Britain - National Rail - Advance Tickets
May 23rd, 2014, 07:49 AM
#1
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Britain - National Rail - Advance Tickets
Today is the first day that tickets are available for sale for Friday, August 8th. I dutifully went to the National Rail site and reviewed my options. But I am a little disappointed/confused that I am not seeing any of the 'Advance' discounted tickets available. Am I missing something?
The route in question is Edinburgh [EDB] to York [YRK].
Thanks,
The route in question is Edinburgh [EDB] to York [YRK].
Thanks,
May 23rd, 2014, 08:09 AM
#2
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The standard guide is "12 week" guide isn't a hard and fast rule.
But, possibly more important, National Rail is also saying "Sorry, the National Reservations System is not responding at present, this is affecting both our online and telephone enquiry channels.
The prices shown below are for tickets that do not require reservations; you may be able to purchase cheaper tickets when the National Reservations System becomes available again."
The reservations system, or the bit taking feeds from East Coast, is obviously down: the basic information system isn't.
But, possibly more important, National Rail is also saying "Sorry, the National Reservations System is not responding at present, this is affecting both our online and telephone enquiry channels.
The prices shown below are for tickets that do not require reservations; you may be able to purchase cheaper tickets when the National Reservations System becomes available again."
The reservations system, or the bit taking feeds from East Coast, is obviously down: the basic information system isn't.
May 23rd, 2014, 11:51 AM
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"still getting my head around the idea that there are multiple passenger rail companies"
You live in Soviet-era Russia?
Throughout the overwhelming majority of the 200 years since railways were introduced to (and in) Britain, they've been run by competing private businesses.
Admittedly, there was a brief Marxist experiment from 1948 to 1994. But like the similarly ridiculous experiment with a republic three centuries earlier, we pretty quickly saw the error of our ways.
I can't begin to get my head around why this is hard to understand.
You live in Soviet-era Russia?
Throughout the overwhelming majority of the 200 years since railways were introduced to (and in) Britain, they've been run by competing private businesses.
Admittedly, there was a brief Marxist experiment from 1948 to 1994. But like the similarly ridiculous experiment with a republic three centuries earlier, we pretty quickly saw the error of our ways.
I can't begin to get my head around why this is hard to understand.
May 23rd, 2014, 12:18 PM
#7
I can't begin to get my head around why this is hard to understand.>>
possibly flanner the unfortunate foreign tourist is suffering from the delusion that whilst there may be separate rail companies, if s/he goes to a website that calls itself a national reservations system, this will provide access to all available tickets. it's almost as if someone doesn't want people to have access to the cheap tickets, isn't it?
as for seeing the error of our ways, what exactly was so wrong with British Rail that couldn't have been fixed by an influx of half the cash that has been used subsidising the ludicrous over-priced and over-crowded system we "benefit from" at present?
possibly flanner the unfortunate foreign tourist is suffering from the delusion that whilst there may be separate rail companies, if s/he goes to a website that calls itself a national reservations system, this will provide access to all available tickets. it's almost as if someone doesn't want people to have access to the cheap tickets, isn't it?
as for seeing the error of our ways, what exactly was so wrong with British Rail that couldn't have been fixed by an influx of half the cash that has been used subsidising the ludicrous over-priced and over-crowded system we "benefit from" at present?
May 23rd, 2014, 12:49 PM
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Admittedly, there was a brief Marxist experiment from 1948 to 1994>
Marx was after all a Londoner and is buried in London's Highgate Cemetery - the quintessential British bloke.
www.seat61.com is the Bible to British train info.
Marx was after all a Londoner and is buried in London's Highgate Cemetery - the quintessential British bloke.
www.seat61.com is the Bible to British train info.
May 23rd, 2014, 03:50 PM
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You do not need to go to the eastcoast site. The national rail site will automatically divert you there for tickets. I imagine your problem is as flanner stated. There was a clutch this morning in their computers and they were not able to list advance fares. All is fine now. Be aware that the cheapest advance fares are not usually the first ones that come up, and on the London to Edinburgh route fares can vary according to departure times.
May 23rd, 2014, 09:22 PM
#12
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<< You do not need to go to the eastcoast site>>
er... yes you do
whether you first visit nationalrail (which directs you to eastcoast) or save the bother and just head to eastcoast in the first place
er... yes you do
whether you first visit nationalrail (which directs you to eastcoast) or save the bother and just head to eastcoast in the first place
May 24th, 2014, 06:31 AM
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http://www.skyscanner.com/
www.whichbudget.com
gives flights by various airlines between any airports.
www.whichbudget.com
gives flights by various airlines between any airports.
May 24th, 2014, 08:21 AM
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For the London to Edinburgh train on the national rail site, all you need to do after selecting your time option is to click on buy tickets, then the eastcoast site comes up and gives you the price options. The national rail site, as stated, will automatically pull up eastcoast. On some routes they will show all the various companies selling tickets. You can choose. Having checked both national rail and eastcoast separately, it's just easier to stay on national rail and at same site purchase tickets from eastcoast. You do not need to go to eastcoast site. Try it! Of course you can go to eastcoast instead of national, but I find the national rail site much easier to use, more straight forward and it gives one all the information and options available in a clear and easy to use format.
May 24th, 2014, 08:32 AM
#18
Historytraveler - true enough, but a major point was the NR site was down and the east coast site was up and working/bookable at the time this was posted. In any case, if you know the company you want, then using that company's site makes most sense IMO. When one doesn't know who runs on a certain route, then the NR site is helpful.
