Trivia: most expensive season tickets

[Jimini]

Apologies if this has been done elsewhere; I did have a cursory search but couldn't see anything.

Whilst idly playing around with the season ticket calculator on the National Rail website, I found that an annual season ticket from Hexham to London Z1-6 (via Newcastle) costs an eye-watering £20,344.

So, I was wondering what the most expensive one out there is? Rather than complicating things by looking at them on a per mile basis, I'm just looking at overall annual cost this time round.

Go!

 

[clagmonster]

Berwick upon Tweed to Penzance, route London Zones 1-6, first class. This would be calculated as thus:
Berwick upon Tweed - London Zones 1-6 £39012.00
Penzance - London Zones 1-6 £38780.00
Less an inboundary Zones 1-6: £3612
Comes to £74180

 

[greatkingrat]

Berwick-on-Tweed - London Z1-6 is £22948 (or £39012 for 1st class!)

 

[anme]

Another question (which we probably can't answer) is what is the most expensive season ticket that was actually sold to a customer?

 

[Merseysider]

Another question (which we probably can't answer) is what is the most expensive season ticket that was actually sold to a customer?

I'll start you off for weeklies - £356

For proper seasons, you see a fair few Manchester-Euston ones with people presumably on expenses, as the monthly is only ~4x the SOR. That's £14,432 a year at 2017 prices.

You may find the following near-identical thread to be of interest clicky

 

[miami]

I'll start you off for weeklies - £356

For proper seasons, you see a fair few Manchester-Euston ones with people presumably on expenses, as the monthly is only ~4x the SOR. That's £14,432 a year at 2017 prices.

Given an SOR (Anytime return) from Manchester is neary £100 more than it needs to be, and if you stick to departures at 07:55, 08:35 and onwards, almost £200 more expensive, it's a wonder anyone actually buys them!

 

[swt class 450]

Wouldnt the most expensive season ticket be an annual 1st class Any Permitted season ticket from Penzance to Wick that includes a Zones 1 to 6 Travelcard ticket?

 

[Starmill]

How are you going to calculate that? Wick to London Zones 1-6 lacks a fare. You could ask East Coast to add one though

 

[[.n]]

Another question (which we probably can't answer) is what is the most expensive season ticket that was actually sold to a customer?

Mine is around the 14K mark (can say exactly as the one I have on me says £0 as its a reissue!)

 

[NeilWatson]

Berwick upon Tweed to Penzance, route London Zones 1-6, first class. This would be calculated as thus:
Berwick upon Tweed - London Zones 1-6 £39012.00
Penzance - London Zones 1-6 £38780.00
Less an inboundary Zones 1-6: £3612
Comes to £74180

An upper limit would presumably be £29588 (26 X 14-day 1st Class All-Line Rovers).

 

[bb21]

An upper limit would presumably be £29588 (26 X 14-day 1st Class All-Line Rovers).

Not if you need to travel at a barred time/on a barred service for All Line Rovers.

 

[Starmill]

That's close (~£29k) to a price I once heard someone got a quote from RSP for for an annual standard class 'bearer pass' that granted travel on any national rail service for a year. How much truth there was to that rumour I have no idea but I did hear it from multiple sources (or maybe the same one, reporting on the same rumour). Sadly I don't have a spare 30 grand to email them and ask.

 

[paddington]

Wouldnt the most expensive season ticket be an annual 1st class Any Permitted season ticket from Penzance to Wick that includes a Zones 1 to 6 Travelcard ticket?

Even if there was a fare, it's barely possible to do the whole trip in one direction in a day, so would a season ticket actually be cheaper than walk-up tickets for someone permanently travelling between the two ends of Great Britain?

This leads to more questions:

1) what is the most expensive season ticket that you could practically use if you spent every day taking the earliest train out and last train back?

2) what is the most expensive season that you could practically use if you wanted to have a job and sufficient sleep every day, but have no social life?

 

[Deerfold]

2) what is the most expensive season that you could practically use if you wanted to have a job and sufficient sleep every day, but have no social life?

I know people who travel (or have travelled) daily from the Leeds area to London daily.

To get 8 hours in bed and do 9 hours at work (including getting between home and station and office) I don't think you can go much further.

That would cost £14,664 for a Leeds (or Leeds suburban station) to Z1-6 Travelcard.

That might not be what the people I know are using. I had a Leeds - London Terminals ticket for several years but at PRIV rate and only valid on EC.

Of course that season ticket is worth having (compared to separate tickets) if used far less often than daily.

 

[miami]

What if you're job involved working Mondays in London, Tuesdays in Inverness, Wednesdays in London, Thursdays in Aberdeen, Fridays in London, and you lived in Fort William.

6 nights a week on the sleeper, but you'd get the whole weekend to yourself.

 

[Merseysider]

What if your job involved working Mondays in London, Tuesdays in Inverness, Wednesdays in London, Thursdays in Aberdeen, Fridays in London, and you lived in Fort William.

6 nights a week on the sleeper, but you'd get the whole weekend to yourself.

I think I'd rather off myself than do that - how draining it would be! I suspect that there are a few people with such a job, but in their case, the plane or Advance tickets would surely be more attractive?

 

[Deerfold]

What if you're job involved working Mondays in London, Tuesdays in Inverness, Wednesdays in London, Thursdays in Aberdeen, Fridays in London, and you lived in Fort William.

6 nights a week on the sleeper, but you'd get the whole weekend to yourself.

If your job involved that, I'd hope you'd be very well paid.

 

[soil]

What if you're job involved working Mondays in London, Tuesdays in Inverness, Wednesdays in London, Thursdays in Aberdeen, Fridays in London, and you lived in Fort William.

6 nights a week on the sleeper, but you'd get the whole weekend to yourself.

you'd fly from aberdeen to london

 

[miami]

you'd fly from aberdeen to london

Sleeper to Aberdeen leaves at 2115, meaning leaving central london at 2030 or even later. The last flight to Aberdeen needs you to be at Heathrow T5 at 1945 at the latest, meaning leaving paddington at 1910 (the 1925 wouldn't work), so leaving central london at 1820.

 

[cuccir]

you'd fly from aberdeen to london

Funnily enough I was talking with my wife's uncle about a business trip along these lines that he is taking. He's an executive in the hotel industry and is travelling up to Aberdeenshire and Inverness to visit some current and future properties this week.

He makes similar trips to Central Belt and Highlands a few times a year and was extolling the virtues of the sleeper over flying: with the sleeper he can go home after work, see his family/have dinner, then travel and arrive at a good time for work the next morning, either earlier or close to the time a flight would have got him in. I imagine for many business-people it's a no brainer!

 

[[.n]]

Even if there was a fare, it's barely possible to do the whole trip in one direction in a day, so would a season ticket actually be cheaper than walk-up tickets for someone permanently travelling between the two ends of Great Britain?

This leads to more questions:

1) what is the most expensive season ticket that you could practically use if you spent every day taking the earliest train out and last train back?

2) what is the most expensive season that you could practically use if you wanted to have a job and sufficient sleep every day, but have no social life?

I'll have a go at this one, as I mentioned I do this about 14K, and I take the 1st train of the day out and last train on the way back (though it varies from one of the first 3 trains to one of the last 3 trains, so I think I fit the criteria for both 1 and 2. ).

 

[Deerfold]

I'll have a go at this one, as I mentioned I do this about 14K, and I take the 1st train of the day out and last train on the way back (though it varies from one of the first 3 trains to one of the last 3 trains, so I think I fit the criteria for both 1 and 2. ).

That sounds similar to the Leeds to London I suggested. Where is yours for?

 

[westv]

I'll have a go at this one, as I mentioned I do this about 14K, and I take the 1st train of the day out and last train on the way back (though it varies from one of the first 3 trains to one of the last 3 trains, so I think I fit the criteria for both 1 and 2. ).[/QUOTE

An annual from Hull to London is about £14,492. I've heard of a few people doing it daily but there's no way on earth I could do that rather than the journey I do now - even it does take me away from home for 4 nights.

 

[cf111]

Deleted: I can't read!

 

[Bookd]

I have no idea of the price, but I have a friend, now retired, who used to be in a senior position on the railway and benefits from an all lines first class gold pass.
He told me that it is possible to buy a pass that provides the same benefits, and a handful are sold each year mostly to senior executives who do a great deal of rail travel.

 

[swt class 450]

Are London Terminals to Edinburgh Waverley or London Terminals to Glasgow Central season tickets available? Its a long commute but it is definitely possible to travel between London and Edinburgh or Glasgow and back every day (well at least five days a week).

 

[Deerfold]

Are London Terminals to Edinburgh Waverley or London Terminals to Glasgow Central season tickets available? Its a long commute but it is definitely possible to travel between London and Edinburgh or Glasgow and back every day (well at least five days a week).

No, they're not available.

Even if you live at one station and work at the other, you're not going to be able to do a full working day and a proper night's sleep on top of the travel unless you're very good at sleeping on the train.

 

[miami]

No, they're not available.

Even if you live at one station and work at the other, you're not going to be able to do a full working day and a proper night's sleep on top of the travel unless you're very good at sleeping on the train.

At that distance, season tickets aren't based on a 5 day week. A Manchester-London day return is £338.00. A yearly season is £360.80*40 = £14,432, or 43 days - that's less than 1 day a week.

If Glasgow had the same ratio (and assuming you take the 1 train a day that you need an anytime on), it would be £365 and £15,584.

 

[Deerfold]

At that distance, season tickets aren't based on a 5 day week. A Manchester-London day return is £338.00. A yearly season is £360.80*40 = £14,432, or 43 days - that's less than 1 day a week.

If Glasgow had the same ratio (and assuming you take the 1 train a day that you need an anytime on), it would be £365 and £15,584.

I know they're not, but I was answering a poster who stated it was possible to do the journey every day. Whilst that's true, it'd be extremely difficult to combine that with a full time job.

 

[[.n]]

That sounds similar to the Leeds to London I suggested. Where is yours for?

SWT land - Weymouth -London (and tube)