Could I get off the train 1 stop earlier

[Willie Bee]

I am wanting to travel on the Northern Rail service from Newcastle to Prudhoe, but return to Newcastle from Wylam (one stop closer to Newcastle)

Fares for Prudhoe are £6 single, but £6.10 for an off-peak return

Fares for Wylam are £5 single, but £5.10 for an off-peak return

So for my journey, I would be paying £11 total

Could I buy a return to Prudhoe, for £6-10, then just get off the train one stop earlier at Wylam ... then catch the return from Prudhoe ?

A few of us are going and we are planning to have some dinner at Wylam, then walk the 3-4 miles between stations. Both stations are unmanned

 

[JonathanH]

Could I buy a return to Prudhoe, for £6-10, then just get off the train one stop earlier at Wylam ... then catch the return from Prudhoe ?

Yes, so long as the ticket is not an advance fare, starting short is generally fine, and would be in this case on the off-peak day return from Newcastle to Prudhoe.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

As there looks like there might be a group travelling, if it's ten or more, and all travel together, is a group discount possible? Or might the use of the 'Duo' fare (= £9.10 between Newcastle / Prudhoe) prove to be better value?

 

[Willie Bee]

Yes, so long as the ticket is not an advance fare, starting short is generally fine, and would be in this case on the off-peak day return from Newcastle to Prudhoe.

Did you mean 'stopping short' ie at Wylam ?

You say 'is generally fine' .. would there be a possibility of it 'not being fine'

As there looks like there might be a group travelling, if it's ten or more, and all travel together, is a group discount possible? Or might the use of the 'Duo' fare (= £9.10 between Newcastle / Prudhoe) prove to be better value?

sadly, only 4 travelling, but thanks anyway for your reply

 

[Mcr Warrior]

sadly, only 4 travelling, but thanks anyway for your reply

2 x £9.10 'Duo' tickets (= £18.20) for four people is still cheaper than 4 x £6.10 Off Peak Day Returns (= £24.40).

 

[Willie Bee]

2 x £9.10 'Duo' tickets (= £18.20) for four people is still cheaper than 4 x £6.10 Off Peak Day Returns (= £24.40).

that's great, but my original question was just to make sure I could get off the train early without any problems.. don't really see how, as the station is unmanned .. well, at least that's what I've been told

 

[Mcr Warrior]

that's great, but my original question was just to make sure I could get off the train early without any problems.. don't really see how, as the station is unmanned .. well, at least that's what I've been told

Thought your question was whether, on your return journey, it was o.k. to board at Wylam, a station which is one stop closer back towards Newcastle than the one where you are all planning to travel to on your outward journey, i.e. Prudhoe.

@JonathanH has already answered the question as to whether this would be o.k.

I've merely mentioned how you can potentially save some ££ without needing to purchase day singles or advance tickets.

 

[mangyiscute]

In general, if you buy an advance ticket (one valid only on a specific train) you cannot either start your journey at a later station or finish at an earlier station, but if you have an anytime or off peak ticket you can do either of these things. (As always there are exceptions but this is a good rule to stick by for the most part)
Therefore, you can start your return at Wylam

 

[Tester]

The OP wants to be confident that the planned journey is in order, therefore something definitive is required.

BRFares information for the planned ticket confirms that there is no restriction on doing as planned. If there was one, it would be shown there.

BRFares is a very useful resource.

 

[Watershed]

Did you mean 'stopping short' ie at Wylam ?

You say 'is generally fine' .. would there be a possibility of it 'not being fine'

Break of journey (BoJ - which includes starting late or finishing short) is permitted by default on walk-up tickets (such as Anytime or Off-Peak). It's prohibited for a small number of Off-Peak tickets, by virtue of a restriction shown in the restriction code text (e.g. see restriction code 8A), but this is very much the exception to the rule.

As you can see on BR Fares, a Newcastle to Prudhoe Off-Peak Day Return has restriction code B3 and the Duo fare has restriction code NU. Neither of these restriction codes have any limitation BoJ - they both just limit you to travelling after 08:59 - so you are absolutely fine to buy one of these and then start your return journey late at Wylam.

As you note, neither station is barriered and so even if there were a BoJ restriction (as there is on Advance tickets, for instance) you wouldn't be physically prevented from getting on or off the train, nor is it really possible to stop people from stopping short through onboard checks (for obvious reasons). However, if you start late at an intermediate station, it's reasonably likely that any member of onboard staff such as the conductor would be aware of this - and so if they are checking tickets, they would know that you had started late. If you were using an Advance in this way, they might therefore charge you the excess to the walk-up fare.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@Willie Bee. Trust the various replies haven't overcomplicated what was actually a fairly straightforward question!

 

[Willie Bee]

@Willie Bee. Trust the various replies haven't overcomplicated what was actually a fairly straightforward question!

yes thanks ..

I think I got the gist of it .. stopping early (Wylam) shouldn't be a problem, but starting late could be, or indeed would be.

 

[Haywain]

starting late could be, or indeed would be.

Only with Advance tickets. With pretty much anything else it's not a problem.

 

[Tester]

yes thanks ..

I think I got the gist of it .. stopping early (Wylam) shouldn't be a problem, but starting late could be, or indeed would be.

Specifically with the tickets being discussed here, not a problem.

 

[mangyiscute]

yes thanks ..

I think I got the gist of it .. stopping early (Wylam) shouldn't be a problem, but starting late could be, or indeed would be.

To be completely clear, stopping early or starting late with your ticket is a perfectly fine thing to do and 100% accepted by the rules

 

[Willie Bee]

To be completely clear, stopping early or starting late with your ticket is a perfectly fine thing to do and 100% accepted by the rules

Thank you

 

[SouthEastBuses]

It's absolutely fine to stop short or start later in the journey (as long as it's not an advance ticket, or it doesn't have break of journey restrictions). I do it all the time.

Break of journey (BoJ - which includes starting late or finishing short) is permitted by default on walk-up tickets (such as Anytime or Off-Peak). It's prohibited for a small number of Off-Peak tickets, by virtue of a restriction shown in the restriction code text (e.g. see restriction code 8A), but this is very much the exception to the rule.

Restriction code 8A is used on Off Peak SVR TfW tickets, such as from Birmingham New Street to Pwllheli, or Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury.

It's a confusing one really - no time restrictions for an off peak ticket but no break of journey allowed.