Train to Worcester

[Mani11]

Hi everyone 😊
I’m planning to travel to Worcester to visit my sister, but I’m on a tight budget and tickets seem quite expensive.
Does anyone have tips for finding cheaper train tickets? I’ve seen some cheaper options on TrainPal, but I’m not sure how reliable it is. Also, some of those journeys have 2 changes with only about 15 minutes between trains, is that enough time to switch, and are trains usually on time?
Any advice or cheaper travel ideas would be really appreciated.
Thank you!

Where are you travelling from?

15 minute changes are a bit tight if the change is at Birmingham, but no issue if you're changing at a small station e.g. University or Bromsgrove.

I buy all my train tickets via TrainPal and there just the same as buying at the station but it finds all the hidden discounts. Often you will get 2 or more tickets for the journey but not even have to get off the train for the next ticket.

If you are booking a long way ahead, the cheaper tickets may not be released yet.
When are you travelling, and where from?
Also, booking directly with any of the train operating companies (you don't have to book with the train company running the train you are travelling on, weirdly) is generally cheaper as they don't charge a booking fee. I never use Trainpal, Trainline or anything similar.

The cheapest tickets go on sale 12 weeks before the travel date. Worcester has 3 different train stations (Foregate St, Shrub Hill, Parkway) so also worth checking if going to a different one is any cheaper! If you’re changing at Birmingham then 15 minutes probably won’t be enough, but would be fine at smaller stations. If you miss a connection due to a delay you can usually claim some money back.

15 minutes is definitely enough if you’re changing at new street. It’s literally a two minute walk between platforms

Look at Split Tickets too. Ie: Two tickets for one overall journey, usually broken at a central hub like Birmingham New Street. One leg might benefit from an offer than doesn’t cover the whole journey (sometimes you have to change seats).

Where are you travelling from?

it tends to be more £ to travel between 7.30 am - 9.30 am, 4pm-6pm and on Fridays.

definitely look at split ticketing sites, big savings dependent on your station of origin @Mani11

Trainsplit, Split my fare & Trainline split

If one of your changes is Birmingham New Street, and you are not familiar with the station, then 15 mins to change might be cutting it fine. It’s a massive station, and I find it quite confusing despite going there 5 or 6 times a year for several years.

Trains aren’t super reliable I find, but when/if delayed, the platform staff are helpful, and some restrictions on when you can use your ticket are lifted. If your train is more than 30 mins late, you get the cost or your ticket back; you get the whole cost back after an hour delay.

15 minutes change at New Street can be very tight but if you head to the B end of the platform and go up the escalator or lifts there they bring you up into the B corridor which connects all the platforms so that can help. If you exit via the A end you end up having to navigate ticket barriers to get out and then another barrier to get back in. The B end is simpler but the corridor is really long

I will travel 3rd may afternoon to Worcester from any station in London and will be back on may 5th afternoon not sure when to buy

You can travel direct to Worcester Shrub Hill from London Paddington. Buy ASAP the tickets will not get any cheaper now. Check apps like Trainline for what times are cheapest.

I'm looking it up on the National Rail website and wow, it's confusing.

On the outward journey screen it's offering return tickets from £33, but when you select one of those and go to the return your screen there are no matching return tickets.

Choose the £54 return ticket on the outward screen, but on the return screen only 2 services (out of many) are offered and the price is now £71.

I've looked at two singles instead. Outward you can get one for £22 but for some reason a single return ticket would be at least £43 or £55. Why is London-Worcester on a Sunday cheap but Worcester-London on a weekday afternoon so much more?

@Mani11 - I would look at getting two singles. The outward journey has more choice for a low price but for the return look at the options with 2 changes - the 14:24 is currently £11.20 and the 15:24 is £22.00. And choose a booking site with no booking fee (eg not Trainline) - look at one of the rail companies.

I'd book on gwr.com (no booking fees) and use the direct route that goes from London Paddington. (Put 'via Evesham' into the search options to limit your search to just this route.) It's usually cheaper than via Birmingham this far from your travel date.

Even on a Sunday, you should be able to find a direct train that takes a little over 2 hours. And as others have said, check you've got the right Worcester station as there's more than one! Book a seat, as it will be busy between London and Oxford.

Trains on that line are sometimes delayed, as they have to wait for one coming the other way to pass through the single track section, but it's not normally too bad.

Unfortunately the best way to get a cheaper ticket is to book further ahead :(

If your sister drives and can pick you up
go to Shrub Hill or Worcester Parkway. I would avoid Foregate Street as it’s located in the middle of the city so parking will be a pain. A good choice if you need to get a bus out of the city centre though as the bus station is a five min walk from Foregate St.

Have a look on The Trainline. Looks like tickets at £45-50 return and that there are frequent direct trains. It’s pricey because it’s short notice on a bank holiday weekend.

If you have a concessionary travel card you may not have to book a ticket from the London border, and vice versa. I have a West Midlands Travel disability card and recently visited London but only had to pay from Coventry onwards. My sister did the same with her senior citizen travel card. If you have a TFL card that might work too.
I've used TrainPal with no issues.

TrainPal also split tickets