London-Swansea split?

[londonbridge]

What's the best station to split at to try and get cheaper fares from London-Swansea?

 

[LexyBoy]

What's the best station to split at to try and get cheaper fares from London-Swansea?

Didcot is the traditional choice, especially if you're returning in the evening peak as there are no restrictions west of Didcot. I'm sure Flamingo will be along to remind you to make sure you're on a train which stops there!

As usual, more details would be nice- times, dates, railcards, Advance tix or not...

 

[yorkie]

What's the best station to split at to try and get cheaper fares from London-Swansea?

Didcot can be good, but the train must call there (unless you have a season ticket being used as part of the combination under Condition 19).

Use a WebTIS website (e.g. EC, LM etc) and click the info (i) button next to the itinerary you want, then tick 'show all calling points', this shows the places where you could "split" the journey into a combination of tickets (note the train must call on the return journey too).

Note that if you want to return a different day, then unless singles are sensibly priced (unlikely in the case of shorter distance singles) it will not be cheaper to split at stations where only Off Peak / Anytime Day Return tickets are available. Therefore, you can generally only look at longer distance tickets (where SVRs exist) to combine.

"Splitting" isn't the only way to reduce the cost. You can look at Routeing Guide anomalies by looking for 'over-distance' tickets which you can then start/finish short, though ATOC and some TOCs are keen to remove such anomalies so if they get mentioned here that can mean the end of them.

Travelling at "peak" times can be reduced by purchasing tickets with more favourable restrictions and either splitting and/or starting/finishing short. Again, some TOCs do not like this and can take action.
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Didcot is the traditional choice, especially if you're returning in the evening peak as there are no restrictions west of Didcot. I'm sure Flamingo will be along to remind you to make sure you're on a train which stops there!

Indeed, and if caught by Flamingo (or any other guard who enforces the conditions!) you would be charged. The amount charged would depend on how co-operative you are!

As usual, more details would be nice- times, dates, railcards, Advance tix or not...

Without this information all we can do is give very basic advice advising people to check where the train they wish to catch calls, and look at splitting at those stations, but as you say Didcot is often a good place to split for Great Western journeys.

 

[londonbridge]

27th August. Wasn't planning to go but been offered a spare ticket for the match! Not sure where Swansea's ground is in relation to the station so arrive before 3pm and depart after 5pm allowing transfer time between the station and the ground. No railcard. All routes considered. Cheapest combo I can see at the moment is £47.50 and that involves an advance on the 19.54 which doesn't get back to Paddington till midnight 30!

 

[yorkie]

Ah, it's for a football game, in which case the cheap Advance tickets will all have sold out! The price isn't going to be cheap then.

The cheapest walk-on ticket will be a London Terminals to Swansea Route Warminster-Salisbury, this is for a much slower route than the FGW High Speed route. The cost is £51.10 for an Off Peak Return. On the plus side, if you are based near London Bridge, it does mean you don't have to pay to get over to Paddington, as you can simply change at Waterloo/Waterloo East.

 

[Greenback]

27th August. Wasn't planning to go but been offered a spare ticket for the match! Not sure where Swansea's ground is in relation to the station so arrive before 3pm and depart after 5pm allowing transfer time between the station and the ground. No railcard. All routes considered. Cheapest combo I can see at the moment is £47.50 and that involves an advance on the 19.54 which doesn't get back to Paddington till midnight 30!

You can walk to the ground from the station, but I wouldn't recommend it. It would take about 25 minutes going via Prince of Wales Road, across a footbridge and along Neath Road until you get to Landore. You will see the stadium from the train when you cross the Landore viaduct, but you have to go into Swansea and then out again. If you do want walkign directions, feel free to PM me.

There are bendy buses (service 4) from the station, but in my experience these are pretty busy when there is a match on. The non bendy buses might be a better bet, or a taxi if there' s a few of you.

As a bit of an aside, Swansea - London is one of the first splits I learnt! Travelling at peak time it was better to buy the old Supersaver to Swindon and then get an unrestricted from there (not so many trains called at Didcot in those days). Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any splits that will make Saturday travel any cheaper.

 

[MikeWh]

Ah, it's for a football game, in which case the cheap Advance tickets will all have sold out! The price isn't going to be cheap then.

Cheap advance tickets from Sunderland to Swansea may well have sold out, but I wouldn't think there are that many Sunderland fans in London. Those that there are may well be organising a coach. I wouldn't rule out some cheap advances still being available, though they may not last long.

 

[londonbridge]

Er,the London branch of the supporters association has nearly five hundred members (of which I'm one). For home games we have a deal with Grand Central and there's anywhere between ten and forty of us travel up for the match. However the travel officer doesn't always arrange a group trip for away games due to problems negotiating with some of the other TOCs

 

[firespire]

If you know other fans going have you looked into getting together for a groupsave ticket?

Regarding Bus to the stadium it says here
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr05718cc5d74d829a3c4f7fee0b8b6e/details.html
it is free to Football events with a through ticket to Liberty Stadium - Swansea. Not sure how easy this is to get this but on my old version of Avantix Traveller there is a fare for SWANSEA to LIBERTY STDM BUS priced at 5p return maybe you have to ask to add this on when you buy.

Other option to use bus if you were travelling alone (not groupsave) you may look into splitting at Newport and get the FirstBus & RailCard - South Wales for £10
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr6cb73fc35ce74101be3858a43d74ac/details.html
Allowing travel on First Trains and Buses and says available from a First Great Western train manager.

 

[Flamingo]

Thing to remember about the Didcot split is that all the weekday daytime trains to Swansea don't stop at Didcot, only the Cardiff ones do.

The Salisbury route is cheaper, but a lot slower. It's not realistically a runner.

Try splitting Advance tickets at BPW, or Advance to Bri and then Bri-Swa

The walk isn't that bad, I did it in the snow last year (for Rugby, I hasten to add). Taxi is quite cheap, it was less than £10 for 5 of us (I think) on the way out to the game.
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Other option to use bus if you were travelling alone (not groupsave) you may look into splitting at Newport and get the FirstBus & RailCard - South Wales for £10
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr6cb73fc35ce74101be3858a43d74ac/details.html
Allowing travel on First Trains and Buses and says available from a First Great Western train manager.

I'm not sure I would know how to sell that! Buy it from the booking office, if I was you, I suspect most TM's would go "Huh?"

Edited to add: You all make me sound like an ogre! I'm a pussycat really!!!!

 

[anthony263]

the FTR services from Swansea station can be very busy when there is a match at the liberty stadium. Best bet is to catch first cymru service 120, 125 outside teh station which go via Morriston bus serve the liberty stadium. There is also the SWT service 142 which isnt very frequent but you can travel on any bus using the swansea plusbus.

First cymru do try to put a double decker on servie 120 which should help with the fans

 

[bb21]

I'm not sure I would know how to sell that! Buy it from the booking office, if I was you, I suspect most TM's would go "Huh?"

Avantix gives this:

Swansea - FIRSTBUSRCARD (I110)
SVB £43.00 (Weekly)
1BR £10.00 (Individual)
ODF £20.00 (Family)

Can be issued from stations within the validity area, such as Cardiff, Newport, Bridgend, etc.

At least it hasn't been named in an obscure way.

Edited to add: You all make me sound like an ogre! I'm a pussycat really!!!!

Well we've not met you so we don't really know. Turn up to a meet and we'll find out.

 

[LexyBoy]

Well we've not met you so we don't really know. Turn up to a meat and we'll find out.

*Flamingo's eyes light up at the prospect of tasty raw flesh*

...Flamingo, if you meant me, you always seen very reasonable! Just noticed that the Didcot split is a little bugbear of yours Do you usually work Swansea trains then?

 

[bb21]

*Flamingo's eyes light up at the prospect of tasty raw flesh*

Yes, err, post corrected.

 

[Flamingo]

Well, Bristol and Swansea trains both have the Didcot split on them. I don't mind people splitting at Didcot, but if the train doesn't call there, then it's not valid.

I think I've probably become less tolerant of people abusing it over the years as a result of the amount of abuse I have taken from people who are on trains that don't stop there, despite me making several announcements that the ticket is not valid, and giving them every opportunity to adhere to the T&C they signed up for when they bought the ticket.

"Nobody else ever charges me" is not a valid excuse, and I feel is not fair on the passengers who have paid extra for the tickets that are valid for the faster/more frequent trains.

 

[bb21]

"Nobody else ever charges me" is not a valid excuse, and I feel is not fair on the passengers who have paid extra for the tickets that are valid for the faster/more frequent trains.

Your reply could be "so that will be at least twice the amount due then sir/madam seeing that you have done it before at least once and not paid" and watch them stew.

 

[Flamingo]

I have done that before now - the off-peak is £14.50, the anytime (which I'm supposed to charge)is £30, if it's someone I recognise as being a slow learner as I've charged them before, it's £30, not £14.50.

 

[island]

I have done that before now - the off-peak is £14.50, the anytime (which I'm supposed to charge)is £30, if it's someone I recognise as being a slow learner as I've charged them before, it's £30, not £14.50.

Do they get an SSS (£12.10) if they're really nice to you?

 

[Flamingo]

Only if it's appropriate to the time of day! It's usually later than that I'm leaving London. I don't think I've ever had one "daytime".

There is a direct Swindon-Pad (05.58 from Swansea) in the mornings, then it's an anytime ticket from Swindon from Paddington (Last stop to next stop).

 

[bnm]

There is a direct Swindon-Pad (08.00 from Swansea) in the mornings, then it's an anytime ticket from Swindon from Paddington (Last stop to next stop).

Do you mean the 0558 from Swansea, 0758 from Swindon?

 

[Flamingo]

Yes, sorry, just realised I hit the wrong key, I meant to say 06.00. The Swansea departures used to be on the hour and/or half past, most staff still think of them as the 04.00 or 09.30 even though they are now XX58 or XX28.