How do you get the cheap tickets on East Midlands Trains

[johncas]

You know East Midlands Trains say you can get a return ticket to London for £19 or so how do you get those tickets I want to book to go to London on Saturday 6th Sept that date has just become available on the online booking service but the cheapest fare I can get for 3 people is £130 im booking 3 months in advance or do you have to book earlier to get the cheap tickets if so how as the online booking system only let's you book 3 months in advance

[jbilton]

Hi
If you find out......... let us know....... as I think they're well hidden and only available at 0200hrs on a wet wednesday........or something similar.
I was looking for the £9 fares from Nottingham (as advertised) and the closest I could find , at reasonable time, was £15.
Cheers
Jon

[johncas]

How did you get the £15 fare I want to travel to London and back at arround 8-9am in the morning on a saturday which is not classified as peak times the best fare I can get for one person is £46 return and for 3 people is £146 and there surposed to do a group save for 3 people I have seen the £9 fare advertised on a bill board

If you leave after peak hours you not getting much time in London if going for a day trip and if you go before peak times you getting up and leaving to early you get in to London before everything opens

[phat2003uk]

John

Are the fares being quoted for you Saver Returns or Advance tickets? If you're only being given Savers, you need to wait a while longer for advance tickets to become available.

[dggar]

There is a site called Megatrain which is similiar to Megabus which works for TOCs linked with Stagecoach. I believe this covers the midland mainline and SWT.

[JSReeves86]

You have to book for off peak travel to get the cheapest fares, which to be fair isnt too bad as all other TOCs do it (Peak/Off Peak fares are different) If you can be flexible about time of day you travel you can get some very cheap fares. Me and my girlfriend have just got a pair of 1st class return from Sheffield to St Pancras on the 10:27 on a Wednesday and return on the 12:25 the following Monday for a total of £55 so about £27.50 each return.

JR

[jbilton]

Hi
Yes my post was a little 'tongue in cheek'........ as I believe that there are no really cheap fares on Saturdays and Sundays.
I think off peak is Monday to Thursday.......... and then after 10am and before 3pm.
Basically this translated to only 1 suitable train to London, and 2 suitable return trains.
My dad eventually travelled ECML, which only cost an extra £10.
Not related but my son took 5 and a half hours to get to London on Sunday, and that was at business rates.
These privatised railways are really doing a wondrous job............. well for their shareholders.
Cheers
Jon

[dkightley]

Try looking for single fares each way, rather than returns.....



EDIT.....just looked myself, and the answer is "You can't!"

Their "simplification of the number of tickets" exercise was to scythe the cheap tickets out of the range.....leaving it expensive to use the trains!!!!

[250787]

Just looking on August 9th (which is a saturday). It is £7 on the 06:55 from Leicester arriving in London for 08:21. Later trains are £14 single. Return are also available for £7 or £11. It looks like advance fares are not available for September 6th yet

[allypally]

Sometimes it works, sometimes not - I recently managed Wolverhampton to Exmouth return for £55 quid - for 7 of us. Travelling on a Saturday both ways during the height of the summer season *shrug*

[JSReeves86]

Try looking for single fares each way, rather than returns.....



EDIT.....just looked myself, and the answer is "You can't!"

Really? Thats what I did

[emrhd01]

They are available, my wife and I have just travelled from Nottingham to London, going on Thursday June 12th and returning Saturday June 14, booked as Singles at £7.00 each way (You won't get Return tickets for anything near that price) and there was only 2 stops in each direction, a very good service in my opinion.

We also travelled Nottingham to Luton (£7 single) as well in April this year, search and you will find.

I still cannot get my head around how it is far cheaper to purchase two single tickets than one Return ticket, but if that's the way to play the game and save money, then I'm quite prepared to do it.

[dkightley]

dkightley wrote:
Try looking for single fares each way, rather than returns.....



EDIT.....just looked myself, and the answer is "You can't!"



Really? Thats what I did

Just to clarify my edit......I looked at a few websites and couldn't get any cheap tickets....not that I couldn't look for two singles!

[johncas]

Anyone know when the advance fares for sat 6th sept are likely to become available I want to get in there first

[JSReeves86]

They are already availble, I have just looked and found a £9 single Sheffield - London