Soapboards Meet

[Abigail]

You can get a 16-25 railcard online or at any station. It costs 24 pound and lasts a year.

East Coast is one of the websites you can buy tickets from. It is always cheaper to buy tickets at least a week in advance online. Don't bother signing up to the national rail website as you can't buy tickets on there. What I love about East Coast is that you can choose your ticket by price. Each train is given a set price between two distances and it varies depending on the destination and number of stops. The more stops, the cheaper it is (takes longer).



As you can see for a journey between Newcastle and York, you can book in advance and pay 4.65 or buy on the day for 26.40 for a single.

Splitting tickets works most of the time but it depends when you travel. Basically you find out all the stops you must make on a journey then work out if it will be cheaper to stop at extra or different stations. For example, Stoke on Trent to Newcastle you can go three ways:
1. you change at Manchester. You can choose to get a direct train to Newcastle from there (more expensive) or go to Leeds, Doncaster or York and change again for Newcastle.
2. Change at Crewe and get a train direct to Newcastle
3. Change at Birmingham and get a direct train.

So you could do:
Stoke on trent > Manchester > Newcastle
Stoke on trent > Manchester > Leeds/Doncaster/York > Newcastle
Stoke on trent > Manchester > Doncaster > York > Newcastle
Stoke on trent > Manchester > Leeds > York > Newcastle
Stoke on trent > Crewe> Newcastle
Stoke on Trent > Birmingham > Newcastle

It often works out cheaper to get individual returns (e.g. Stoke to Manchester return, Manchester to York return) or just buy single tickets. Once you find out how many stops you have to take, you can play around and find out the cheapest route. Different operators charge different prices. Virgin are always a few quid cheaper than the rest.

Travelling off peak (after 9.30am) will be cheaper too.


This applies for everyone, regardless of if you have a railcard or not. I highly recommend railcards as you save a third on all journeys and there's one for almost everyone (family, 16-24/young persons, disabled, forces family, senior)

[Tori]

Well there's the main concourse where the escalators/steps/lifts down to the platforms are then once you go through the ticket barrier there's the waiting room and drop off entrance to the right and shops to the left. Its not hard to get lost if you say meet under the departure boards or in the waiting room.

I posted a link a few pages back to Birmingham airport train links.

There are 2 sides to the station, it's normally very busy with lots of people waiting round... plus 3 different sets of departure boards!

[Chloe O'brien]

Oh gosh just did a train search to see what it be like if i came. I could get a train for 10hrs which would get me there at 9ish. Or one for 5 hrs that would get me there for half 12. and then last train home is at 4ish in the evening. Will cost around £62.

I don't want to travel on my owwwwwn . Are Kirsty and Dave going? One of them could meet me in Cardiff

Lea see if you could get a cheap flight over. That's what I'm doing instead of spending 6 hours on a train.

[Kim]

I'm hoping I can make this as I want to go to uni in Birmingham anyway and I'm 18 now so hopefully my parents won't be objecting too much.

[Abbie]

Yeah we really need to start thinking about dates again

[Tannie]

I'm a no go guys. Funds are not going to well for me Maybe if we do it another year

[Kim]

Yeah we really need to start thinking about dates again

Yeah, if I'm coming I'll need to look into a rail card because it looks like my fare will be £85 without one!

[Chloe O'brien]

I'm still up for it if we have dates arrange so I can book a ticket and arrange child care.Anytime between 2 April and 19 April would suit me.

[Kim]

I have the 1st to the 18th off for the April half term. I have no definite plans as yet other than revision which I can fit in on any days... first come first served lol.

[Abigail]

I'll have to check my diary but I think I'm free first couple of weeks in April.