Group Save Train Tickets (move if necessary but important)

[Royal Lady]

Is there some sort of ReadiBus football special over your way RL to take you to the game?

Bloody cheek!

[theresayakonthepitch]

Went and asked about tickets at Winnersh Station. Usually can get a ticket from there and choose to go either via Reading or the slow one to Waterloo. When I asked about group discount she asked if I was going to the football. I said why? She said it is not available if going to the match!. I said what match? We're just going to London. So she said ok, you can have the group discount but only if you go via Waterloo.

So, they are deliberately ripping football fans off. Nice work. So it will be lots of beers on the Waterloo train for us and I hope they enjoy clearing up the mess.

[26-10-06]

I've been sold group save tickets from Didcot, all day travel cards.

Assuming this will be okay as the restriction is from Reading - is that correct?

[STAR Liaison]

This from the BBC - please feel free to get in touch:

"I’m looking into the issue where First Great Western have removed their usual group ticket discount from Reading to London at the weekend and wondered if you have a fan that is affected by it and not too happy.

Could someone get in touch?

Thanks,

Rajeev Gupta
rajeev.gupta@bbc.co.uk

[EPR2.0]

I've been sold group save tickets from Didcot, all day travel cards.

Assuming this will be okay as the restriction is from Reading - is that correct?

Restriction is "Journeys to London Paddington until 17:00"

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_far ... ril%202015

No mention of origin at all.

[Compo's Hat]

Just going to buy mine online later and collect at the station then.

Laughable that after the game there will be less trains returning to Reading but there is no restriction on group saves.

[Whore Jackie]

Despite being quoted £57 online for me and the three junior WJs, managed to get a family travel card for £25 from a very chatty 'Boro supporting FGW ticket office chap this morning.

[Wizard]

Pretty standard practice to stop issuing groupsave tickets when there is a major event on and encourage people to drive. It isn't just a football thing. There aren't enough trains to accommodate 30000 extra passengers so it makes sense to try and spread out the flow across different modes of transport.

[Nameless]

surely trains are designed for carrying large numbers of people, and the line from Reading to Paddington does that every day.
And now we hear the train companies actively discourage people using the train and push them on to over crowded roads with longer travel times and inadequate parking at the other end ?
We all know that those running the railways are a bunch of idiots but that really is beyond belief....

[Vision]

Also doesn't explain why they initially refused to honour those tickets already bought on a group saver.

Or why they discriminate against those travelling to a football match as opposed to those travelling for other reasons.

[bobby1413]

Logic would suggest that you'd put more trains on. Simple shuttle ones Reading -> Padders and back.

Maybe even football specials with just fans on.

Why can't they do that?

[TBM]

Logic would suggest that you'd put more trains on. Simple shuttle ones Reading -> Padders and back.

Maybe even football specials with just fans on.

Why can't they do that?

Because it will mean eating in to their bonus'

[Nameless]

Spoke to the bloke at our local station today and he laughed and said while they might not be doing Groupsave tickets in person if you go on the FGW website they were still available and would be honoured.

[Forbury Lion]

I used my goldcard to buy some tickets earlier, I think I got 1/3rd off

Maidenhead - London travel card, £10.35
Reading - London travel card £15.00
Reading - London under 15 travel card £4.30

Also, if busing it to Reading station, The plus bus is worth getting £2 adult, £1.50 child, valid all day and cheaper than Reading Buses (but valid on their services, plus possibly First Bus in Reading)

[No Fixed Abode]

Went to Reading station at lunch to get 4 travelcards for tomorrow (not for me) and got BOGOF.

[TBM]

Went to Reading station at lunch to get 4 travelcards for tomorrow (not for me) and got BOGOF.

That'll be cos of this, m8

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... on-9050917

[Wizard]

Logic would suggest that you'd put more trains on. Simple shuttle ones Reading -> Padders and back.

Maybe even football specials with just fans on.

Why can't they do that?

Lack of trains, cost and pathing. Costs about £25k to run a train, and then you need to fit it into the already intensive service pattern. Just one train. They're not going to make that back through Groupsave ticket sales, and train companies now actively discourage football fans following many previous examples of trashed carriages. A normal HST train will hold about 800 fans, so would require nearly £1m investment from FGW to run extra services for all fans, on top of normal daily operating costs. And the carriages would then need thousands more pounds worth of repairs.

Not worth it.

[TBM]

Costs about £25k to run a train,

We don't mean build new ones, just use ones that are already around....

[Wizard]

Costs about £25k to run a train,

We don't mean build new ones, just use ones that are already around....

There aren't any spare ones around though. And a new train costs ~£1m per carriage.

[Nameless]

Seems odd to have sold the Groupsave, then abandoned them, but still be selling them on line.
Obviously not all 30,000 were ever going to be travelling by train anyway just can't get my head round the railways not doing what they are supposed to be there for because 'it's not worth it'.

Not blaming you personally, appreciate you are just supplying some inside knowledge of the practicalities...