London Banter - View Single Post - Through ticketing from tube to rail [part 2]

[email protected] · March 1st 10, 11:44 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at
10:49:16 on Mon, 1 Mar 2010, remarked:
VT sell through Advance tickets with reservations only on their
services, e.g. Cambridge to Selly Oak.

Huh? Since when did VT have a through service on that route...

There's a VWC *and connections* ticket though.

The ticket they sell is an Advance from Cambridge to Selly Oak. You
can't buy a Cross-Country Advance from Cambridge to Selly Oak.

XC don't call at Selly Oak, do they?

Neither do Virgin Trains!

Do keep up, Roland. XC have been making much of how many of their
passengers in particular travel on other TOCs trains as well as theirs -
and that they run no stations, not even the ones (like between
Peterborough and Leicester exclusive) called at by no other TOC. So
offering significantly fewer off-network Advance fares than other TOCs is
self-defeating, especially where other TOCs are an option, as with
Cambridge-Selly Oak.

The Cross Country
MD recognised when i saw him recently that wasn't too clever. ;-)

You have to split the ticketing at New St.

Not with Virgin who charge the same fare to Selly Oak as to New St. I
should perhaps have mentioned that detail earlier.

Virgin's Cambridge - New St Advance fares can be cheaper too, even if you
split your XC fares at Leicester which generally reduces the XC fare from
£16 to £14 each way. You can get £10 or £11 from Virgin if you pick the
right time.

Like I said, XC realise this is a bit sub-optimal now.

--
Colin Rosenstiel