31 Dec 2016

A question about : Do train fares shoot up two weeks before travel?

I'm travelling from Manchester to London on 30 January and a while ago bought an advance ticket. My plans have now changed and I need to travel earlier in the day (planning to leave Manchester between approximately 8 and 9). I've been having a few problems doing so online and have e-mailed back and forth with the customer service for the website (who say I can amend the ticket and should have a button/link to click on to do so.)

Yesterday, I looked on line and some tickets within my timeframe were 40 pounds, some 80 pounds so I thought I need to get this resolved within the next few days or the 40 pound tickets will sell out and those journeys will go up to 80 instead. This morning I went online, intending to ring the website to get this resolved once and for all but I found that tickets for all the early journeys suddenly cost over a hundred pounds!

I can't imagine there has been a sudden massive run on tickets for every train journey in less 24 hours so do ticket prices increase massively a fortnight before travel?

I can't afford these prices so I'm guessing I now have to just write off the money I spent on the original ticket and see if there are any (horrible) overnight buses I can take down to London title=Frown

Best answers:

  • ...Replying to myself. The first class fares are still 70 pounds (although I don't know for how long!)...but can I change my class of ticket as well as the time of travel?
    My original ticket was 25 pounds and the admin fee to make changes is 10 pounds so essentially I would have 15 pounds credit if I was able to use it against a new ticket.
  • The National Express website is finding no journeys for Manchester to London on that date so that doesn't even seem to be an option either which is odd (and worrying!)
  • https://www.eastcoast.co.uk/ still shows Ј70 first class single tickets between 8 and 9
  • Hi,
    Nat Ex,
    08:00
    30/01/15 MANCHESTER (Coach Station) LONDON (Victoria Coach Station) 13:20
    30/01/15 5h 20m 0 info Ј6.99
    Megabus,
  • Departs 08:40 Manchester , Shudehill Interchange, Stand G
    Arrives 13:30 London , Victoria Coach Station
  • 4hrs 50mins
  • 1
  • Ј5.00
Category: 
Public Transport & Cycling
  • 231 reads
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