Travelling By Train

[quick_spider]

There didn't seem to be anything on this so i thought you'd appreciate a post in the FAQ.

1) Fares

When you travel by train you want the cheapest ticket possible because you're like me. you'd rather spend the money on your bike/booze/birds.

For short journeys, if you're travelling after about 9 in the morning you can get away with a 'cheap' ticket - ask for it by name. eg 'A Cheap Day Return' It's cheaper than a standard day return. (Duh!)

For longer journeys... It may pay to buy more than one ticket. I will use the example of Tic. He's going from Salisbury to Swindon tomorrow. He'll have to change at Bath Spa. A normal 'Saver Return' will set him back £21.20. If he buys a return ticket to Bath, and a return ticket from Bath to Swindon it'll cost him £7.70 + ~£12.30 = £20. That's a whole £1.20 cheaper!!! Note you can buy both og these at the first station.

For longer journeys and those that you aren't returning on the same day: Use the trainline to see what sort of tickets are availble. 'Saver' tickets are valid for 30 days, 'Breakaway tickets are valid for 5 days. Day tickets are valid for.. that's right a day.

If you know in advance you're going on a long journey, you can book in advance - 3, 7, and 14 day advances are common. They save you lots too.

I can't get away with it anymore (lol), but some of you kids can pass as...er.. kids and get child tickets (you have to look 15) I think they're 1/2 the price of an adult ticket.

If you're not as youthful as that but under 25 then a Young Persons railcard will set you back £18 and will save you 1/3 of most fares.

2) Bikes

Most train companies are fairly tolerant when it comes to our in-line wheelchairs. Most will allow you to walk on with your bike. For longer journeys they like it if you stick it in the guards van. (almost always at the opposite end to 1st class)

Notable exceptions:

Virgin Voyager trains - they have a special bike bit and you're supposed to reserve 24 hrs in advance. Reservations don't cost anything at the moment. I normally can't be arsed and as long as you're not travelling when there are lots of other peeps with bikes then you can get away with it. They're a bit arsey on the older trains too, but they've got heaps more space for bikes.

Those new First Great Western Monstrosities. (and the old ones)

On the old ones you're supposed to book in advance (cost £1 per journey) or pay £3 on the day. Tell them you didn't know and they'll argue with you and then give up. I think the new ones are the same, but I'm not sure if you can travel without booking it 2 hours in advance.

Does anyone have any experience with other train companies?

Please let us know for when we come and ride in your neighbourhood.

Jon

[Mark W]

I don't think it was mentioned, but The Train Line is the bomb Poo for train tickets and all that wank.

Mark.

[quick_spider]

You can alo use your mobile to look up how late your train is running, when the next train is etc..

Check out Kizoom for the bookmark for your phone.

Makes a use for those million free wap minutes you get on your average phone contract that you never use for anything.

Jon

[Bonney@X-Street]

if u put your bikes in the cycle compartment, they are hung upright on these hookey type things, always get your bike off yourself, cause the train staff smash your rims to bits getting them off!

[haydon_peter]

Dammit Jon, i wish you had done this research in time for me to use the advice lol.

My experiences:

On South West Trains you are meant to reserve your bikes, (£3 on the day of the train, £1 in advance, at some stations they simply charge you £1 whatever), (Although some of the guards are nice and dont mind if you havent reserved and you just say you didnt know you had to).

Alphaline trains, if you dont have a reservation they can get shitty, one time they wouldnt let us on the train because we hadent reserved, then they put a food cart in the bike storrage bit :-

First Great Western, i had my first experience taking bikes on a great western train yesterday. So far this is the best service for bikes i have used! You have to put your bike in the guards compartment (If you have reserved far enough in advance they even put a reserved sign on a place on the bike rack reserving it for you). Even if you have not reserved, there is room for at least 6 bikes in the guards compartment so you are pretty much going to get on for definate! The guards did not ask to see our reservations because there was loads of room.

Sometimes even if you do pay and reserve your bike on a train and that train is busy, they sometimes wont let you on that train. If you have this problem plead with them lol and say summit like "We have already been pissed around, we HAVE to get this train" and they sometimes help you find/make room.

The best way to use trains with bikes is to buy your tickets, make bike reservations and plan your routes a day or so in advance...

"Tic"

PS Jon, can you explain these young persons travel cards a bit more? How long do they last what you get for the money etc...

[THE trials commentator]

you get 1/3rd off all/most rail fares,and it lasts for a year.

[quick_spider]

you get 1/3rd off all/most rail fares,and it lasts for a year.

That'd be the one. I've spent £70 on train fares since I bought mine less tham a month ago, so I've saved more than it cost me.

First Great Western seem to be okay on both sorts of train (Old Skool 125's and the Adelante thingys) I travelled Swindon to Reading on one and there's a little bike place to hang them up. Those hooks play havoc with my front radial wheel.

There's also a little green lever near the door which opens it. This is useful when despite telling the guard where you're getting off he choses that station to piss off to the other end of the train.

Please add to this post experience's of other train companies.

Ta

Jon

[haydon_peter]

I am getting annoyed with reserving bikes, I have now decided not to bother with it again for a while. The last few times I have reserved my bike and got on the train, the guard does not ask to see the reservation so it is simply a waste of money. I bet I now get a git of a guard that wont let me on the train without a reservation now lol.

Good advice:

Avoid travelling on the train with your bike at around 5-6pmish (Monday-Saturday), at this sort of time the trains are generally packed with office type people and/or people coming back from shopping trips. If you get a later train around 7-9 it is usually fairly empty and less busy.

Also use your brain: eg. there is a Southampton football match in Southampton on Saturday = busy trains with football peeps.

"Tic"

[Sneakers O'Toole]

If the train geezers won't let you on the train, simply remove the wheels and it becomes hand luggage so you can stroll on with it. :- . If that ain't good enough for them, throw a bin liner on it!

My experiences with taking bikes on trains is pretty good, we always get let on, no matter how many of us there is. There was the time at the bike battle when it got a bit heated though.

[Dan Clark]

advice for us east anglians

Great Eastern have fold up seats at the back, you just put you bike in with you with that carriage. If theres loads of people just shove your bike in the space where the doors are between seating sections. Great eastern is also free for bikes and is often cheaper than anglia railways anyway.

Anglia Railways tell you to put bikes in the guard bit. They also charge you £1 for taking your bike. Best bet is to put your bike in the guard bit, then sit the other end of the carriage. When the bloke comes around he sometimes doesn't know its yours, so you save the quid.

Don't pay for your bikes at the station. If the bloke does know its your bike, just say "Oooh, I didn't know you had to pay for bikes, can I pay now?"

Ipswich, Felixstowe and Marks Tey ahve no ticket check things, meaning you can just hop on for free. On great eastern people rarely come round checking tickets, so you can get free rides.

Felixstowe is a pikey town, they only ahve trains going to ipswich and ive had 3 trains be cancelled in a row there, so bewarned. Trains there only have one carriage that is packed, your bikes nearly always fall over there too.

The London Liverpool st line goes through Manningtree, Ipswich, Colchester, occasionally marks tey, Witham, Basildon, Chelmsford, Wickford and Shenfield. Trains run every 20 mins so try get one of them.

[nohpee°]

down here I don't even pay for trains, I have been travelling by train for 2 weeks half an hour each way and haven't payed a penny.

its because the conductor person can't remember who comes on at what stop and doesn't have enough time to check everyone so asks for tickets but I don;t say anything. bingo.

on the way back from plymouth I don't pay either.

remember, always act like you have never been on a train in your life to the ticket man.

ally

[rich4130]

I've just found this, so its a hell of a bump.

Now, don't laugh, I have never been on a train in my life, not sure why really, but We usually get stagecoach buses to Oxford/Milton Keynes, as the closest station to either of these places is Bicester or um Milton Keynes..

What do you do? where do you go, where do you get tickets from, machines or like a desk thing with some old woman behind?

Whats the max age for 'child' tickets?

thanx heh

[Michael Hardman]

Southwest trains have never charged me to take a bike on, I just go by their stupid rules and dont take my bike on before 9.30 going into london and going out between 4.30-7.30 weekdays.

And I ought cheap tickets were after 9.30 underground and overground

Also if you are aged 16-25 and are still in education you can get ayoung persons travel card which ives you discount on tickets, thinks its a 1/3 off

One last thingwhichis off topic but I really think train companies need to look into a half size carriage dedicated to cycles with security I would then be happy to putmy bike their knowing only I or a train driver can get my bike and I can trace he knob of a train person if it gooes missing. It may not be fesible but hey Blair wants an intergrated and sustainable transport system youneed to ink cycles andtrains together otherwiseyouve failed.

[Stephen Morris]

Now, don't laugh, I have never been on a train in my life, not sure why really...,

What do you do? where do you go, where do you get tickets from.

Whats the max age for 'child' tickets?

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Getting Tickets:

Walk into the train station and there'll be what's obviously a ticket office conisisting of anything between 1 and 10 windows in the wall with people sat behind them. Queue up, they should all be able to help you. In Milton Keynes station, the ticket office is on the left.

If you're after a return from Milton Keynes to London Euston for example, then ask for a return to London Euston. Be warned, tickets will cost more during peak time, which is before 9.30am on weekdays, after 9.30am and on weekends, you'll be able to buy the cheapest tickets.

There may be a ticket machine, but it's probably best that a first time train traveller gets his ticket from the ticket office. Make sure you plan your journey the first time you make it. You need to know what ticket you are buying, how much it costs etc. National Rail Enquiries is on 08457 48 49 50 and the website is http://www.national-rail.co.uk.

Under 16's pay a child fare, if you're 16 and over then you need to pay and adult fare. You can however buy a "Young Person's Railcard" which costs £18 but gets you 1/3 off the adult ticket price. If you use the train a lot then it could pay for itself in a few trips.

Where's My Train:

What you need to do is find your train, get to the platform and get on it. Small train stations will have between 2 and 4 platforms and maybe only 1 train company running trains there. Milton Keynes will have about 6 platforms, but Waterloo has 19 so you've got it pretty easy.

If you're using a small station, then there'll be signs saying "platform 1 - to London" or "Platform 2 - to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool" etc. But at a larger station then there'll most likely be a a big screen up on a wall somewhere. At Milton Keynes this screen is opposite the entrance.

The screen will have all the details of the next trains: what train company the train is (Virgin and Silverlink in your case), where the train goes to, what stations it stops at on the way, what platform the train will be arriving on and when it's due to arrive.

If you're travelling from Milton Keynes then you'll be on a Silverlink or Virgin train. Virgin trains are more expensive, so I wouldn't bother with them. They may ask you at the ticket office "Virgin or Silverlink" - say Silverlink, much cheaper. If they don't mention anything then they've automatically booked you on the cheapest train. So we've determined that you need a silverlink train, look at the board until you find the first silverlink train that goes where you're going. What time does it come, and what platform will it be on?

Once you've found that out, follow signs to your platform (at Milton Keynes the platforms are behind the big screen) and go through the ticket barriers (if there are any). Put your ticket face up, through the barriers with the green arrow, not the red cross, that's for people going the opposite direction. Once you're through follow signs to the platform you need to be on.

I'm on my platform, what now?

When you're on the platform make sure you're on the right platform by looking down the concourse for a big white box usually that says "platform 4" or whatever.

Now, listen out for tannoy announcements, and there'll usually be monitors or another screen which will tell you of the next train that's coming and when it will be there. So don't presume your train will be the next one because it might not be. When your train arrives jump on and hey presto, you're on a train. If you're taking your bike, Silverlink trains have a place for them which is on the southern most carriage. There are 2 longer than normal seats which fold up leaving you with a space for your bike. You can just leave them by the door as well, but you'll have to make sure it's not the door that opens, and on some routes you may have to get up and move the bike to the other door.

Once you've arrived at your destination, follow signs to the exit, or if you're getting another train, then you'll need to find the correct platform again (you may already be on it.) There may be ticket barriers again, but these pose no threat to you now. If you have your bike by the way, you should show the ticket to the guy on the ticket barriers and go through the luggage gate. If there's nobody there, then roll the bike though on the back wheel.

Advice:

That's about it, it's not difficult and we all have to get a train for the first time at some stage. There are people floating about all over the place at train stations whether they be employees or just members of the public. But if you don't know which train is yours, then ask somebody to show you the way. If you're on the platform and you want to know if that's your train, then just ask somebody "does this train stop at twatford" and if they don't know, somebody else will usually speak up and tell you.

Hope that helps, trains are easy. If you need help with the tube, then let me know, because that's a little different.

Stephen Morris.

[Tim]

down here I don't even pay for trains, I have been travelling by train for 2 weeks half an hour each way and haven't payed a penny.

its because the conductor person can't remember who comes on at what stop and doesn't have enough time to check everyone so asks for tickets but I don;t say anything. bingo.

on the way back from plymouth I don't pay either.

remember, always act like you have never been on a train in your life to the ticket man.

ally

←

Tryed it, didn't work, got a 10 pound fine. I'm 19, can drive, never needed to use a train. Genuinely the first time on the train was when i got a 10 pound fine for not having a ticket. Apparently you can pay on a train at any time unless a ticket inspector is on there, in which case its an on the spot fine.

We ran into the station with the train just pulling up, i said to aust hey i need a ticket he went naww pay on the train, we don't have time. So we got on, ticket man comes round says can i see your ticket i said i don't have one can i buy one please, he said I'm going to have to give you a 10 pound fine, had my details and every thing. i tryed to tell him i had never been on a train before and that i was under the inpresion you can pay on the train. Well apparently not, so now i have a record and I'm a frauster Apparently >_<

Edited May 23, 2005 by Tim

[Nick Manning]

Getting Tickets:

If you're travelling from Milton Keynes then you'll be on a Silverlink or Virgin train. Virgin trains are more expensive, so I wouldn't bother with them. They may ask you at the ticket office "Virgin or Silverlink" - say Silverlink, much cheaper. If they don't mention anything then they've automatically booked you on the cheapest train.

←

i don't know why people have this idea that virgin trains cost more, i've never been charged more for using virgin trains, and thay start from bournemouth (where i get on). i proved this to pauly when i was staying with him in tamworth for the bike show, he insisted it costs more for virgin, so we got to the station and pauly asked the ticket man at the desk, and he said that virgin cost the same as the local service.

This year alone from january i've spent about £300 on travelling by train, although it would be alot more if i didnt have a young persons rail card, they have gone up in price, they now cost £20 but it last's for a complete year, and if you do replace it before the year is up, they'll add on the remaining days from your old rail card to your new one. so u don't loose out.

sorted :)

[Danny]

If anyones become a student get a student account with HSBC and get a free young persons railcard! They offer you either £50 or a railcard i took the railcard and its valid until im 25 thats 5 years from now and ive had it 2 years saving me a whopping £140 on buying the cards (Y)

[spunkey_monkey_boy]

if you book tickets 14+ days in advance you can make huge savings however if going to a london airport it may be cheaper to buy a standard price ticket, i'll explain:

14 day advance. return to lonond young persons normally costs £45 fro north wales, if you book 2 singles (one each way) 14+ days in advance it will cost you £9.30 each way. now a normal adult return costs over £70 so by using a YP card and booking early you'll save over £50!!!

airports - like i said above booking early gets you cheap tickets howver you can't get cheap tickets that include underground conections so you have to pay for them. if going from north wales to london stansted its £9.30 here to euston, £2.50 (?) each way on the tube and then £23(?) from liverpool street to stansted. thats £48(at least) and you have to que to buy tickets twice during each journey aswell as buying tickets online. if you buy a standard YP from llandudno to london stansted it includes the underground and the one from liverpool st to stansted and only costs £43.50. so save yourself some hassle and some money and get the normal ticket.

open return tickets - one that most people are un aware of, you can break your return journey as many times as you like so long as it is completed within the 1 month on the ticket. that means if you get an open return from llandudno to manchester you can stop off at chester on the way home for a ride and then stop at rhyl for another ride. it also means if its been stamped byt the manchester train but not the chester to llandudno one you can hitch to chester and use the return bit to get home (Y)

hope thats all clear enough, scam those b*****d train companies for all their worth but dont get caught without a ticket in a pentaly fair area or you'll pay them back all the money you saved by bending their own rules :D

[spunkey_monkey_boy]

If anyones become a student get a student account with HSBC and get a free young persons railcard! They offer you either £50 or a railcard i took the railcard and its valid until im 25 thats 5 years from now and ive had it 2 years saving me a whopping £140 on buying the cards (Y)

←

but the railcard only costs £18 so over the 5 years you'll save £90. still a better deal than the £50 cash but a long way off your £140...

[Dai the Socket]

I don't think it was mentioned, but The Train Line is the bomb Poo for train tickets and all that wank.

Mark.

←

It looks like someone's been using a template, or copying

Look: www.qjump.co.uk/index.html

[rich4130]

I always get a adult ticket, but even though in nearly 18, I'm sure I could pass as 15, I've only ever been asked my d.o.b once while traveling as a child on a bus.

Does anybody know what the penalty is for this is your caught? Just whats putting me off... B)

Rich

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

20 quid or twice the reutrn fare , whichever is more

[Dan Clark]

Are One or First Railway starting to check on trains now?

Before if you sneakily chose two stations with no barriers, you could get free rides, but I got checked whilst on the train recently, which never happens except for Anglian railways.

[eskimo]

A quick tip for buying child tickets.

Wear your helmet, sit down so you look smaller, a bag of sweets on the table, have a fresh shave before setting out.

Don't look the conductor in the eye.

Make sure where ever you are going doesn't check tickets at the gate. Otherwise you will get caught.

Tip for a free journey.

To avoid ticket conductors on big trains just simply stay in the toilet untill he goes past. Only tends to work unsuspiciously if its on a long train.

Or just move down each carriage untill you get to your stop. Then run like mad to the cycle carrage to get your bike while the conductor realises he's been had.

Try not to do this repeatedly. Know your conductors and stations.

Find out if you can buy 'group saver' tickets. 3 or 4 people can lower the price of your ticket allot.

Edited January 25, 2007 by eskimo