Monday, 31 May 2010
Wrexham & Shropshire tickets
I have updated the page on Wrexham and Shropshire services from Tame Bridge Parkway in the light of Barry Doe's FareDealer article in RAIL 645. He points out that the Wrexham and Shropshire ONLY first class fares of £70 single and £120 return are technically OFF PEAK tickets to prevent break of outward journey at Banbury... if you need to break your outward journey at either Leamington Spa or Banbury then you should buy 'Anytime' tickets at £76.30 single and £152.60 return.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
New timetables & fares
Just finished updating the timetable and fare information on www.birmingham2london.com in preparation for tomorrow (24th May).
Main news is that LondonMidland now run 18 through trains Monday to Friday each way between New Street and Euston, and that two from Euston, 17.13 & 18.13, do the journey in a shade over 2hours. Next week, 1st - 4th June, the return journey can be made for £20 first class using a voucher (http://www.londonmidland.com/tickets-and-fares/great-escape/) leaving Birmingham on the 7.53 or later. Don't forget too that the Advance single first class fare is £16 for most journeys in either direction...
The Wrexham & Shropshire service first class fare is now fixed at £70 single and £120 return. An Advance single fare is £55 BUT the 17.02 from Tame Bridge Parkway and the 7.33 from Marylebone have a £35 advance single fare.
As for Virgin, use the Virgin Trains only walk-on fares to at least trim back on the astronomical £240 return first class fare. Travelling out and back in a day and splitting the fare at Rugby or Milton Keynes on the relevant hourly services can save around £40. Even splitting the fare at Coventry (and therefore retaining the benefits of the VHF timetable) will save almost £20!
Advance single fares start at £26.50 BUT peak times see them reach £105.50 on certain trains. Interestingly, the 18.50 and 19.10 trains from Birmingham which offer an 'evening meal' service have £35 fares as does the 6.03 'breakfast' train from Euston.
Clearly both the W&S and Virgin are experiencing the same type of traffic flow on their services!
Main news is that LondonMidland now run 18 through trains Monday to Friday each way between New Street and Euston, and that two from Euston, 17.13 & 18.13, do the journey in a shade over 2hours. Next week, 1st - 4th June, the return journey can be made for £20 first class using a voucher (http://www.londonmidland.com/tickets-and-fares/great-escape/) leaving Birmingham on the 7.53 or later. Don't forget too that the Advance single first class fare is £16 for most journeys in either direction...
The Wrexham & Shropshire service first class fare is now fixed at £70 single and £120 return. An Advance single fare is £55 BUT the 17.02 from Tame Bridge Parkway and the 7.33 from Marylebone have a £35 advance single fare.
As for Virgin, use the Virgin Trains only walk-on fares to at least trim back on the astronomical £240 return first class fare. Travelling out and back in a day and splitting the fare at Rugby or Milton Keynes on the relevant hourly services can save around £40. Even splitting the fare at Coventry (and therefore retaining the benefits of the VHF timetable) will save almost £20!
Advance single fares start at £26.50 BUT peak times see them reach £105.50 on certain trains. Interestingly, the 18.50 and 19.10 trains from Birmingham which offer an 'evening meal' service have £35 fares as does the 6.03 'breakfast' train from Euston.
Clearly both the W&S and Virgin are experiencing the same type of traffic flow on their services!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Standard Class
At long last, the bare bones of the standard class site www.birmingham2london.co.uk are in place
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Tuesday / Wednesday 11th / 12th May 2010
Had an overnight stay in London so a chance to experiment with return ticket combinations...
Out on the 11.52 Chiltern service from Snow Hill using the Super off-peak return fare of £19.50. As ever, relatively quiet start so no problems getting a table. On time running. Just so pleasant an experience.
Can back on the 17.13 LondonMidland service from Euston at the LondonMidland Off-peak standard return fare of £29. This train is timed for 2 hours so effectively is as fast as the Chiltern services. Of course, it is a true (fast) commuter train until Northampton so is made up of 12 coaches. Unfortunately, only the front four go through to Birmingham which does mean quite a walk at Euston. The Desiros are ok but basic - definitely feel more spacious than the Pendolinos but the seats and tables are not quite as comfortable as those in a Chiltern Clubman. Although I got a table after Leighton Buzzard, those in standard class don't have power sockets so I had to eek my laptop batter along...
My ticket combination will allow me to travel to London within a month anytime using the 7.53 or later from Birmingham New Street and return if I avoid the evening peak (roughly 4pm to 8pm). 2 return journeys for £48.50 - not too bad...
Out on the 11.52 Chiltern service from Snow Hill using the Super off-peak return fare of £19.50. As ever, relatively quiet start so no problems getting a table. On time running. Just so pleasant an experience.
Can back on the 17.13 LondonMidland service from Euston at the LondonMidland Off-peak standard return fare of £29. This train is timed for 2 hours so effectively is as fast as the Chiltern services. Of course, it is a true (fast) commuter train until Northampton so is made up of 12 coaches. Unfortunately, only the front four go through to Birmingham which does mean quite a walk at Euston. The Desiros are ok but basic - definitely feel more spacious than the Pendolinos but the seats and tables are not quite as comfortable as those in a Chiltern Clubman. Although I got a table after Leighton Buzzard, those in standard class don't have power sockets so I had to eek my laptop batter along...
My ticket combination will allow me to travel to London within a month anytime using the 7.53 or later from Birmingham New Street and return if I avoid the evening peak (roughly 4pm to 8pm). 2 return journeys for £48.50 - not too bad...
Wednesday 5th May 2010
Today's trip to London had to be broken at Coventry on the outward leg so I took advantage of Virgin's extremely cheap First Class Single fare (£4.30) in order to kill an hour of waiting in the New Street First Class lounge. Access to refreshments, papers, and free Wifi make this fare a 'steal'... Note that if you want to top it off with a coffee on the train, you need to be near to the kitchen!
Onwards from Coventry on a mid-morning Pendolino using the £18 advance single standard fare. Good value if you can book far enough ahead to guarantee a table! Alas, the Wifi failed me today (but T-Mobile did not quibble about refunding the charge).
Back on 14.50 Chiltern from Marylebone at the amazing advance single standard fare of £5. Table, space, and reasonable quiet - no wonder I love Chiltern!
Onwards from Coventry on a mid-morning Pendolino using the £18 advance single standard fare. Good value if you can book far enough ahead to guarantee a table! Alas, the Wifi failed me today (but T-Mobile did not quibble about refunding the charge).
Back on 14.50 Chiltern from Marylebone at the amazing advance single standard fare of £5. Table, space, and reasonable quiet - no wonder I love Chiltern!
Thusrday 29th April 2010
Had to be in London early and back relatively late so the speed of the Pendolinos won out over my enthusiasm for Chiltern today.
The 0750 whisked me to Euston for a 9.30 arrival but at a single advance fare of £52.50 from Coventry. One advantage of booking in advance is the guarantee of a table if they are available - if you want to work, this is essential as Pendolino airline seats are not laptop friendly (no space and no power point!). Very busy train, especially from Coventry and then Rugby, which heightened the claustrophobic feel of standard class...at least I was in Coach C near the Shop so had some feeling of space! Talking of the Shop, Virgin have now ceased to take credit / debit cards for Shop transactions.
Back on the 19.43 at a more reasonable advance fare of £18.00. Was able to sign onto the Wifi for £5 - slow but at least it stayed available all the journey! Not nearly as busy as the morning service so a rather more pleasant experience.
The 0750 whisked me to Euston for a 9.30 arrival but at a single advance fare of £52.50 from Coventry. One advantage of booking in advance is the guarantee of a table if they are available - if you want to work, this is essential as Pendolino airline seats are not laptop friendly (no space and no power point!). Very busy train, especially from Coventry and then Rugby, which heightened the claustrophobic feel of standard class...at least I was in Coach C near the Shop so had some feeling of space! Talking of the Shop, Virgin have now ceased to take credit / debit cards for Shop transactions.
Back on the 19.43 at a more reasonable advance fare of £18.00. Was able to sign onto the Wifi for £5 - slow but at least it stayed available all the journey! Not nearly as busy as the morning service so a rather more pleasant experience.
Tuesday 27th April 2010
A straight forward Chiltern there and back, going out on the 8.12 from Snow Hill and returning on the 16.00. Tremendous value at £31.90. Definite plus points: the availablity of tables with power points for passengers starting at Birmingham; reliability and punctuality of the services; friendly staff; and clean trains and toilets. As a freelance who carries his laptop with him, my only real gripe is the loss of my Orange data connection at certain parts of the route (Dorridge - Warwick Parkway; Leamington - Banbury; climbing to Bicester North; Haddenham & Thame Parkway - Princes Risborough).
Wednesday 21st April 2010
Day return journey to London, stopping off at Banbury on the outward leg, saw me leave Snow Hill on the 7.45am departure for Marylebone - somewhat delayed by a broken down LondonMidland train at Acocks Green. After confusion at both Snow Hill and Moor Street over the length of the delay, the ensuing loss of time wasn't too great. As ever, the Chiltern train was busy until Solihull, quiet from Solihull to Warwick Parkway, and then busy once more from there onwards. However, even 'busy' means tables are available to Birmingham - London passengers...
One of the plus points about needing to break my journey at Banbury was an opportunity to catch the 10.04 Wrexham & Shropshire train onto Marylebone. I had had a follow-up letter about Wifi in standard class - basically admitting they were having problems - and I wanted to see if they had been resolved. Alas not, and I see from the web site http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/new-wifi-on-board.php that it is still not an established feature... Still, the quality of travel is amazing for standard class, and the loading from Banbury suggests that more people are cottoning onto this fact.
Back on a mid-afternoon Pendolino using one of the cheap advance Firsts (£26.50). No problems with the free Wifi, nor with the range and service of the refreshments. For speed and efficiency (if not for price), Virgin have got it sussed!
One of the plus points about needing to break my journey at Banbury was an opportunity to catch the 10.04 Wrexham & Shropshire train onto Marylebone. I had had a follow-up letter about Wifi in standard class - basically admitting they were having problems - and I wanted to see if they had been resolved. Alas not, and I see from the web site http://www.wrexhamandshropshire.co.uk/new-wifi-on-board.php that it is still not an established feature... Still, the quality of travel is amazing for standard class, and the loading from Banbury suggests that more people are cottoning onto this fact.
Back on a mid-afternoon Pendolino using one of the cheap advance Firsts (£26.50). No problems with the free Wifi, nor with the range and service of the refreshments. For speed and efficiency (if not for price), Virgin have got it sussed!
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