LNER

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FishofContemplation

Well-known member
Just had an email informing me that LNER is knocking off peak returns on the head. A massive loss of flexibility for most normal travellers.

I’m not usually a rampant champion of capitalism. But I don’t get the nostalgia for British Rail. It was *****. It’s got immeasurably better since the nineties. This is a step back. A big one.
 
In theory, they are cutting the price of singles, so you can buy two singles and not be worse off.

In practice, I'm not so optimistic.
 
clay said:
In theory, they are cutting the price of singles, so you can buy two singles and not be worse off.

In practice, I'm not so optimistic.
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Rightly so. I've checked the cost of a return journey I make regularly using a super off-peak return. It currently costs £88.60. When the changes take place in June I will have to use two super off-peak singles. These will cost £46.10 each or a total cost of £92.10 so that's an increase of £3.50 and for that I have to make two bookings instead of one. The same return journey before the recent annual price increase cost £83.65.
 
Yes but it does offer more flexibility. If you knew you wanted to depart on a specific train but wasn't sure of your return you can buy an advance single to depart but get an open flexible ticket for the returning single. Cheaper than having to buy a flexible return ticket covering both legs.
 
But that's something different. It's going to cost me £3.60 more for me to do what I want to do. And I'm going to have to buy two tickets instead of one.
 
under British Rail, it was always 10% of the price for a return.

so if it cost £35 to go from London to Inverness, the return price was £38.50


the last year of British Rail - the government subsidy was £990 Million - that was for all infrastructure, both Traffic and Engineering. All wages and pension contributions, hotels, ports, research, materials - the entire kit and caboodle - quite remarkable even allowing for inflation to the subsidy today and its supposed to be 'private' with shareholders - absolute scandal its been.


the change in prices now is nothing short of Permanant Way robbery. 🚂🚂🚈🚈🚂
 
CommanderComcast said:
Yes but it does offer more flexibility. If you knew you wanted to depart on a specific train but wasn't sure of your return you can buy an advance single to depart but get an open flexible ticket for the returning single. Cheaper than having to buy a flexible return ticket covering both legs.
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Are you sure? Pretty certain an “open one-way single” cost peanuts less than an open off-peak return.
 
atypical_boro said:
Are you sure? Pretty certain an “open one-way single” cost peanuts less than an open off-peak return.
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This is what is changing. From June, there will be only single tickets available. They expect you to think that the off-peak single will cost half what an off-peak return cost. In fact two off-peak singles to replace an off-peak return will cost slightly more than the off-peak return - to the tune of £3.60 in the example I gave above.
 
Capybara said:
Rightly so. I've checked the cost of a return journey I make regularly using a super off-peak return. It currently costs £88.60. When the changes take place in June I will have to use two super off-peak singles. These will cost £46.10 each or a total cost of £92.10 so that's an increase of £3.50 and for that I have to make two bookings instead of one. The same return journey before the recent annual price increase cost £83.65.
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And if one leg has a 2hr delay, you'll only get back Delay Repay worth £46.10 rather than £83.65
 
Capybara said:
This is what is changing. From June, there will be only single tickets available. They expect you to think that the off-peak single will cost half what an off-peak return cost. In fact two off-peak singles to replace an off-peak return will cost slightly more than the off-peak return - to the tune of £3.60 in the example I gave above.
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Ah I see now. So basically it’s yet another price hike.
 
Barclaycard is offering 15% cashback when traveling on LNER anywhere in the country. All you need to do is turn on the Cashback Rewards and book your tickets using your Barclaycard.
 
Capybara said:
This is what is changing. From June, there will be only single tickets available. They expect you to think that the off-peak single will cost half what an off-peak return cost. In fact two off-peak singles to replace an off-peak return will cost slightly more than the off-peak return - to the tune of £3.60 in the example I gave above.
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And it’s much less flexible. The return portion of an off peak return is valid for a month and allows a break of journey. Something I have used not infrequently to do trips that effectively have three legs to them. The single requires you to choose your return day and do it in a day.

Off peak returns could be a really useful intermediate between the rigidity of advance singles and the extortion of peak returns. I used them a lot and I’ll be making fewer journeys in consequence I’m sure.
 
FishofContemplation said:
And it’s much less flexible. The return portion of an off peak return is valid for a month and allows a break of journey. Something I have used not infrequently to do trips that effectively have three legs to them. The single requires you to choose your return day and do it in a day.

Off peak returns could be a really useful intermediate between the rigidity of advance singles and the extortion of peak returns. I used them a lot and I’ll be making fewer journeys in consequence I’m sure.
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Good point about breaking the return journey. In my example above I've opted to stay in Peterborough for a night on the way back and it's added another £2.95 to the cost.
 
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