Rail fares - how does this work then...?

[Puggit]

Reading to Liverpool Street - £75 peak 1st class

Reading to Harlow Town (via Liverpool Street) - £60.80 peak 1st class

Only discovered by accident, as I had a meeting near L'pool St this morning and travelled on to Harlow this afternoon.

[cazzer]

Bet yer not allowed to use that ticket to get on at Liverpool St on yer way back.

[N24]

Very common - try Reading-Swansea - about £280, but Reading>Swindon>Swansea is about £110. Train Operators spot the 'high value' journeys & profit accordingly.

[AlexKP]

No-one knows how the train fares system works. It is a mystery deliberately perpetrated by the train operators.

I had to use the train from Milton Keynes to Birmingham last week. I was given one price on the website - which wouldn't accept a payment for some reason. Then was charged an entirely different price at the station.

[G'kar]

Redhill to Wimbledon via Clapham Junction is cheaper than Redhill to CJ alone.

Pop out for a smoke while waiting for the next train...

[Bec]

There used to be all sorts of funny rules like that - there was one that if you travelled from Shotton (small village in Flintshire) to London, fare was much lower than if you travelled from Liverpool to London. If you knew about it, you could buy a Shotton London return, and a Liverpool Crewe return (Crewe is where the two routes meet) for less than a Liverpool London return.

I was told at the time it was something to do with the ex British Steel plant there, but that could be a complete myth

[LeoSayer]

A return train journey from London to Den Haag for 2 adults and a kid in economy class = £500.

No f***ing way.

Edited by LeoSayer on Wednesday 11th March 21:39

[BigBen]

Gatwick to Victoria always used to be more than Crawley to Gatwick despite being two stops nearer. Might still be haven't done either journey for years.

Ben