Megatrain

A question about : Megatrain

Update Note 1 June 2006:

Virgin Trains (Cross Country) is now also providing Megatrain routes. Stops include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Carlisle.

Official Insert:

Megatrain has just expanded its routes. As well as Portsmouth and Southampton you can now also book tickets to London Waterloo travelling from Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Weymouth and Yeovil.

Back to the original post......

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Megatrain will be starting to do off-peak single fares between London and Portsmouth/Southampton from £1 single (plus 50p booking fee) from 14th November.

Unfortunately, these are the only routes mentioned at the moment, but hopefully they will add more in future.

Bookings must be made online or by phone. However, phone bookings are via an 0900 premium-rate 60p/min phoneline, so you're much better off booking online!

See the Megatrain website for more info. There's also an item about the offer on the BBC News website here.

Money Man Steve

Best answers:

• The Megatrain service starts next week - I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has bought a ticket and travels with them.
  At Ј1 single it's almost worth finding an excuse to travel down to the coast for a day out...!
• I've got a day off work in a few weeks time so I've booked myself a little trip up to London. Travelling up from Southampton to Waterloo and back again. Ј2.50... what a bargain!!!!!!!!!!
  Apparently megatrain is a trial at the moment but let's hope they make it a bit more permanent. Trains are too expensive and this will encourage more of us to use them.
• I may be being stupid. But when im entering dates that i would like to travel the return train leaves before the inward bound one arrives!!
  Also couldnt find any journeys for Ј1. Sorry i might be being dumb!
• Anyone actually travelled on a Megatrain cheap fare yet? What was it like?
• Megatrain's just added new routes. As well as Portsmouth and Southampton you can now also book tickets to London Waterloo travelling from Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Weymouth and Yeovil
• I've travelled on a Megabus from Dundee to London and back for Ј1 each way plus 50p booking fee on the total.
  The bus that arrived in Dundee was a 1989 Leyland Olympian double decker. It was filled to the gunwales, horrendously noisy and full of diesel fumes. I considered not getting on but it transpired this bus was only going to Glasgow. Some people had been on the Olympian from Inverness or Aberdeen! (can't remember which). The trip to Glasgow was as harrowing as you'd expect but then we were put on a brand new Neoplan coach that was so quiet and smooth that you had to look out of the window to tell you were moving. There were no stops between Glasgow and London, except briefly for the drivers to swap over (this used to be done on the move but you can't do that sort of thing nowadays). One of the drivers, called Magic Joe (!) proudly announced that we'd arrived at London half an hour early- around 6am. Thanks Joe, I really needed another 30 minutes waiting for stuff to open.
  The return journey was on a 1999 Neoplan, which was still quite decent but the driver couldn't turn the heating off. This journey was through the day and there were a couple of rest stops and a half hour wait in Glasgow before the same bus continued to Dundee.
  I got where I was going, and back, but I don't think I'd do it again. The total journey time was an entire day out of a weekend. I certainly wouldn't pay much more than the Ј1 fare, once you get into double figures it's edging into train fare territory- a much more civilised way to travel. I reckoned it wasn't much slower than flying though, once you take the faffing around that flying involves into consideration.
  I don't think my Megabus experience was any the worse for being cheap. I went to London on a Bluebird coach in 1981 and I don't remember that being significantly better. You are sacrificing flexibility for cost, if what they offer fits what you want it's a bargain. If it doesn't it isn't.
• This looks EXCELLENT.
  Ive used megaBUS before once london to bristol ( perfectly acceptable) a few weeks ago london ot bournemouth ( shambolic going there, fine coming back) and to be fair you cant grumble at the pric can you. this train looks fantastic. One of the downers of megabus is the random drop off points ( bournemouth in particular) but the train wont have this problem! Were booking it, any excuse to go back to the inlaws!! 4.00 each way im getting quoted for later this month. Superb!
• Not sure what you mean by random drop off points.
  The University is eminently sensible and using the Triangle is low cost whereas, presumably, there is a charge for using the Transport Interchange at Bournemouth Railway Sttaion
• Does anyone know if the train from Waterloo to Portsmouth stops at Haslemere and can you get off here with the Ј1 fare?
  Thanks
  Mental Mentor
• I think the t&cs say you can get charged a penalty fare for doing that. What I would do is buy the cheap fare to the nearest stop and then buy a single from the nearest stop to where you want to get off. They can't moan at that
• It's always the same old story with these Deals and Offers.
  The secret is always Booking early. I tried the Megatrain Site, and booked Three Weeks in advance. No problem....,I got some very good offers from here in Bournemouth. Hope They keep it going !........................Patlad.
• Are you guranteed a seat though. A friend on a recent journey from Exeter said people paying even normal full fare had to stand all the way to London!!
  I could not stand that.
• Thanks for this. I am from Southampton so its a good excuse to London on the train. I normally drive because of the stupid train costs but £2.50 return is a bargain
  Train prices are just crazy, my sister paid £80 to go from Southampton to North Wales!
• Just booked Exeter/London for Ј4.50 + 50p booking charge. We don't often get cheap fares from this part of the country!
• pretty pointless if you live in the north east :rolleyes:
• Not if you live in Morpeth, Alnmouth or Berwick and want to go to Edinburgh.