Looking at train fares from London King Cross to Edinburgh Waverly, I see that single fares are about 27 pounds (so 54 pounds if I buy two singles, one for each direction) but return fares are 171 pounds, for the same travel dates and times. Am I missing something? Or should I just shrug, buy two singles, and enjoy the trip? I'm looking at fares at http://nationalrail.co.uk/ Thanks.
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
UK train fares are weird and wonderful. Check for restrictions on the singles. if you're happy with what you see, buy them.
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
Check the fares on the lines that run the route. East Coast Line is the principal carrier between London and Edinburgh and I've found the prices on their website is sometimes significantly less that what is on nationalrail. Of course, the best fare to/from may be on different lines. 27 GBP sounds high for tickets bought significantly in advance. Are you getting tickets less than a month out. If so, all bets are off.
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, NC, USA
44 posts
Ken: it's actually 27 GBP for myself and my daughter, each way.
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, NC, USA
44 posts
Ken: it's actually 27 GBP for myself and my daughter, each way.
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
I went to the East Coast web site and put in various dates. I didn't see a specific difference for one way versus round trips but there are some oddities on some travel dates. Low cost tickets are available on some dates and not others even 2 months out. If your dates aren't flexible you get what's available. FWIW - My wife and I have tickets from Waverley to York and then on to Kings Cross two days later in September. The total cost for both of us is 45.60 GBP. These were purchased about a week ago. You might want to check if you can get cheaper tickets to cities along the way, get off and then board a second train to London. They may be gouging the Edinburgh / London route. Lunch in Durham or York could be a nice break especially if East Coast pays for it with cheaper tickets. Again FWIW - I've seen 50 GBP flights from Edinburgh to London. I don't know if that's an option. Personally, I'd rather take the train. I just realized from another post you made that your trip is in November. The discount tickets aren't on sale yet so the pricing you are seeing isn't correct. Wait until the discount tickets go on sale. The November discounts should be better than what you are seeing now.
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
JH - As Ken has said November fare pricing is not out yet. What you can do is go to eastcoast.co.uk and make pseudo trips. Currently booking a trip from London - Ediburgh traveling on Sept 14, the fares are as low as £16.50. Also keep in mind that these fares are non-transferable and non-refundable. Also, what time does you plan arrive in London?
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
Other train lines besides East Coast serve Edinburgh so its probably best to start on the Nation Rail site. I did see a differences between what Nation Rail shows and what I actually paid on the East Coast site. It was actually a couple of pounds lower. On the week of 19 Sept the train prices have really jumped up. It's even worse than during the Festival. Anybody have a guess as to the cause?