Valid routes during rail engineering works

[happyrhino465]

I have a booked off peak open return from Ebbsfleet International to Wolverhampton but I was planning to make my journey back to WVH on Monday 21st April, where there is now rail engineering works.

My usual route is via Euston which goes directly to Wolverhampton. My ticket says valid only for travel via (changing trains or passing through London). Doesn’t specify an operator

What alternative routes are valid with the ticket I have? I have seen some with suggest Ebbsfleet>St Pancras>London Marleybone> Birmingham Moor St>Birmingham New St>Wolverhampton, or St Pancras>Leicester>Birmingham New Street>Wolverhampton but I’m struggling to understand what routes my ticket is valid for. Or if there are better routes I could take on this ticket.

Any help or advice is appreciated! Thank you

 

[yorkie]

I have a booked off peak open return from Ebbsfleet International to Wolverhampton but I was planning to make my journey back to WVH on Monday 21st April, where there is now rail engineering works.

My usual route is via Euston which goes directly to Wolverhampton. My ticket says valid only for travel via (changing trains or passing through London). Doesn’t specify an operator

What alternative routes are valid with the ticket I have? I have seen some with suggest Ebbsfleet>St Pancras>London Marleybone> Birmingham Moor St>Birmingham New St>Wolverhampton, or St Pancras>Leicester>Birmingham New Street>Wolverhampton but I’m struggling to understand what routes my ticket is valid for. Or if there are better routes I could take on this ticket.

Any help or advice is appreciated! Thank you

What time constraints (either departure or arrival times) do you have?

Are you after the quickest, fewest changes, most comfortable (which is subjective), or something else?

Absolutely you can travel via Chiltern.

 

[happyrhino465]

What time constraints (either departure or arrival times) do you have?

Are you after the quickest, fewest changes, most comfortable (which is subjective), or something else?

Absolutely you can travel via Chiltern.

I’d say the fewest changes if possible as I’ll have a suitcase

My outbound is 17th, booked for 14:45 from WVH and goes via Euston/St Pancras, but it says valid for different times after that too. Thankfully it looks like those trains are running as normal.

Inbound does not specify time or date because it was an open return, valid until 16th May 2025.

 

[Watershed]

From Ebbsfleet to London, you have the option of taking a direct HS1 train to St Pancras, or travelling via Gravesend into Victoria/London Bridge/St Pancras etc.

From London to Wolverhampton, you obviously have the route off Euston.

Apart from that, you can also travel from Marylebone to Banbury and then onto Birmingham (Moor Street or New Street) via Coventry or Solihull. You could also change between the Marylebone/Moor Street and Euston/New Street routes at Smethwick Galton Bridge if you prefer.

The other valid London station is travelling out of Paddington via Reading and Oxford and then as above.

On that weekend in particular (18-21 April), there is ticket acceptance allowing you to travel out of St Pancras as far as Bedford, to connect with rail replacement buses to Milton Keynes. However I'm guessing this is what you want to avoid.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Any help or advice is appreciated! Thank you

You could try the forum's ticket site for the day in question, asking about a one way trip and see what timings and routes it comes up with. Other sites could also be used for enquiries.

If you cannot use Euston, there will be a need to change trains somewhere as well as pass through London. Reading, Banbury, Birmingham stations seem candidates. Smethwick was also mentioned.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

If you take the train from Marylebone to Moor Street, and have luggage, it's easier to go from there to Smethwick Galton Bridge, changing there for Wolverhampton. The walk from Moor Street to New Street, while short, is a bit of a pain particularly with luggage... and then you have to deal with New Street.

The only downside of the Smethwick Galton Bridge connection is you might be waiting for a short while on the platform for a Wolves train, but it won't be ages.

 

[LA50041]

If you take the train from Marylebone to Moor Street, and have luggage, it's easier to go from there to Smethwick Galton Bridge, changing there for Wolverhampton. The walk from Moor Street to New Street, while short, is a bit of a pain particularly with luggage... and then you have to deal with New Street.

The only downside of the Smethwick Galton Bridge connection is you might be waiting for a short while on the platform for a Wolves train, but it won't be ages.

There is also the option of taking a Marylebone train to Banbury and getting a direct XC train to Wolves from there with a same platform interchange