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What happened to 2nd class?

Posted by (Seattle) on

I started looking at train ticket from London to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Inverness and Inverness to Edinburgh about three weeks ago. At that time I found quite reasonable prices in second class. Now all I'm seeing is first class at high rates.

Is this due to that the less $$$ fares have sold out?

I am needing tickets for September. The fares for that time are not released yet and the ones I was looking at were for April or May to give me an idea of what I would end up paying. At what point will those fares be released? Are the second class fares available to reserve now and you gamble on the price?

I would really rather not pay $200 for a train ticket to Edinburgh. I can fly from London to Dublin then Dublin to Edinburgh for half that. I would much prefer the train for several reasons, but at the rates I'm seeing at the moment I can't afford it.

Any advice on how to get a lower train fare?

Posted by
8700 posts

The key to getting discount fares is to book 30-90 days in advance.

The fare for London-Edinburgh during the day can be as low as £14 by booking at www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com.

The fare for Bargain Berths on the London-Edinburgh Caledonian Sleeper (First ScotRail trains) can be as low as £19. See www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/content/caledoniansleeper/index.php.

The fare for Edinburgh-Inverness can be as low as £10 when booked on the First ScotRail site.

Posted by
281 posts

On the National Rail Enquires site, www.nationalrail.co.uk which lists all services, they schedules and tickets are released 12 weeks in advance. I have been looking at the fares for my trip from London to Edinburgh on June 25th, and the cheapest fare is 15.70 pounds. I have to wait until April 2nd to buy them because that is when the tickets will be available.

Also, a friend of mine in Scotland says that you have to check the prices of booking several one-way tickets as it is often cheaper than a return ticket, or in your case a multiple stop ticket.

Good Luck.

Kevin

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