One for the railway heads

[gap74]

Shuggy - in my experience, search the week before and the week after the 12 week figure - the advance fares rarely seem to go on sale bang on the right date. Indeed, I think I once had to wait till 10 weeks before for some reason!

Also, it's worth searching for tickets for the different legs of your journey separately rather than as one whole through ticket. If you're really keen to save, maybe even try splitting your ticket for a single leg (e.g. Instead of Glasgow to Euston, try Glasgow to Preston then Preston to Euston). You'll be on the same train, but you'll have two tickets for the journey. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't - but I've saved hefty amounts when it has (and spent hours with pencils and paper in front of the National Rail website!).

Finally, don't book through sites like Trainline - they charge fees. This usually isn't the case if you book through a rail company's own website - and they generally have a free pick-up option from the self-serve machines in most stations in Britain. You even occasionally even save another couple of quid if you book through the website of the train company you're travelling with.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Try this. http://uk.megabus.com/

Enter Glasgow and Preston and select TRAIN under Travelling By.

Single tickets range from a pound to seven pounds on a few trains.

Book via Virgin or who ever from Preston to London. Use Chrome Incognito to refresh your browser as these databases track your enquiries and you may see a few bargains disappear before booking.

[Josef]

Ta, Dex.

[The Egg Man]

Does anyone have any insights re savings to be made by using a Disabled Persons Railcard as opposed to a National Entitlement Card or vice versa for rail journeys?

I imagine there's a fairly straightforward rule of thumb about this but if anyone knows for sure, I'd be delighted to hear about it.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Your Neet Pass may get you a discount on train fares in your Passenger Transport area

Local authorities that currently have concessionary rail schemes are:

Angus Your Entitlement Card will also allow you cheaper fares on First ScotRail trains locally within Angus and to/from Dundee. Please note that any companions will have to pay the full fare.

Fife discounted rail travel between any two Fife stations for 50p per single journey and also means your companion can accompany you for half fare between any two rail stations in Fife

West Lothian http://www.westlothian.gov.uk/media/downloaddoc/1799594/1852483/rail_concessions

East Lothian are not saying what you get

Edinburgh City does not have rail services but you will be able to travel on the trams for free

Highland residents of Highland enjoy half fare travel on train journeys within Highland.

Falkirk Half-fare between stations within the Falkirk Council area, i.e. Falkirk High, Falkirk Grahamston, Camelon, Polmont and Larbert

Strathclyde All concessionary rail journeys have to start and end at a station inside the Strathclyde scheme’s boundaries.

For journeys of 10 miles or less within the Strathclyde area, the basic concessionary fare is 90p single and £1.30 return.

Half the standard fare is charged for journeys over 10 miles.

Argyll and Bute The card also allows people who live in the area covered by Strathclyde's Concessionary Travel Scheme (which includes Argyll & Bute), to get cheaper fares on First ScotRail trains and the Glasgow Subway within the area covered by the Strathclyde Scheme.

A NEET Card may offer a bigger discount than the 1/3 off which a Disabled Persons Railcard gets you but the DPR card covers the whole of the UK. Thats as about straightforward as I can get. Contact your local authority

http://www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk/

[InkMan]

Thanks to Gary and Dex,

I was more concerned about missing a date and having to pay more but you both have given me the opportunity to save hard earned cash so really appreciated and I will buy you both a couple of pints should we meet.

Am on Nightshifts just now; hence the time of my belated epistle, otherwise I would have acknowledged your help much earlier. Apologies for any offence.

Shuggy

[The Egg Man]

............

Strathclyde All concessionary rail journeys have to start and end at a station inside the Strathclyde scheme’s boundaries.

For journeys of 10 miles or less within the Strathclyde area, the basic concessionary fare is 90p single and £1.30 return.

Half the standard fare is charged for journeys over 10 miles.

.....................

Thanks but it's stuff like this which (I suspect) is designed to deliberately complicate/ confuse matters.

Is it better, for example, to go for a 'half the standard fare is charged for journeys over 10 miles' or buy an off peak return (or two singles) without any sort of auld bastard discount?

[tobester]

............

Strathclyde All concessionary rail journeys have to start and end at a station inside the Strathclyde scheme’s boundaries.

For journeys of 10 miles or less within the Strathclyde area, the basic concessionary fare is 90p single and £1.30 return.

Half the standard fare is charged for journeys over 10 miles.

.....................

Thanks but it's stuff like this which (I suspect) is designed to deliberately complicate/ confuse matters.

Is it better, for example, to go for a 'half the standard fare is charged for journeys over 10 miles' or buy an off peak return (or two singles) without any sort of auld bastard discount?

Concessions vary from council to council....unless u live in edinburgh, they axed it a few years ago

You find people know the 10mile limit from their station and buy split tickets, SPT hate that and tell us not to do it as they lose money....who gives a shit, if im asked for a split ticket ill sell one

[The Egg Man]

Thanks.

I once turned up at Partick Subway/ Blue Train station with my auld bastard ticket and asked 'what's the cheapest way to get to Helensburgh with this?' The ticket guy said 'take the bus'.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Thanks.

I once turned up at Partick Subway/ Blue Train station with my auld bastard ticket and asked 'what's the cheapest way to get to Helensburgh with this?' The ticket guy said 'take the bus'.

Blunt but accurat. The 1c stops at Merkland street.

[yoker brian]

Thanks.

I once turned up at Partick Subway/ Blue Train station with my auld bastard ticket and asked 'what's the cheapest way to get to Helensburgh with this?' The ticket guy said 'take the bus'.

Blunt but accurat. The 1c stops at Merkland street.

Sorry to correct you Dex, but the closest the 1C gets to Merkland Street is when it passes by on the expressway.

[The Egg Man]

I'm told there are two Glw to Helensburgh bus services.

One takes the Expressway and pretty much heads straight for H'burgh.

The other goes through Partick and almost every housing scheme between the Erskine Bridge turnoff and H'burgh itself. It takes c 3 hours and a packed lunch is provided. Unfortunately toilets are not.

[yoker brian]

I'm told there are two Glw to Helensburgh bus services.

One takes the Expressway and pretty much heads straight for H'burgh.

The other goes through Partick and almost every housing scheme between the Erskine Bridge turnoff and H'burgh itself. It takes c 3 hours and a packed lunch is provided. Unfortunately toilets are not.

TEM - no bus runs between Partick to Helensburgh. All First Glasgow 1A,B,C,D,etc run along Argyle St, Clydeside Expressway Dumbarton Road, to Dumbarton via Yoker, Clydebank Dalmuir Old Kilpatrick, Bowling Dumbarton where depending on final destination Helensburgh / Balloch makes its way around the scheme's.

Exception is First 1C which runs to Drumchapel, via Anniesland Rd, Polnoon Av, Alderman Rd, Duntreath Av, Kinfauns Rd.

No packed lunch or loo's but comfy (for 15 mins) leather seats & free wifi access.

McGills operate a 204X? to be Balloch via Expressway, Dumbarton / Glasgow Rd,Kilbowie Rd, A82 it may operate through schemes in the Vale of Leven.

[tobester]

Thanks.

I once turned up at Partick Subway/ Blue Train station with my auld bastard ticket and asked 'what's the cheapest way to get to Helensburgh with this?' The ticket guy said 'take the bus'.

Whats you local station and if u want ill try to find ur 10mile limit when i get back to work on wed

[The Egg Man]

Either Charing Cross or Partick.

Thanks.