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Great Ticket Sale courtesy of Grant Shapps

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Kite159

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"5. The following travel exclusion dates will apply:
29 April 2022 – 03 May 2022 across all Avanti West Coast Services and 14 May 2022 and 22 May 2022 from London Euston to Liverpool and Manchester only."

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If I'm not mistaken, this mean that during those times there's going to be no fares available (Engineering works / bank holiday / half term) but all other dates are available.
The usual "From" being used. Knowing Avanti the only trains where those headline fares will be found is midweek early morning departures or late night departures (ie 22:00 Euston to Manchester)
 
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JonathanH

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The usual "From" being used. Knowing Avanti the only trains where those headline fares will be found is midweek early morning departures or late night departures (ie 22:00 Euston to Manchester)
Why not if that is where the spare capacity is?

Special offers are there to fill trains that wouldn't otherwise have a good load, not to cannibalise revenue.
 

Starmill

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Why not if that is where the spare capacity is?
This very regularly backfires. Very few people are willing to pay more than £0 for an arrival in Manchester city centre (i.e. probably not whete they live) at past 0100, plus a taxi. Those who are are likely either doing it purely to avoid the expensive hotel rates on that day or really need to be somewhere urgently. As such selling too many bargain basement tickets on those trains is futile, it just results in the small market paying less. Obviously they're never going to be particularly expensive trains, but then, they're also probably never going to reach even 50% load. Frequently they'll run with less than 20% load. Since Covid the changing it around to a combined service to Manchester and to all of the intermediate stations between London and Crewe has obviously helped, but of course it also seriously limits the appeal by making the journey time rather long and the departure time an hour earlier, so as ever it's 'swings and roundabouts'.
 

JonathanH

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To be honest, there was a bit of hyperbole in the comment I was responding to. As you say, there is a fine balance between offers increasing and decreasing revenue.
 

CaptainHaddock

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Why not if that is where the spare capacity is?

Special offers are there to fill trains that wouldn't otherwise have a good load, not to cannibalise revenue.
Not in this case. My understanding is that the purpose of this "Great Ticket Sale" is mainly to encourage people who abandoned the railways over the course of the pandemic to return and to reassure them that rail travel is safe and affordable. You won't do that by only selling cheap tickets at silly times of day.
 
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alistairlees

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Not in this case. My understanding is that the purpose of this "Great Ticket Sale" is mainly to encourage people who abandoned the railways over the course of the pandemic to return and to reassure them that rail travel is safe and affordable. You won't do that by only seeking cheap tickets at silly tines of day.
Correct. It is to encourage a return to train travel by those who have stopped travelling, and also for those who might not normally consider it to do so (ie to win new customers). Naturally the Treasury has said that there should be minimal revenue abstraction from those already travelling. It is, of course, more or less impossible to reconcile the two in the short term, at least.
 

ChrisC

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I’m still travelling by train for longer journeys, travelling to and from holiday destinations, when I go away for a few days. However, since covid I have completely given up on day trips by train. Today is fantastic weather and pre covid I would have been up early and out on my travels. I don’t need reassuring that rail travel is safe and affordable but a few cheap tickets will not currently get me back on the train for days out.

The reason I am not travelling is that my local rail service is still operating at a much reduced frequency resulting in hour long waits for connections near the beginning and end of my journeys. There are still some cancellations and short formed trains, very bad overcrowding with passengers being left behind, especially on Saturdays. There may be some areas of the country where trains are running around carrying fresh air and reduced fares may encourage some people to travel. However, in many parts of the East Midlands and the North, the reduced services that are running are full and often seriously overcrowded. Reduced fares, without pre covid timetables restored, or longer trains, will only make this worse.
 

trover

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It appears that some fares other than Northern’s are unveiled, the discount isn’t bad IMO if the quota isn’t small - e.g. Man Picc. <-> Euston with VT is £23, with LM and AW is just £6.20; Euston <-> Crewe with VT is £14.50, with LM is £4.70. All prices are advance single.
 

alistairlees

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It appears that some fares other than Northern’s are unveiled, the discount isn’t bad IMO if the quota isn’t small - e.g. Man Picc. <-> Euston with VT is £23, with LM and AW is just £6.20; Euston <-> Crewe with VT is £14.50, with LM is £4.70. All prices are advance single.
Are the LNWR / WMT ones on their website? (I would look but have to get off the train I am on in 1 minute)
 

Banham7

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Starts tomorrow and I've noticed BRFares still does not show prices correctly for most operators, e.g. Newcastle-London for £6,598.65 on RailSale Adv 1st seems a bit far fetched
 

Watershed

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Starts tomorrow and I've noticed BRFares still does not show prices correctly for most operators, e.g. Newcastle-London for £6,598.65 on RailSale Adv 1st seems a bit far fetched
"Garbage In, Garbage Out" applies! BR Fares simply shows what's in the industry fares databases. No doubt the fare will be updated overnight if it's intended to be part of the sale.
 

Starmill

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"Garbage In, Garbage Out" applies! BR Fares simply shows what's in the industry fares databases. No doubt the fare will be updated overnight if it's intended to be part of the sale.
Quite. Indeed the £9999.99 fares are showing up on some actual sales points.
 

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Haywain

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BRFares.com is, I believe, updated on a daily basis and will reflect fares that are available to purchase on any given day. So you should see the relevant fares there tomorrow but not today.
 

trover

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Quite. Indeed the £9999.99 fares are showing up on some actual sales points.
It’s £3.70 without railcard

Starts tomorrow and I've noticed BRFares still does not show prices correctly for most operators, e.g. Newcastle-London for £6,598.65 on RailSale Adv 1st seems a bit far fetched
NCL - KGX £42.20 for first, £19.80 for standard
 
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Liam L

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Starts tomorrow and I've noticed BRFares still does not show prices correctly for most operators, e.g. Newcastle-London for £6,598.65 on RailSale Adv 1st seems a bit far fetched

I saw on a website that it’s possibly starts at 10am but not sure how true that is
 

Haywain

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I saw on a website that it’s possibly starts at 10am but not sure how true that is
I believe that the industry is supposed to wait for a ministerial announcement/Tweet. And that it has been rescheduled more than once already.
 

alistairlees

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"Garbage In, Garbage Out" applies! BR Fares simply shows what's in the industry fares databases. No doubt the fare will be updated overnight if it's intended to be part of the sale.
The fare is already updated in industry systems and there will be no further updating tonight.

BRFares shows the fares as if they are purchased today (rather than tomorrow). Both are already in the fares data. From 00.01 tomroow BRFares will show the Rail Sale price (without anything being changed in the data; it is just that the date will have changed).
 

Liam L

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The fare is already updated in industry systems and there will be no further updating tonight.

BRFares shows the fares as if they are purchased today (rather than tomorrow). Both are already in the fares data. From 00.01 tomroow BRFares will show the Rail Sale price (without anything being changed in the data; it is just that the date will have changed).
So I presume they be shown from 00.01 on BRFares but won’t go on sale on tocs websites till 10?
 

wilbers

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its on the BBC news website as well.
The sale is expected to bring some Manchester to Newcastle journeys down to a little over £10, while seats on some London to Edinburgh services will be slashed from £44 to £22.
Discounted tickets will go on sale from Tuesday, with passengers eligible to travel for less on off-peak fares between 25 April and 27 May.
It will not cover journeys made during half-term or the four-day UK bank holiday weekend from 2 to 5 June,
 
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doningtonphil

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Reading various articles that Grant Shapps has launched a rail ticket sale from Tuesday 19th April - for off peak travel.
When exactly will the prices become available on the system?
Is there a list of the specific journeys? Are they just 'headline routes' or are all tickets discounted?
 

Oscar M

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Reading various articles that Grant Shapps has launched a rail ticket sale from Tuesday 19th April - for off peak travel.
When exactly will the prices become available on the system?
Is there a list of the specific journeys? Are they just 'headline routes' or are all tickets discounted?
According to the Ts & Cs it starts at 10am so you'll be able to find ticket availability then.
 

Paul Kelly

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BR Fares shows (and always has done) fares available for travel today. You can't travel on the sale fares until next week so it is unlikely they will appear before then (although of course it depends on how they are set up in the data).
 
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