The Super Duper UK Public Transport Question Thread

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Based on the prices here I'm guessing you're looking at Zone 1-6 travel which is £50.40? So, is she staying somewhere out in Zone 6? That's a long way away!

The simplest way of doing this would be to look at which zone she is staying in and to get a 7-day travelcard between that zone and zone 1. As you have noticed it could be cheaper on pay as you go, but it depends on having details of her planned travel habits to work out if the price cap applies:

- How many journeys is she going to need to do?
- Will the journeys be spread evenly through the trip or will there be some days with lots of journeys and some days with very few?
- Are all the journeys going to be between the same zones or will there be a long journey into town and a long journey out each day?
- Will the journeys be peak or off peak?

BTW, if you do just get a 7-day travelcard you can get it as a paper ticket from National Rail stations... I assume you use the FastTicket machine.

Reply 101

somegirl33

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/farefinder/fullSearch

its a fare finder but i dunno how to specfiy i want a return ticket, anyone help?

Like this?

Original post by somegirl33

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/farefinder/fullSearch

its a fare finder but i dunno how to specfiy i want a return ticket, anyone help?

when you're selecting your ticket there should be a drop down menu so you can select your ticket type - select return.

or add the return journey separately by clicking "add return journey" on the first page. It may work out cheaper to do this.

Reply 104

33202

The 'cheapest fare finder' is pathetic on National Rail, use the normal journey planner.

Reply 105

olympus123456

Hi , Can anyone tell me the best cheapest way to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh ? I will be carrying luggage.

Reply 106

33202

A quick search for trains gives £6 return with Cross Country Trains only.

What are you dates/times and do you have a railcard?

Reply 107

moregano

Original post by olympus123456

Hi , Can anyone tell me the best cheapest way to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh ? I will be carrying luggage.

Megabus is very cheap and it only takes an hour or so. Alternatively just get the train from Queen Street, First Scotrail don't do advance tickets and there's not much point booking online with another company as they don't tend to be any cheaper and it's less flexible than being able to just turn up and get on the first train leaving.

Reply 108

olympus123456

Original post by moregano

Thank you.

Reply 109

33202

Original post by moregano

another company as they don't tend to be any cheaper

While online booking isn't cheaper, Cross Country trains only ticket from Glasgow Central-Edinburgh is £6, while Scot Rail Glasgow Queen Street-Edinburgh is £11.

That said, you can go by megabus for £3.50 if you book online in advance.

Reply 110

Zidane

Hi all.

What's the best way to travel to Glasgow form London (Heathrow Airport)..

I'm not a big fan of buses/coaches..as you cant get up and have to to sit still etc..

So i'd rather go by train.

Any suggestions on how i can get to Glasgow cheap and direct without any stops?

Thanks!

Reply 111

Drewski

Nonstop train from Heathrow Airport is impossible.

Why not fly? It would probably end up just as cheap.

Reply 112

jameswhughes

Flying would be fastest, and probably cheaper than catching the train-however if you do want to go by train you'll have to go to Euston first, then you can get direct trains to Glasgow there :smile:

Booking tickets in advance direct from the Virgin website will be cheaper than buying the tickets on the day, also.

Reply 113

DMed

There's no direct train to Heathrow, so you can either fly down to the airport (probably won't cost that much more if you're booked on a flight out from Heathrow), or get a train into London (either Kings Cross or Euston) and then make your way to the airport by tube or bus.

You can get some cheap train tickets down to London (check Virgin Trains or East Coast Trains) and then get a single down to the airport

Reply 114

TheUnbeliever

one then don't expect to get a great deal of sleep as it's pretty stop-start with people getting on and making noise, or stopping in odd places to switch drivers. If you like people-watching, though, it's pretty darned good! :laugh:

It might not be so bad if you're getting off earlier (all the way to Aberdeen is just shy of 13 hours) as you can always nap on arrival. It's also likely to be the cheapest, and would be the easiest with luggage if it weren't for the inevitable train journey to Victoria.

Direct train isn't possible, as mentioned. Train and plane prices will be pretty similar, especially if you don't have a railcard. You'll probably have to pay to check luggage flying, which will bump the price up a little, but I think it's probably worth the hugely decreased hassle.

Reply 115

ultimate mashup

Air from Glasgow airport to heathrow

Reply 116

Zidane

Original post by Drewski

Nonstop train from Heathrow Airport is impossible.

Why not fly? It would probably end up just as cheap.

Umm...yeah but im not sure how cheap it can actually be...can you quote a cheap price range that i can get? And at what airlines?

Flying would be fastest, and probably cheaper than catching the train-however if you do want to go by train you'll have to go to Euston first, then you can get direct trains to Glasgow there Booking tickets in advance direct from the Virgin website will be cheaper than buying the tickets on the day, also.

I want to go by train..i'd prefer it over flying. Im an international and would love to do some nature/sight seeing :P. Ok..you're saying that i go to Euston first (i'll probably need to book a train beforehand online though wont i?) Virgin website?

What do you mean by without any stops? Cause there is no train at all that will go from Glasgow to London without stopping anywhere! Or do you mean stops as in having to change trains? Obviously flying is the quickest way, and if you shop around might also be quite cheap

What time do you have to be by Heathrow by? My friend recently travelled from Glasgow to Heathrow (she had to be there I think by 11am) so she took an overnight coach. You said you're not a fan of busses, neither is she but she said it was fine, she just took a neck pillow and a blanket and obviously slept nearly most of the journey. I think it left Glasgow at about 11pm and arrived around 7-8 am. I'm not sure how she got from the bus station to Heathrow, I presume just another bus from there but the Picadilly Tube Line also takes you to Heathrow. Definitely worth considering because it can cost very little if you book in advance!

Yes, by without any stops, i mean that i dont want to have to switch trains.
Hmmmm...Thanks...i guess i need to see the schedules of these trains online then. I just dont know all the places and everything since its going to be my first time in the UK.

I've taken the 2345 Megabus from London to Aberdeen a few times - it's the same service, and stops in Glasgow. They normally take at least some folks onto a second bus that goes non-stop to Glasgow, though. It's pretty grim, and if you're on the non-non-stop one then don't expect to get a great deal of sleep as it's pretty stop-start with people getting on and making noise, or stopping in odd places to switch drivers. If you like people-watching, though, it's pretty darned good! It might not be so bad if you're getting off earlier (all the way to Aberdeen is just shy of 13 hours) as you can always nap on arrival. It's also likely to be the cheapest, and would be the easiest with luggage if it weren't for the inevitable train journey to Victoria.

Direct train isn't possible, as mentioned. Train and plane prices will be pretty similar, especially if you don't have a railcard. You'll probably have to pay to check luggage flying, which will bump the price up a little, but I think it's probably worth the hugely decreased hassle.

Hmm...that doesnt really sound very conforting :P

Reply 117

Zidane

And guys..if i consider flying to Glasgow from Heathrow...which airlines would you recommend? and please state a cheap price range and tell me how many days before do i need to book a flight for me not to be ripped off..

Thanks alot for your help!

Reply 118

jameswhughes

Original post by Zidane

From what I've found British Airways is the only airline to do this route, you'd have to look at their website for best prices-I don't know how early you should book, but usually the earlier, the better.

If you're flying into Heathrow with British Airways this should work out ok, for the majority of their flights you won't have to leave Terminal 5.

Reply 119

TheUnbeliever

Original post by Zidane

Bah, accidentally closed the window and lost the first version of this post...

You haven't said exactly when you're planning to make this journey, but looking on SkyScanner for flights a month from now, it does look like your only option is BA, and the prices are in a pretty even spread from £70-120. Those prices won't include e.g. charges for checked luggage if BA do that, I don't know if they do.

For train, you probably want to look at East Coast or Virgin. East Coast gave two fairly early (pre-9AM) trains at just under £50 and just under £60, but the rest were sitting at £135. Virgin gave a fair few at £70. Again, this is for a month from now.

In both the case of the train and plane, you want to book as far in advance as possible. You'll find flying varies quite a bit if you can be flexible on your dates (I don't know if you've already booked flights to LHR) and that the trains are ideally booked more than a month in advance (although sometimes the cheapest tickets are actually available for a 'window' - from a couple weeks after they're first available, until about 6 weeks until they're valid).

Hope this helps.