[CMOTD]

I am fortunate in that our small village in the wilds of West Norfolk actually has a station on an electrified mainline - here to London in 1 hour 40 minutes so perfect for a short stay in the capital. First though it is necessary to navigate the weird world of train fares which change by the hour.

Using a tip given to me by a booking clerk, don't buy a ticket to where you actually want to go! I went to London to see a West End show this week. Standard off peak return to King's Cross £55.60. Changed the destination to Dartford on the other side of the river and it dropped to £42.10. So it is cheaper to go much further with two changes of train! You don't actually have to go to Dartford, just get off at King's Cross and ignore the onward journey which is exactly what I did.

Is it me that's crackers or the rest of the world? Nationalised British Rail was by no means perfect but at least you could understand the fare structure.

[Gordon Steadman]

In the words of Paul Merson, "the world has gone mad, MAD"

[GT40Racer]

There must be a mileage discount - the further you go the less you pay 

That is quite odd really. What would be even better is if you told us you got off a KC and the rail clerk told you that you couldn't leave the station because your ticket was for Dartford.

[CMOTD]

That is quite odd really. What would be even better is if you told us you got off a KC and the rail clerk told you that you couldn't leave the station because your ticket was for Dartford.

Wouldn't happen - you need to change stations to continue the journey and walk next door to St Pancras.

Even more bizarre is the realm of split ticketing where you book two or more tickets rather than buying one for your journey. You still travel on the same train without any changes to the normal journey.

For example: Instead of buying a single ticket from Leeds to Glasgow for £120.00, you can save over 50% by buying split tickets from Leeds to Bingley, Bingley to Motherwell, and Motherwell to Glasgow for a total of £53.70. You stay on the same train and don’t have to make additional changes. All perfectly legal but a weird way to run a railway.

[GT40Racer]

wow
that is crazy - has someone written a book on this?

be a handy tip for tourists.

:)
DM