Flabbergasted at cost of train tickets from London to Manchester!

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Is there some sort of trick? I need to be in Manchester for about 11am on a weekday. Didn't realise I'd have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it .

Is it short notice, often the further in advance you book the cheaper it is. Have you tried looking at internal flights to Manchester airport?

Bibbers you're not wrong. If there's a trick I want to know it too.

The trick is booking in advance, they usually release train timetables 3 months in advance, you want to be buying your ticket for 7+ weeks away.

I did a provisional search for the 1st of may on the train line and there’s tickets coming up for £36/38 that would get you there for 11am. If you could be flexible on arrival there’s a £24 ticket that gets in at 12:27.

Only ‘trick’ is to book 3 months in advance which obviously doesn’t work out for most : many journies. Being prepared to change may help. If we go via Leeds rather than Manchester - we always have to do 2 trains - it is lots cheaper usually.

If you are in a union and can do an overnight check out if they have a London based hotel. Ours did and for an all day event / morning meeting it was cheaper to go down night before and stay there. Meant coming back off peak travel the next day too - so early afternoon or late but much cheaper and you get a leisurely start to the day. Sometimes even deals on travelodge type places better.

We live near Manchester and can get a direct train to London in 2 hours. Perfect for a day trip with the DC. Except we have never done this as it would cost at least £250 on the train. You have looked far in advance, different days and times. Still extortionate.

We, not you!

My trick is to have a family railcard and always travel with a child! It's ridiculous that it's half the price to travel with my child than on my own.

Have you tried split-ticketing? It can often be cheaper to buy the journey in stages, particularly if you are heading to London in 'peak' hours.

You can sometimes work it out yourself by playing around with the standard booking websites, but this website does it for you: www.splitticketing.com

I presume you are travelling solo, but if not it could be worth getting a 'family and friends' (if travelling with under 16s) railcard or 'two together' railcard just for one journey.

You're all welcome to borrow my children to get cheaper train tickets. 🤣

You could always get the coach which would be much cheaper.

I've been waiting months for a Virgin Trains sale for tickets between both cities but nothing's come up so far - hope they haven't axed it!

If cost is a big hurdle is it worth considering a coach journey? Can be very reasonable although it’s pot luck if the arrival times work with your plans. Try mega bus/national express.

Rail travel is only cheap if you book months in advance unfortunately!

You could always get the coach which would be much cheaper.

Depends on what time you need to be at the destination. If it's quite early it may be that you'd need to go the day before if using the coach and then shell out for lodging.

I'm going at the end of March. Unfortunately I'm not Mystic Meg and couldn't have known months in advance. I'm going with a young adult to have a look at an educational institution .

Thanks for the tip @isitheck!

I know, we had to get from London to Glasgow a couple of years ago, and the price of train tickets was eye-watering.
In the end, two of us flew from Luton to Glasgow and back, and paid for a night in a hotel, and still had change left over from what one train ticket would have cost.

Is there a flight from London to Manchester? Low cost airlines definitely are cheaper than trains for us, going from Scotland to London.

A couple of months ago, I had bought a ticket two weeks in advance. I was due to travel from London to Manchester with a reserved seat . Due to work complications screw ups I had to get on the train at a different station . Think , I wanted to go from A to D and would of travelled through B &C but due to mix up I had to get on the train at B . Apparently my ticket was not valued from that station , so I had to pay £90 for another ticket. My original ticket cost £42. I was so cross.

Are you looking at return tickets? I used to do that journey regularly and two fixed time tickets (ie one for each way) was usually less than half the price of a return, especially if one way you will be at peak time and one way off peak.

Being prepared to change may help. If we go via Leeds rather than Manchester - we always have to do 2 trains - it is lots cheaper usually

Bloody hell, it must be expensive if going via Leeds is cheaper. Every time I look for a Leeds to London day trip fair, I'm shocked at the cost.

Only ‘trick’ is to book 3 months in advance which obviously doesn’t work out for most : many journies

The train is never going to be a viable alternative to the car while it is so ridiculously expensive and it has to be booked so far in advance with no flexibility so you can't get your money back if plans change.

An appropriate railcard, such as two together might be worth it, or flying or driving, even if you have to hire a car might work out cheaper.

Prices are mad. I can get from Preston to Edinburgh for around £22 return quite often and at short notice, I've even booked the night before when I've had a day off mid week but going to London is crazy money..
I laugh that I've paid £28 return to Malaga from Liverpool two weeks ago but that wouldn't have got me to Birmingham!!

It annoys me that I’m not eligible for a Railcard. My son, in his early 20s has far more disposable income and benefits from one yet those of us who are over 25 and are raising families, paying mortgages and bills etc can’t get one. I know that they’re available for families and two travelling together but they’re obviously restrictive and for a person travelling on their own there’s nothing.

I laugh that I've paid £28 return to Malaga from Liverpool two weeks ago but that wouldn't have got me to Birmingham

And I think there is £26 of taxes in that £28, so there was £2 of actual fare, which probably wouldn't get you on a bus to the next town.

Stansted airport from Tottenham hale is 22 return.

Actually, I think it's £28. Somebody might clarify.
In any case you're not flying into London. You're flying into London +1