Rail Staff Travel (RST) online Avoid/Barred

[YorkshireBear]

Hi folks,

Just got access to RST online for booking leisure tickets and I have scoured the FAQs but not found anything.

Why do some services for what appears to be no reason say barred or avoid? It doesn't give any information as to why they are. Seems specific to cross country off peak tickets as far as I can tell so far.

Hoping someone who has used it on here knows a bit more than the FAQs?

As an aside, when were return tickets from Leeds to London removed, all you can get now seems to be singles.

 

[JonathanH]

As an aside, when were return tickets from Leeds to London removed, all you can get now seems to be singles.

That is the single leg pricing pilot which applies to London to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh tickets. Buying tickets to Burley Park (or Finsbury Park), Manors or Haymarket is the usual way round it.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/lner-new-fares-trial.197707/

 

[YorkshireBear]

That is the single leg pricing pilot which applies to London to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh tickets. Buying tickets to Burley Park (or Finsbury Park), Manors or Haymarket is the usual way round it.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/lner-new-fares-trial.197707/

Thanks for the fast reply on that one. Appreciated.

 

[ainsworth74]

Why do some services for what appears to be no reason say barred or avoid? It doesn't give any information as to why they are. Seems specific to cross country off peak tickets as far as I can tell so far.

I think the PDFs with the restrictions in detail usually gives a bit more info?

Where Can I Go and Restrictions

Rail Staff Travel guides for travel in Britain, on Eurostar and in Europe, staff travel restrictions, Travel Irregularities and retirement and redundancy.

www.raildeliverygroup.com

Though even that tends to be "These services are usually extremely busy" but it's better than nothing?

 

[YorkshireBear]

I think the PDFs with the restrictions in detail usually gives a bit more info?

Where Can I Go and Restrictions

Rail Staff Travel guides for travel in Britain, on Eurostar and in Europe, staff travel restrictions, Travel Irregularities and retirement and redundancy.

www.raildeliverygroup.com

Though even that tends to be "These services are usually extremely busy" but it's better than nothing?

Cheers, I missed that one completely, appreciated. Very helpful. Unsuprinsingly the Friday services to Cornwall are busier for the cheaper tickets.

Interestingly the 09:11 Leeds to Plymouth is not shown as avoid, but booking the same train from Sheffield where off-peak becomes valid it says avoid. I wonder if XC just have a blanket, off peak services on Fridays avoid rule.

 

[Watershed]

Hi folks,

Just got access to RST online for booking leisure tickets and I have scoured the FAQs but not found anything.

Why do some services for what appears to be no reason say barred or avoid? It doesn't give any information as to why they are. Seems specific to cross country off peak tickets as far as I can tell so far.

Hoping someone who has used it on here knows a bit more than the FAQs?

As an aside, when were return tickets from Leeds to London removed, all you can get now seems to be singles.

For the December timetable, XC have actually barred the use of staff travel facilities on some of their busier services, as have Hull Trains - see this document, as linked by @ainsworth74:



Perhaps the service you're trying to book is on this list?

I would ignore the 'avoid' list. It's essentially just a heads-up that the train might be busy and so you probably want to get a reservation.

 

[yorkie]

As an aside, when were return tickets from Leeds to London removed, all you can get now seems to be singles.

This is part of a fares trial which simplifies the range by increasing the cost of travel in the shoulder peak. In this single leg fares trial there is no Off Peak fare, so passengers travelling at those times are asked to pay the Anytime rate. It's a fare increase by stealth but it's been discussed in numerous other threads, so let's not go any further here, but there is a way round it...

You can bypass this (unfair) fares trial by purchasing a ticket for a journey such as Leeds to West Hampstead or Burley Park to London (or any other station, at either end, in the relevant clusters).

 

[YorkshireBear]

Thanks folks, will look at that trial seperately.

The avoid still confused me but at least I now know where it comes from! Again thanks folks.

 

[RJ]

I avoid the single leg pricing on return journeys to Newcastle and have found SSRs that are cheaper than buying two singles. Worth shopping around.