New fares structure to/from London with Chiltern

[whole diary]

[Westernchallenger]

Talking of fares, currently you can travel from Marylebone to Moor St for as little as ^5 advance purchase single on off-peak trains. From the start of the new timetable and the simplification of ticketing, all off-peak trains are now ^24.90 single. I can clearly see the benefits of fares simplification.....to Chiltern!

[paul7575]

I think this could be because people are assuming Chiltern are doing away with Advance fares, following a recent Evening Standard article that basically treated the current fare names (ie Anytime, Offpeak and Super Offpeak) as 'news'...

As the new timetable starts outside their booking window (Aug 14th for weekdays because of the blockade) there is no way of knowing what Advance fares will be available.

Paul

[Btline]

Chiltern leads rail industry with fares simplification
Chiltern Railways today became the first rail company to respond to calls by rail passengers and Government that train fares are too complex with a dramatic restructuring and simplification of their fares.
The radical changes have been introduced for the launch of their new Mainline service between Birmingham and London in September and aligns with the recent McNulty recommendations.
The company has borrowed from well established practices in the retail sector and deliberately chosen price points that passengers will be able to remember - and applied them to an entire region.
Standing out amid the complexity of ticketing from other operators will be three, highly memorable price points for all its key West Midlands stations to London that includes a price cut of ^10 for the most flexible ticket.
The new, on the day, return fares between Birmingham and London will be as follows:
^75 Any train, any day
^50 Any train, any day except trains arriving in London during the morning peak period
^25 Any train, any day except trains arriving in London during the morning peak period or leaving London during the afternoon peak period
These fares will apply from all Chiltern^s West Midlands stations from Birmingham Moor Street via Solihull through to Warwick Parkway. Passengers will no longer need to remember a whole series of different prices if they sometimes use different stations and the add-on for a London travelcard (covering the tube) will always be ^5, instead of varying by ticket type as it does today.
Passengers will be delighted to hear that the cheapest ^25 return ticket will now be valid for more of the day than ever before, an additional 1.5 hours London bound and an additional 5.5 hours towards Birmingham. Passengers will now be able to travel on any train arriving into London after 1130 and those travelling north will just need to avoid the 4pm to 7pm peak on weekdays.
There is no need to book any of these tickets in advance, with them all available on the day via ticket office or mobile app.
Perhaps most dramatically of all, as part of this new approach Chiltern have cut the peak fare from most stations from ^85 to ^75. This follows criticism of train companies that the steep fall in train pricing after the end of the evening peak encourages overcrowding and that peak fares are too high.
Chiltern^s peak fare will now be virtually half that of the Virgin route into Euston - coupled with fastest trains having near equivalent journey times; just 90 minutes from Birmingham and 1hr 10 minutes from Warwick Parkway.
Former CBI Director General and regular Warwick Parkway passenger Lord Digby Jones said, ^At last a train company has woken up and started treating passengers like customers. And it comes as no surprise to me that this innovative way of charging comes from one of the few train operators by whom you can virtually set your watch. Reliability and easy to understand fares which are value-for-money, now that^s how 21st rail travel should be! A cut in peak fares can only be the right thing to do at a time of slow economic growth, and the use of simple, memorable fares is something that most of the rest of the world started doing hundreds of years ago. It^s great to see the great British railway finally moving into the modern world.^
Thomas Ableman, Director at Chiltern Railways, commented, ^Passengers tell us they want fast trains, free wifi and a simple pricing structure that they can understand. We^ve developed Chiltern Mainline to deliver all of these things.
^We believe that customers shouldn^t be held to ransom by extortionate walk up fares or held captive in stations with an endless wait until the ever-extending evening peak is over. Our new fares are a commitment to customers to avoid unnecessary complexity and make it easier for them to travel.^
Advance tickets will still be available, but Chiltern will not be promoting them as heavily in the future.
Thomas Ableman explained ^Passengers told us that adverts saying ^from ^ were confusing ^ as it wasn^t clear when those tickets were actually available. That is why we have focused on a range of easily understandable tickets that are available on the day, every day and in unlimited numbers.^

Reduction of peak fare - good
Reduction of Super Off Peak period - good
Increase in off peak fare - bad, but they still have Advances from ^5.
And no sign of evening peak restrictions - good

The 6.07pm will have a relief service making more stops south of Banbury (as there is now) - thats how Chiltern manage overcrowding - they run more trains.

[Lee]

I have a question for Thomas Ableman - When are you going to give Btline a job?

You cant say he hasn't earned it 

[JayMac]

Increase in off peak fare - bad,

Very bad. The Off Peak Return route: High Wycombe will be ^50.00 which will be more expensive than the route: Any Permitted at ^44.30.

Under the rules of impartial retailing Chiltern won't actually be allowed to sell their route: High Wycombe fare at times of the day when the route: Any Permitted is also valid.

[Btline]

So it'll be cheaper on Virgin at Off Peak times?

[Ollie]

^25 Any train, any day except trains arriving in London during the morning peak period or leaving London during the afternoon peak period

And no sign of evening peak restrictions - good

They do - but they classed it as afternoon.

[ChrisB]

Reduction of peak fare - good

Down by 11.7%, BUT.....

Increase in off peak fare - bad, but they still have Advances from ^5.

UP by 51.5%!!! And no, they won't still have ^5 advances. Thomas Ableman said in a Tweet the Manager that they would be dearer, and not pushed as hard as they are now.

Reduction of Super Off Peak period - good

How do you work that out, because they currently cost.....^25. So it's no change, but with longer validity.

BUT this fare now being the regulated fare, it has to be available at 1900. The 1900 to Birmingham is currently a heavily used business train. The current first train for Super off-peak (2000 to Kidderminster) is also a very heavily used leisure train, just because it's the first train this ticket is available on. Move that restriction to 1900 & we're going to see two trains-worth of passenges on the 1900. Season ticket hiolders are going to be well pissed off - but hey, Chiltern don't care as they've already got our money!

And no sign of evening peak restrictions - good

Which again pisses off the season ticket holders when families take up all the seats in the school holidays (and they're on Groupsave, so some aren't paying at all!)

The 6.07pm will have a relief service making more stops south of Banbury (as there is now) - thats how Chiltern manage overcrowding - they run more trains.

Said by someone who so obviously has NO or extremely little experience on Chiltern!
Everyone goes for their fastest train, running another behind with more stops is no relief. Would you get on a stopper to Reading, for example?....no, nor would I....and Chiltern is no different.

Until they bring in more loco & coaches, they are unable to carry any more pax except during the middle of the day & late at night, again similarly to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

Would you be pleased if they removed the peak restrictions out of PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)?....do you think you'd get a seat if they did? So why do you think its good if Chiltern contine to have no peak restrictions? As someone who regularly uses them - they need restrictions between 1630 and 1831 currently, and probably 1601 to 1900 during the school holidays!

[ChrisB]

Very bad. The Off Peak Return route: High Wycombe will be ^50.00 which will be more expensive than the route: Any Permitted at ^44.30.

Under the rules of impartial retailing Chiltern won't actually be allowed to sell their route: High Wycombe fare at times of the day when the route: Any Permitted is also valid.

Interesting. Is that the Birmingham Stations OPR fare?

What about stations to Warwick Parkway, specifically Solihull & WRP?....because that ^50 fare is valid all the way to WRP, not just Birmingham.

[JayMac]

It's not possible to check all the new fares yet, unless you contact Chiltern. For travel after 4th September the new fares are not in booking engines so you can still purchase at the old prices for dates after the fares change.

When prices change, for journeys after the changeover date, the new fares typically go on sale 4 weeks before that date.

I suggest calling Chiltern and asking about specific fares from stations other that Birmingham.

For future reference OPR = Super Off Peak Return. SVR = Off Peak Return. Confusing, but that's fares 'simplification' for you.

And while the Super Off Peak Return now becomes the regulated fare at ^25.00, it went up from ^19.50 in May when it was unregulated. That is seriously naughty.

[ChrisB]

Quite - completely agree. Two bites of the cherry, and they pretty much admit it. And they harped on previously about the passengers not being asked to pay for EverGreen 3.....!!!

I was actually after the 'Any Permitted' fares from Solihull & WRP, not the 'Chiltern Only' Fares - unless that is, Chiltern set the fares, in which case, they are the same fare. But as London tickets from Solihull & WRP aren't valid on XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) via Reading (& presumably FGW^▸ (First Great Western) from Reading?), I guess there is an 'Any Permitted' that does allow you to travel to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)?

[paul7575]

"the use of simple, memorable fares"

How will those price points look after a couple of years of RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))+3% rises then.  Will they be rounded up to make them still memorable? 

Paul

[ChrisB]

Quite. They'll exist just for 3 months until this January.....

[JayMac]

The Any Permitted Off Peak Return from Warwick Parkway is ^41.10. From Solihull it is ^44.30. Both set by Virgin. Following the changes, all route: High Wycombe Off Peak Returns (set by Chiltern) from stations between Birmingham and Leamington Spa will be ^50.

The time restrictions will be different depending on which London Terminal you travel to/from on the Any Permitted fares, but there will doubtless be times when the Any Permitted fares will be the cheaper option than the route: High Wycombe. That just seems a little bonkers to me.

As for permitted routes from Solihull or Warwick Parkway to London Terminals, then according to the Routeing Guide it is permitted to travel into Paddington via Reading. Warwick Parkway is part of Warwick Group routeing point and that group has mapped routes into London Marylebone direct and Paddington, Waterloo and Victoria via Banbury and Reading. Solihull is not a routeing point in its own right, but one of the routeing points it is associated with is Warwick Group. As the Any Permitted fare from Solihull to London Terminals is not less than the Any Permitted fares from Warwick Group stations, then Warwick Group is an appropriate routeing point for Solihull to London. Meaning that you can travel from Solihull into Paddington, Waterloo and Victoria via Banbury and Reading.

Another routeing point that Solihull is associated with is Tyseley. That allows you to travel into London Euston also. Because again, the Any Permitted fare from Solihull is not less than the Any Permitted fare from Tyseley.

[ChrisB]

The Any Permitted Off Peak Return from Warwick Parkway is ^41.10. From Solihull it is ^44.30. Both set by Virgin.

Virgin?.....they don't even serve Solihull & WRP!!! Does this mean you can travel via Birmingham to pick Virgin up from New Street, or does it mean you can travel via Leamington Spa & Coventry to pick Virgin up there? Or does it mean you can't actually travel on Virgin, even though they price it? Crazy whichever!

Following the changes, all route: High Wycombe Off Peak Returns (set by Chiltern) from stations between Birmingham and Leamington Spa will be ^50.

You sure about stations south of WRP to Leamington inclusive are ^50?

Because Chiltern have stated that the ^50 fare will apply only as far as WRP inclusive, and haven't yet mentioned what the new fare from stations from WRP to Banbury will be (although they *are* going up), nor whether any fares from BCS southwards are changing.