Shorter journey, more expensive

[ServerHoster]

The top is a First Day Single from Doncaster to Stockport. £27.60 (tpe only)


And the second ticket is an FDS from Sheffield to Stockport. £28.10

Why is the second ticket more expensive for a shorter journey?

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Ticket prices aren't based on distance for the most part. Market conditions and demand.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Ticket prices aren't based on distance for the most part. Market conditions and demand.

Still slightly bonkers though as the Doncaster -> Stockport TPE service passes through Sheffield on its way to Stockport. Presumably no issues with starting short at Sheffield to save all of 50p? (But good luck in getting the Sheffield ticket office to issue that!)

 

[Starmill]

If someone wants to buy the ticket from Doncaster and use it from Sheffield to save money they can do. However, mostly people won't bother, for the sake of 50p. The train company know that.

Happens all over the shop. Berkhamsted to London for a single arriving after 1pm costs £15.60 (the Super Off Peak Day Single). And yet asking for the same ticket from Milton Keynes Central to London is only £15.10 on exactly the same trains. Coincidentally this is also a 50p saving. Most people going one way between London and Berkhamsted will pay that extra 50p and not be bothered about it. It's an exercise for the reader to decide if this is "fair" or not. It also happens often where prices are more transient, moving up and down around one another.

 

[Merseysider]

I’d imagine they’ve recently increased the price of one and forgotten about the other.

 

[Starmill]

I’d imagine they’ve recently increased the price of one and forgotten about the other.

This is a pretty common one too. For example they're still offering a TransPennine Express Only Off Peak Day Single from Carlisle to Glasgow for £21... despite the inter-available equivalent having been cut to £19.60. I imagine they'd have wanted to cut it back to £19 or so, or abolish it, but haven't got the resources to manage that. Something similar has also happened with Stafford to Rugby, where the West Midlands Trains Only Super Off Peak Single costs more than the inter-available Off Peak Single, and the Off Peak Return costs 10p more than its inter-available counterpart, and in both cases are actually more restrictive.

 

[Jan Mayen]

Gatwick Airport - Kemble
Super Off Peak Return, restriction YU, Guildford Reading, £40.80. You must travel Redhill for this journey.

However, if you start from Redhill, same ticket, same routeing, same restriction, it's £50.80.

Hopefully, when there is a review of the fares system, these sort of anomalies get sorted out.

 

[Hadders]

Gatwick Airport - Kemble
Super Off Peak Return, restriction YU, Guildford Reading, £40.80. You must travel Redhill for this journey.

However, if you start from Redhill, same ticket, same routeing, same restriction, it's £50.80.

Hopefully, when there is a review of the fares system, these sort of anomalies get sorted out.

How do you think this sort of anomaly will be fixed? Cutting the price of the ticket from Redhill or increasing the price of the one from Gatwick?

Clue - the Treasury and DfT are involved and want to maximise revenue.

Be very careful what you wish for.....

 

[Jan Mayen]

I accept that it's the Gatwick fare that would be increased. Or would they split the difference, so they're the same?
As much as I don't want to pay more, I don't think it's fair that the general public pay more just because they don't realise they could pay less by buying a ticket from Gatwick instead of Redhill.

 

[AlterEgo]

I don't think it's fair that the general public pay more just because they don't realise they could pay less by buying a ticket from Gatwick instead of Redhill.

If fairness is the concern, raise the price of the lower fare. Then there is no unfairness.

Be very careful what you wish for!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

If fairness is the concern, raise the price of the lower fare. Then there is no unfairness.

Be very careful what you wish for!

Trying to think this through logically, it's more plausible that at a previous fare increase, a fare got overlooked and wasn't increased, rather than that a fare was not reduced when it should have been. Why? Because my experience is that train fares don't (generally and outside of special offers) fall in price. But what this means is that an adjustment upwards of the underpriced fare would be the rational solution - with no need to argue that the nasty railway are being cruel to innocent passengers.

There is, I suppose, a possibility that a fare increase somehow got applied twice to a fare, in which case reduction (to only one increase) would be appropriate. But do price increases get applied twice by mistake?

 

[les.]

I found this out when I went to The Scottish Highlands. I was staying in a lovely village called Plockton, which is 2 stops before The Kyle Of Lochalsh.

A ticket from Inverness to Plockton was actually DOUBLE the price of a ticket from Inverness to Kyle Of Lochalsh, 2 stops further. I do try to get up to Plockton at least once a year (although haven't been for over 2 with the Covid restrictions). The first time I went I did travel all the way to Kyle and then I got a train back to Plockton which only costs a couple of quid. However for my last few visits I have bought a ticket to Kyle but alighted at Plockton, as it is an unmanned station.

 

[Deerfold]

I found this out when I went to The Scottish Highlands. I was staying in a lovely village called Plockton, which is 2 stops before The Kyle Of Lochalsh.

A ticket from Inverness to Plockton was actually DOUBLE the price of a ticket from Inverness to Kyle Of Lochalsh, 2 stops further. I do try to get up to Plockton at least once a year (although haven't been for over 2 with the Covid restrictions). The first time I went I did travel all the way to Kyle and then I got a train back to Plockton which only costs a couple of quid. However for my last few visits I have bought a ticket to Kyle but alighted at Plockton, as it is an unmanned station.

That, at least, seems to be one they've sorted out.

 

[FenMan]

There is also the anomaly where the ticket price to adjacent destination stations is the same, but the ticket restrictions are different.

With apologies for using an A-B-C example (as I use this anomaly):-
- Off peak day return from A to B: first arrival at B is around 10:00.
- Off peak day return from A to C via B: first arrival at B is 30 minutes earlier.

 

[JBuchananGB]

Many off-peak day return journeys on Merseyrail with a railcard will be cheaper if purchased to a non-Merseyrail station much further than the actual intended destination. Example, Southport to Liverpool Central, £5.50. Southport to Halewood £3.60. Fair enough the £5.50 ticket is valid to Hunts Cross, just one-stop before Halewood, but the Halewood ticket is valid for break of journey anywhere along the line, so not much difference in validity, just no doubling-back.

 

[greyman42]

York to Sheffield is cheaper than York to Doncaster which is on the York to Sheffield route.

 

[Watershed]

York to Sheffield is cheaper than York to Doncaster which is on the York to Sheffield route.

It isn't for walk-up tickets if that's what you're referring to. Although it's only slightly cheaper.

I know that LNER (or its predecessors) have tried to raise the cost of York to Doncaster above the fare to Sheffield.

 

[les.]

I had to travel to Scunthorpe from Grimsby recently and it was cheaper to get an advance single to Doncaster than it was an advance single to Scunthorpe, even though Doncaster is about twice as far from Grimsby as Scunthorpe.

 

[Merseysider]

I would advise against posting specific, current examples.

Such fare anomolies will only go one way in price and that way is up.

 

[infobleep]

There is also the anomaly where the ticket price to adjacent destination stations is the same, but the ticket restrictions are different.

With apologies for using an A-B-C example (as I use this anomaly):-
- Off peak day return from A to B: first arrival at B is around 10:00.
- Off peak day return from A to C via B: first arrival at B is 30 minutes earlier.

I know of a ticket where A to F allows travel via both C, D and E. So you could go out via C and back via D. It is only slightly cheaper than B to F ticket. However, with a B to F-ticket, you can only go via C or D, not both. So you can't go out via C and back via D. E doesn't apply.

On top of this though there is additional validity if you have a B to F via D ticket, so there are times when that is preferable.to go A to F.

I won't name the stations in case additional restrictions get added.

 

[greyman42]

It isn't for walk-up tickets if that's what you're referring to. Although it's only slightly cheaper.

I know that LNER (or its predecessors) have tried to raise the cost of York to Doncaster above the fare to Sheffield.

Are you saying it is or it is not?
York-Doncaster return £21-60.
York-Sheffield return £20-90.

 

[Haywain]

York-Sheffield return £20-90.

That's the single (SDS) fare.

 

[greyman42]

That's the single (SDS) fare.

Apologies. My mistake, you are correct. Have they changed the fares as i am sure that York-Sheffield used to be cheaper than York-Doncaster or am i mistaken, again?

 

[SargeNpton]

York to Sheffield is cheaper than York to Doncaster which is on the York to Sheffield route.

York-Doncaster-Sheffield; or York-Pontefract Baghill-Sheffield? Perhaps the fares are different for the two routes.

 

[Haywain]

York-Doncaster-Sheffield; or York-Pontefract Baghill-Sheffield? Perhaps the fares are different for the two routes.

Neither. It isn't cheaper.

 

[Argyle 1980]

Know the a lot of the "Route Barnham" fares from Kent/Sussex stations to say Weymouth were cheaper than fares from Southampton to Weymouth despite the former being upto 150 miles longer.

 

[gray1404]

Can we please stop posting details of such fares here. This is a public forum and it will result in price rises.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Know the a lot of the […] fares from [remainder of quote removed in case post is removed to avoid fare changes.]

Careful what you say - I wouldn’t be surprised if said tickets have a Break of Journey restriction on them by next week!

 

[ChrisC]

Can we please stop posting details of such fares here. This is a public forum and it will result in price rises.

I completely agree. Can people not post these sort of details.
There was a fare that I used to use regularly which saved me a lot of money. A few years ago someone mentioned it in this forum and it disappeared within days.

 

[T-Karmel]

Yeah so for the reasons mentioned above I won't post exact stations but I was suppose to be dropped off by my brother at some station up North which is a small station where I wanted to jump on a train that its the next stop is a big interchange station and train reverses there which takes 10 mins and it continues towards my destination.

Because we were running late and I'd miss train from that smaller station, we drove to the bigger one knowing it stops there for 10 mins it leaves me with time to buy ticket and catch it.

As I was in rush I paid for my tickets got on the train and only then realised I paid 38% more for a shorter distance than I would pay if I actually make a train where I intended too.

After I compared those fares on BR Fares, I found out that price from one station is set by one operator, and the other price by another operator.