, and it would have been nice to get some of the fare half price, but of course the offer doesn't start until next week.

even if it was in date it is annoying to book. You can't just put in Oxford - Rotherham and it gives you the sale ticket based on that. As far as I can see to get the sale prices you have to separately book singles for each leg of the journey. And I think they are advance tickets so no flexibility.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

General consensus appears to be .............. "Nice headline, not much use". [emoji2368]

Sorry Grant - YF has spoken.

Not sure it's a winning Tory election slogan, but bang on the money nonetheless.[emoji846]

 

[MarkG]

even if it was in date it is annoying to book. You can't just put in Oxford - Rotherham and it gives you the sale ticket based on that. As far as I can see to get the sale prices you have to separately book singles for each leg of the journey. And I think they are advance tickets so no flexibility.

I found that trying to book from my town to Rotherham, ended up splitting into three journeys, home to London, London to Doncaster (with the two advance tickets), and Doncaster to Rotherham. Saved £50 compared to the all-in price quoted.

 

[bazzer9461]

I found that trying to book from my town to Rotherham, ended up splitting into three journeys, home to London, London to Doncaster (with the two advance tickets), and Doncaster to Rotherham. Saved £50 compared to the all-in price quoted.

That is the cheapest way to travel in the trains by splitting your journey, but if you try to dive the split and go on a normal service ie straight from A to B you would be fined or depending on the length of the journey you could be arrested.

 

[MarkG]

That is the cheapest way to travel in the trains by splitting your journey, but if you try to dive the split and go on a normal service ie straight from A to B you would be fined or depending on the length of the journey you could be arrested.

I was talking actually changing trains.
Rather than split ticket, where you stay on the same train. eg Oxford-Banbury, Banbury-Birmingham can be done without getting off the train.

On a split ticket, so long as the train you are on stops at the station and you complete the whole journey on the permitted route and operator that's allowed.

However, if I want to go and visit my mum in Devon, the main part of the journey is Woking to Honiton. The half price deals though are only Waterloo to Honiton, even though the trains stops at Woking. So i can't just buy the cheap ticket and get on at Woking.

 

[bazzer9461]

I was talking actually changing trains.
Rather than split ticket, where you stay on the same train. eg Oxford-Banbury, Banbury-Birmingham can be done without getting off the train.

On a split ticket, so long as the train you are on stops at the station and you complete the whole journey on the permitted route and operator that's allowed.

However, if I want to go and visit my mum in Devon, the main part of the journey is Woking to Honiton. The half price deals though are only Waterloo to Honiton, even though the trains stops at Woking. So i can't just buy the cheap ticket and get on at Woking.

But what I meant split tickets there are touted which are cheaper when you start with one train company but to access the cheap fair you have to change to another train which could be st the same company or a different company to the next part of the split then change form the final destination of the 2nd part of the journey to get another train to the next or final part of your destination.
If you have a split ticket but arrive on a train that would t be part of your split you could end up with a fine.
Some people don’t realise they get a non peak train to say Paddington but come back on a peak train they are then liable for fines.