Trains to London

[Onacuctustree]

I live on a mainline to London.
I want to book a train for the week after next.
There is nothing.
Apps I have tried,the Trainline, Avanti..
What is going on?
Is it because of strikes,so trains might be there if I just show up?
Or are they full?
Shouldn't it be quite easy to get a train to the capital city with 2 weeks advance notice?

Since you give so little information in your post, I’ve searched on my usual app for trains from my own hometown to London on a randomly chosen day for week commencing 24th October. Plenty of trains.

I can't stand London. I resent every few months I have to go there for work. It has dirty, toxic air you can hardly breathe in and too many rude people shoving past you all the time. OP don't just "show up" expecting to get on a train - if you try and sneak on without buying a ticket and found out, they could make you pay an on-the-spot fine but you could also get arrested for it.

Are you on the West Coast Main Line? Manchester - London? It's a farce, total carnage on that line. Very likely you can't get book a train 2 weeks ahead. A lot to do with the fact we have a totally inept government in charge.

Assume it’s Avanti West Coast? They suspended ticket sales beyond something like a week in advance and reduced services due to staffing issues (mismanagement). www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63169383.amp

@Keyansier How silly. You can always get on a train and just pay the fare when you get on. It’s not sneaking on at all.

What a bizarre post. The op wasn’t asking for opinions on whether or not she SHOULD go to London

also it’s pretty obvious she didn’t mean she’d try to sneak onto a train 🙄 she meant turn up, but a ticket at the station on the day and hope there is a train at the platform.

Yes. West coast line.
I just don't understand how it's come to not being able to get to London.

And obviously I wont be sneaking into a train..
Some people...

Their business model relies on the goodwill of the staff. Which they have totally lost through their ineptitude and refusal to invest in staff recruitment. The DfT should have stepped in long ago but then their model relies on driving down costs when franchises are renewed. Vicious downward spiral.

It’s a complete bugger. Especially when virgin west coast (Pepsi aside) was a very functional service.

but they lost to avanti on cost grounds and now we have carnage…

Nowhere did Op suggest that she was going to fare dodge.

Not sure how useful a post is saying how much you hate London either 😂

I've been trying to do similar, OP. Impossible. Looks like my only option would be to across go to Leeds and down from there, unless I wanted to take a chance on the day of there being a train at a price I could afford. Booking a seat - well, forget it.

The poster who said "plenty of trains" where they live, as well - well that's lovely for you, but it's absolute carnage on West Coast at the moment. People simply can't plan ahead to travel. No need to try and belittle the OPs very real experience.

West coast is an utter disaster. Avanti have recently had their contract extended until April. God knows why.

Strange response. OP wasn't asking about if London was worth the trip, or suggesting she got on a train without a ticket.

Are you okay?

Yes, you just can’t rely on the trains on the West Coast Line at the moment. Another triumph for privatisation.

Is it Avanti West Coast, and you want to travel in the last week of October (23rd onwards)?
I'm having the same problem, but phoned them yesterday and was assured that tickets for that week will finally be available to buy from about 12 noon today.
Yes, absolutely shockingly bad level of service, I don't get why their contract's been extended either. Roll on total nationalisation...

Avanti is part-owned by the Italian Government - why not give them a call?

@MrsFezziwig is that the Avanti service on the west coast mainline? Because if so it's been a shitshow for ages and there's often nothing to book, just wondering what you're using if you can book them.

You can get to London
Avanti trains are running but you can only book until the end of October, they release later weeks every week or so
Services were 1 an hour with 2/3 at peak time, now it's returning to 2 an hour, hopefully more soon. Avanti are a shower of shit who need their contract ending but there are trains
www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/plan-your-journey/timetables#table
The only thing to add is since the pandemic there have never been many advance tickets and the ones they do aren't as cheap as they used to be.
OP this has been all over the news and on the Avanti website if you'd bothered to look

Avanti West Coast needs to be taken over. Careful if you do buy tickets from them. Do so via PayPal. If the train doesn’t go, which it won’t, they are supposed to refund. But they don’t and it’s impossible to get in contact with them. I escalated a payPal dispute who immediately sent it to a claim so I could get the money. Avanti aren’t even responding to PayPal.

Something is up with some routes. Trainline we couldn’t seem to find kent-London at all the other day.
south eastern though was selling direct

Really? I will be on at noon then!
Thank you.

It used to be great when virgin had the line but has steadily gone down hill. Never as bad as it is now though.
Thankfully I don't have to use it for work purposes anymore..it would be an utter nightmare.

🤣🙄

Yes we've had the same problem. It makes planning and budgeting very difficult indeed and hugely discourages us from using a service that used to be fantastic.