The Super Duper UK Public Transport Question Thread

Anytime, that's what I'm here for

Hey Ferdinand,

I've just tried to book in advance, and I got one date that was £27 in total. The rest are £20.15 both ways. Does this seem reasonable? All the way up to mid September.

I'm absolutely useless at buying train tickets online and have no idea how this is all done - have always relied on others to do this for me . Anyway have a simple question, I was looking for some tickets from London to other parts of the UK and I was just wondering how do you actually get hold of the ticket after paying for it?

because I see you can buy tickets as late as a day or two before the departure time, so obviously according to that, they can't send them to you, as theres not enough time.

You choose the option to pick it up at the station you are travelling from (at a self service machine) with the card used to book online.

For example- You book tickets on the First Great Western website to go from Paddington to Oxford with a Visa debit card. You select the option to collect your ticket. In order to do so, you must turn up at Paddington Station with the exact Visa debit card used to book the ticket, go to a self service machine and put the card in, follow the instructions and it finds the tickets which it then prints out for you.

Oh I see, thanks

You choose the option to pick it up at the station you are travelling from (at a self service machine) with the card used to book online.

For example- You book tickets on the First Great Western website to go from Paddington to Oxford with a Visa debit card. You select the option to collect your ticket. In order to do so, you must turn up at Paddington Station with the exact Visa debit card used to book the ticket, go to a self service machine and put the card in, follow the instructions and it finds the tickets which it then prints out for you.

Sorry, just a few questions (if they're not too taxing):

- Should I use the national rail website, or the websites of individual train companies like west midlands? (is there any difference)

- I thought return tickets were supposed to be cheaper than buying two singles, but on the nationalrail website, one set of return ticket cost £149, whereas the equivalent two singles cost £48,

- Whats a reasonable or cheapest price for this trip:

Leaving london on Thursday early morning (05:00 - 07:00) and arriving at Birmingham before 09:30. Then for the return part, leaving Birmingham on Friday anywhere between 12:00 - 13:00, and arriving in London at before 2:30.

I searched for this, and got some pretty wide results, ranging from £44 to £149.

In regards to your first point, two singles is nearly always cheaper.As for your second, I can't help as to waht a reasonable price is, but I know it does depend on factors such as how far in advance you book (you should book a month in advance for the best prices) and whether or not you have a railcard.

Wow I never knew that, why is this the case?

and why would anyone choose to buy a return over two singles, its not like you've got to go through extra hassle or anything like that, rigght?

Sorry, just a few questions (if they're not too taxing):

- Should I use the national rail website, or the websites of individual train companies like west midlands? (is there any difference)

- I thought return tickets were supposed to be cheaper than buying two singles, but on the nationalrail website, one set of return ticket cost £149, whereas the equivalent two singles cost £48,

- Whats a reasonable or cheapest price for this trip:

Leaving london on Thursday early morning (05:00 - 07:00) and arriving at Birmingham before 09:30. Then for the return part, leaving Birmingham on Friday anywhere between 12:00 - 13:00, and arriving in London at before 2:30.

I searched for this, and got some pretty wide results, ranging from £44 to £149.

Whatttt! £149! It costs me £21 for a return from Yorkshire to London. I bought myself a 16-24 railcard for £25 and save over £100 every time I travel to London! I loveee it!

I use trainline.com and find that the best, I used to use other ones but I always found they just ignored my seating requests where as trainline doesn't.

Whatttt! £149! It costs me £21 for a return from Yorkshire to London. I bought myself a 16-24 railcard for £25 and save over £100 every time I travel to London! I loveee it!

I use trainline.com and find that the best, I used to use other ones but I always found they just ignored my seating requests where as trainline doesn't.

EDIT: I just looked and saw a return for £33 From London to Birmingham

PM me which station and i'll find you the cheapest tickets I can.

Stations are: London Euston and Birmingham New Street.

TBH I don't mind which station in London I set off from, but I hear Euston is the one where trains go to Birmingham.

and I'll check out trainlines website now to see how it is

From London Euston to Birmingham new street -

Depart 05.30
Arrive 8.03

£6

Birmingham - London

Depart 11.53
Arrive 14.17

£17.90

Not sure why the next day return is so expensive but its still reasonable.

Yeah its reasonable, but if you take into account that both legs of the whole trip take twice as long as it should (normally it should take 1hr 20mins from birm-london and vice versa), I'd say its alright.

Still, I find it slightly surprising how much more you have to pay if you deviated slightly from those departure times. Take the 11:53 you've given me, the other times around it cost more than double the amount it costs

btw, do yoiu think its probably more convinient if I just turn up and buy it at the station (before or on the actual day)