Is it more economical to buy a rail pass or individual tickets? Here are our known travel destinations all traveling in September. Manchester Airport to Lichfield. Lichfield to Bath round trip. Lichfield to Oxford round trip. Various other Southern & Western Midlands destinations for day trips from Lichfield. Return to Manchester Airport. Where do I begin to look at rail passes? Are they unlimited travel and open to all destinations? Do I purchase individual tickets to destinations and rail passes are added into the order to save money? Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7545 posts
From Lichfield these are the Rail Rovers which are available- https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/tickets-discounts/ticket-types/rangers-rovers-train-tickets
The Heart of England Rover (valid Crewe to Oxford and Gloucester) will suit your purposes well. Then buy a point to point Oxford or Gloucester to Bath return ticket as an add on- Gloucester to Bath as an Advance Single can be as low as £6 before Railcard discount, or £15.40 flexible single.
From Lichfield to Gloucester you don't have to change at Birmingham New Street- instead you can do a same platform change at University (Birmingham) so it is a very easy journey
You will save 1/3 off all fares (including these rovers) by buying a Two Together Railcard for £30. Thus the £143 Heart of England Rover is £94.35 with a railcard.
From Man Airport to Crewe buy a single fare and use the 1 minute past each hour direct train. It is now 6.53am. There are still advance tickets at £6.90 on the 7.01 train this morning (8 minutes time) and all later trains. Buy from the clerk or the machines on arrival. Worst case you pay full fare of £14.60.
Those fares are before railcard discount- on a weekday that discount starts at 9.30am.
On the way back (when your time is known) Crewe to Man Apt Advance is £5.30 before Railcard discount.
PS- Buy the Heart of England 7 Day Rover on arrival from the ticket office at either Manchester Airport or Crewe, showing your railcard for the discount. As the ticket machines at the Airport are Northern Machines the Rover is even on the machines, and is also on the Avanti machines at Crewe.
You normally have 34 minutes to change at Crewe into the London North Western Trains semi fast Crewe to London Euston Train.
In normal circumstances that always leaves from Platform 7, and the train to and from the Airport arrives on Platform 1. Northbound you have 22 minutes to change.
There is a footbridge at the south end of Platform 1 which will take you straight over to the bookstall and coffee hut right beside Platform 7. A very easy change.
At Crewe board the Lichfield bound train towards the front. At Lichfield Trent Valley you will arrive at the Low Level Station. Just go up the stairs towards the south end of the platform for the High Level platform for trains to Lichfield City (they start here).
Or cross over to the northbound low level platform for a taxi or for the half hourly bus into the City Centre.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks so much for the detailed reply! I’ll use these tips and be on my way.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Hello, I have identified a bit more of our itinerary. Would you please confirm I'm on the right track in comparing Point to Point pricing to a Heart of England 7 Day Rover below? I'm sorry the headings don't track well, copying from .xls. I hope you get the gist.
If there is an email I can attach the .xls to let me know. Thanks!
Date From To One Way Round Trip Price Add RC 1/3 off XX
Point to Point
18-Sep Manch Lichfield X 40.30
20-Sep Lichfield Bath X 58.80
23-Sep Bath Lichfield
25-Sep Lichfield Oxford X 48.20
Subtotal 147.30 With RC: 103.11
Heart of England 7-Day Rover
18-Sep Manch Crewe X 5.30 3.71
18-Sep Crewe Lichfield X Rover
20-Sep Lichfield Gloucester X Rover
20-Sep Gloucester Bath X 6.00 4.20
23-Sep Bath Gloucester X 6.00 4.20
23-Sep Gloucester Lichfield X Rover
25-Sep Lichfield Oxford X Rover
*Rover Price w/RC 94.35 94.35
111.65 With RC: 106.46
Posted by
Lake District, England
7545 posts
To be reviewed later when on the laptop.
This kind of detail is almost impossible to handle on the phone as I am now.
Two initial thoughts - the railcard reduction is colloquially cited as 1/3. It is actually 34% then rounded to the nearest 5 pence, almost always rounded in your favour, so it is sometimes 34.0x %.
Manchester Airport to Lichfield City any time fare- The prudent traveller would always split that across Crewe- that is £14.60 + £24.40= £39.
In truth you simply would not pay £39 or £40.30 ever. As there are always last minute Advance Fares available for MAN to Crewe. I am looking now, even at 1715 (when I first looked tonight) at the height of the weekday peak they are still there until literally two minutes before departure at £6.90 or £9.90. The price varies but still there. So an exact price can't be tied down for Crewe to Lichfield. However before railcard reductions it will be somewhere between £30 and £34
Posted by
Lake District, England
7545 posts
Point to Point Flexible fares-
18 September Manchester Airport to Lichfield Trent Valley or City £40.40 or £26.65 with railcard (but see above re- this journey);
20 to 23 September Lichfield to Bath Anytime period return £160.80/£106.10 or £78.80/£52 for travel after 0930 (which I assume you will do)
25 September Lichfield to Oxford £52.90/£34.90
TOTAL £181.10 or £113.65 + £30 railcard cost= £143.65
All these fares are per person
Point to Point Advance Fares
18 September as above
20 September £29.40/£19.40 each
23 September ditto
25 September £24.10/£15.90 each
TOTAL- £123.20 without railcard; £81.35 + £30 Railcard cost= £111.35
With rail rover-
18 Sep Manchester Airport to Crewe (but see caveat above re late Advance Fares)- £14.60/£9.60
Heart of England Rail Rover £143/£94.35
20 Sep Gloucester to Bath £15.40/£10.15 Flexible Single or £6/£3.95 Advance Single
23 Sep ditto
TOTAL £188.40 or £165.50 (Flexible/Advance) OR with railcard £129.25 /£111.85 + £30 Railcard Cost= £159.25/£141.85
I've done the summations by mental arithmetic so I sure hope they are right.