|
|
 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|
Train Fares from Colchester / Mann'tree / Wivenhoe
|
![]() |
|
TRAIN FARES FROM COLCHESTER
also covering Manningtree and Wivenhoe
UPDATED DECEMBER 2008.
WARNING - ELEMENTS OF THIS MAY NOW BE OUT OF DATE !!!
NOT UPDATED IN RESPECT OF ALTERATIONS TO INDIVIDUAL PRICES JANUARY 2009 AND JANUARY 2010- THE 2008 PRICES ARE QUOTED HERE.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
TRAIN FARES FROM COLCHESTER
TRAIN FARES FROM COLCHESTER
also from Manningtree, Hythe, and Wivenhoe
site amended December 2008 (alterations to Stansted fares - Amdmnt P)
Introduction
This site has been made available free of charge for the benefit of local rail users, in an attempt to explain the general principles affecting train fares from Colchester. It is in no way ‘approved’ by National Express, and no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. However all the information here is taken from the official rail industry National Fares Manual (East), or from the National Express website. Some fares have also been checked against those shown by the station ticket machines, especially where anything seemed unlikely.
Actual prices are shown here only in a few cases – there isn’t room here to give all the different fares, even just for principal destinations! Where prices have been given here, it is principally to enable you to judge between different options.
Prices shown here are the fares from Colchester and are current at summer 2008. This site will not necessarily be updated every time there is a small increase.
The improved National Express website www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com now provides information on all the fares available from each NEEA station to any other station in the UK ** (and by typing in a train time it will advise which types of ticket are valid on that train). Note – there are still a good number of errors on this part of the site, especially regarding restrictions!! Otherwise, fares can be obtained by enquiring at any staffed station, ringing national train enquiries 08457 48 49 50, or using the station self-service ticket machines at a quiet time to check out different options (you can ‘cancel’ every time before reaching the ‘issue ticket’ stage). Ticket machines however do not necessarily provide full information on restrictions. Thousands of people every day are subjected to great inconvenience as a result of buying tickets without being told about the restrictions, either because the ticket clerk doesn’t tell them or because they buy from a machine.
** use the Book Your Tickets Now facility on the home page
Booking Office ticket machines, the new-style self-service machines, and the machines used by train and barrier staff, all have the same fares programmed into them, except that the self-service machines can issue tickets only for immediate travel from the station in question (whereas Booking Office machines can issue tickets with future dating and for travel between any two stations in the country).
Season Tickets are available between any two stations (except for very long distances) for 7 days, a month, or any longer period as you wish up to 12 months. For local destinations you need to travel on four days to justify a season, but for peak travel to London a season is cheaper for just three days.
Standard Single (one way) tickets are always available. In some cases there are separate 'Offpeak' and 'Anytime' single fares, but the difference is usually small. For longer journeys an ADVANCE type single will often be available for very much less.
All information given here relates to Standard Class travel.
Break of Journey – You may break your journey (i.e. pass out through the ticket barriers, either briefly, or for as long as the ticket is valid) at any station en route, as many times as you wish, except (1) at London ‘Underground’ stations (2) with most types of advance-booked cheap tickets. However the outward journey with all types of return ticket now has to be completed on the first day. [But the former prohibition on any break of journey on the outward journey with a Saver ticket no longer applies with the replacement Offpeak Returns].
Railcards – Even middle-aged people can buy one of the following Railcards for cheaper travel:
FAMILY RAILCARD – A national product which can be used by any adult(s) travelling with at least one child under 16. There is no need for any type of family relationship to exist between the travellers!
NETWORK RAILCARD – the only facility for those aged 26-59 travelling without children. Available only in the London and South East area, the boundaries of which are Harwich/Manningtree, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Bedford, Northampton, Banbury, Oxford (plus Oxford-Worcester line), Didcot, Newbury/Bedwyn, Salisbury-Exeter via Waterloo (not Exeter from Paddington). Not valid before 1000 Mons-Fris, and now made less attractive by the imposition of a £10.00 ‘minimum fare’ for all Mon-Fri travel. However even three trips to London during the year will recover the £20.00 cost of the card.
Leaflets giving full details and application form for all types of railcard are available at any staffed station.
When using a Railcard, remember that there may be further restrictions as a result of using the Railcard (as described in the relevant leaflet).
NOTE FOR COLCHESTER TOWN PASSENGERS
Colchester (North) and Colchester Town stations count as a single location (‘Colchester Stations’) for all ticketing purposes. Therefore you can, for example, buy a return ticket to London from Colchester (North) station, and use it to continue on to Town station on your return.
NOTE FOR MANNINGTREE PASSENGERS
All fares from Manningtree are on the same principles as fares from Colchester. For journeys via Colchester the prices will normally be £1-£3 higher than the Colchester prices. For journeys via Ipswich they will be less.
NOTE FOR WIVENHOE PASSENGERS
All fares from Wivenhoe are on the same principles as Colchester fares. For all destinations beyond Liverpool St, or via Ipswich, the price from Wivenhoe is the same as from Colchester. For Liverpool St and all stations in Essex on the Liverpool St line and branches, the Wivenhoe prices are normally £1-£2 more than the Colchester fare (less for stations to Clacton/Walton).
NOTE FOR HYTHE PASSENGERS
Whilst it is normally impossible in practice to purchase a ticket at Hythe station, it is still possible to get the full range of tickets when joining trains at Hythe. Buy a ‘permit to travel’ (if the permit machine is working!) and get the proper ticket from the train conductor or the barrier staff at the up side (platform 4) entrance at North Station. It is unwise to travel beyond North Station without a ticket or permit.
Part One – Fares to Essex and London destinations
DAY RETURNS – LOCAL JOURNEYS
There are now two types of Day Return ticket, the ANYTIME (formerly STANDARD) DAY RETURN (ADR) for travel before 0845 Mons-Fris, and the OFFPEAK (formerly CHEAP) DAY RETURN (ODR) valid from 0845 Mons-Fris / any time weekends.
This means that the first available trains for ODRs to destinations in the London direction as far as Shenfield Mons-Fris are the 0845 from Colchester / 0852 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe.
For local journeys in North / East Essex (as far as Shenfield, including Southend line stations) the ADR prices are in fact only about 10% more than the ODR, so you don’t need to fear peak period travel.
DAY RETURNS – TO LONDON AREA i.e.beyond Shenfield
Here you get punished much more severely if you need to travel early on Mons-Fris !! e.g. to Liverpool St the Offpeak Day Return is £18.80 but the Anytime Day Return is £38.00 (Stratford £18.70 / £35.50). The first valid trains for ODRs to destinations Brentwood and beyond Mons-Fris are the 0917 from Colchester / 0918 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe.
London (All Zones) ONE DAY TRAVELCARDS are £45.00 peak, £23.30 offpeak/weekends. First available offpeak trains Mons-Fris are as per ODRs. One Day Travelcards cannot be bought at Essex stations for any area less than All Zones.
If you are just making a simple out and back journey to a National Rail (i.e. not ‘Underground’) station anywhere in SE/SW/NW London via Liverpool St, buying a through Day Return to that individual station will normally be slightly cheaper than buying a Travelcard.
Offpeak Day Returns to or via Stratford, or to or via Liverpool St, and One Day Offpeak Travelcards, are not valid for returning on trains departing Liverpool St 1629-1834 Mons-Fris (wherever you board the train). There is no such return restriction on ODRs to stations this side of Stratford, changing at Shenfield. [But there is no convenient way in which you can 'cheat' the system this way when actually travelling to/from central London! owing to the poor connections at Shenfield].
TO SAVE MONEY on Mon-Fri morning peak journeys to London you can:
- Buy an ADR to Chelmsford at £9.60, and at Chelmsford get an All Zones Peak Travelcard at £28.40 (total cost £38.00) or ADR Chelmsford to Liverpool St at £21.40 (total cost £31.00) or ADR Chelmsford to Stratford at £17.00 (total cost £26.60). [You can buy the second ticket in advance, but it is best not to over-advertise why! And if you have both tickets you do not have to get off at Chelmsford, but the trains used must stop at Chelmsford in both directions.]
- Buy an ADR to Shenfield at £14.20, and at Shenfield get an All Zones Peak Travelcard at £22.00 (total cost £36.20) or ADR Shenfield to Liverpool St at £15.00 (total cost £29.20) or ADR Shenfield to Stratford at £11.80 (total cost £26.00). [Same note applies].
There are no restrictions on any ODRs on Saturdays and Sundays (and Bank Holidays).
PERIOD RETURN TICKETS – LOCAL JOURNEYS
No period return tickets are issued for local journeys within North/East Essex (as far as Ingatestone) – you have to buy singles each way if you are not returning the same day.
PERIOD RETURN TICKETS – TO LONDON AREA i.e. Shenfield and beyond
OFFPEAK RETURN (formerly SAVER RETURN) (monthly) tickets are issued to all stations Shenfield and beyond (including Southend line), also to any ‘National Rail’ station in the Greater London area (not to most Underground stations, but you can get one to Heathrow via Piccadilly Line). The outward journey must be made on the date printed on the ticket. Return on any day within one month.
For Offpeak Returns to stations Shenfield to Forest Gate inclusive (via Shenfield) the first outward trains on Mons – Fris are the 0903 from Colchester / 0918 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe; and there is no evening peak return restriction.
For Offpeak Returns to Stratford and Liverpool St, and to any station in Greater London via Stratford or Liverpool St, the first outward trains on Mons – Fris are the 0917 from Colchester / 0918 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe. They are also not valid on the outward journey on trains leaving other London termini 1629 - 1834 Mons-Fris ** (although in many cases you can find a route that avoids going through any terminus barriers). Return journey must not start before 0900 - 1000 Mons – Fris (exact time depends upon destination station), also not valid on trains leaving Liverpool St 1629 - 1834 Mons – Fris.
** awaiting confirmation that these times now apply in all cases
If you need to travel up to London in the morning peak Mons-Fris, and are not coming back the same day, you must buy singles each way (very expensive, in this case!).
There are no restrictions on Saturdays and Sundays.
‘ADVANCE' SINGLE TICKETS TO AND FROM LIVERPOOL ST
These tickets are available from Colchester and Manningtree only to Liverpool St only at £6.00 - £12.00 depending on train time. They must be booked via www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/tickets_timetables/ticket_types/advance_tickets
or by phone on 0845 600 7245, or at North Station / Manningtree station ticket offices, by at the latest the day before travel, and are subject to the ‘quota’ not being sold out (so if you go to a station to buy one your trip may be futile!). They are only valid on Norwich trains and only on a specified train as stated on the ticket.
Return singles from Liverpool St are available on the same basis. They may be booked together with the outward journey, but do not have to be.
DIGITIX ADVANCE SINGLE TICKETS TO AND FROM LIVERPOOL ST
Available from any station Clacton to Wivenhoe, to Liverpool St or any intermediate station. Only available online via
www.nationalexspress.com/digitix
you print the tickets yourself! Go to ‘Click here to book your digitix ticket’ at the bottom of the home page.
These tickets always cost £6.00 only and appear to be available on a readier basis. The site page shows a full listing of which trains they are available on for the current week. They are not of course available in the Mon-Fri peaks. You have to book the ticket between Liverpool St and Clacton or v.v. irrespective of where you actually board /alight.
STANSTED AIRPORT
Day return rail fares via X22 bus to/via Stansted Airport have now been withdrawn.
Offpeak (monthly) Return fares are still available (not before 0900 Mons-Fris) but these are only cheaper than paying on the bus or travelling via Liverpool St in the case of Railcard holders for certain journeys only. Check on the ticket machine for the different options/prices when travelling to Stansted or stations on the Harlow - Audley End line.
FARES TO FENCHURCH ST LINE STATIONS IN THURROCK AND SOUTHEND AREAS
Travel via Romford and Upminster. For Laindon/Basildon/Pitsea/Benfleet it is cheaper to buy a ticket to ‘Southend Stations’ than a ticket to those stations themselves. For all stations Leigh-on-Sea to Southend East, you should also buy a ticket to ‘Southend Stations’. Tickets to ‘Southend Stations’ are interavailable via Shenfield-Southend Victoria, and Romford-Upminster-any Southend area station on the Fenchurch St line.
Part Two – Fares to the rest of the London & South East area, via Liverpool St or Stratford
The London & South East area is bounded by (Manningtree), Cambridge, Huntingdon, Bedford, Northampton, Banbury, Oxford, Didcot, Bedwyn, Salisbury-Exeter via Waterloo. [It therefore includes all destinations reached via Waterloo / Victoria / Blackfriars / Charing Cross / Cannon St / London Bridge].
The normal types of ticket available to stations in this area are:
Single
Anytime Day Return (valid any time) [ADR]
Offpeak Day Return (see below for restrictions) [ODR]
Offpeak (formerly Saver)[monthly] Return (see below for restrictions) – return any day within one month. [OR]
The main issue that you have to consider, therefore, is whether your Mon-Fri journeys can be made at times when ODR or OR tickets are available. ODRs are on average only about 60% of the price of an ADR, and ORs only about 60% of the price of two singles (which is what you will have to buy Mons-Fris if travelling at OR-prohibited times and not coming back the same day).
Offpeak Day Return restrictions to these destinations Mons-Fris are
Outward – Not valid until 0917 from Colchester / 0918 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe.
Return – Not valid on trains departing Liverpool St 1629 -1834.
Offpeak Return restrictions to these destinations Mons-Fris are
Outward – Not valid until 0917 from Colchester / 0918 from Manningtree / 0907 from Wivenhoe, also not valid on any train leaving any London terminus 1629 -1834 **.
Return – Not valid by any train timed to reach the relevant London terminus before 1015, also not valid on trains departing Liverpool St 1629 -1834.
Exception - to all stations Oxford (excl.) to Worcester/Hereford: valid on all trains from Paddington outward, on any train from the 0645 from Hereford return.
** It is not clear that these times apply in all cases!
Note - ADVANCE tickets are not available to stations in this area.
Part Three – Fares to stations in East Anglia via Ipswich
It is now once again possible to book through to all stations in this area including unstaffed halts.
The normal types of ticket available are:
Single
Anytime Day Return (valid any time)
Offpeak (formerly Saver) [monthly] Return (not before 0900 Mons-Fris outward or return; return any day within one month. Anytime Day Return and Offpeak (monthly) Return prices to stations in this area are generally very similar. If making a day trip after 0900, it may be slightly cheaper to buy an Offpeak Return.
Advance – Available as single tickets from any station in NE Essex to any station in Norfolk (except Downham Mkt and Kings Lynn) and to Cambridge / Ely / March / Peterborough. Fares from £6.00. They must be booked via www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com, or by phone on 0845 600 7245, or at North Station / Manningtree ticket offices, by at the latest the day before travel, and are subject to the 'quota' not being sold out (although in practice they are much more readily obtainable in this direction than to/via London!). They are only available on a specified train as stated on the ticket. Single tickets for your return journey are available on the same basis. They may be booked together with the outward journey, but do not have to be.
Offpeak Day Return tickets are also available for all stations as far as Norwich on the main line, all stations to Saxmundham/Darsham on the East Suffolk line, and all stations to Bury St Edmunds/Kennett on the Cambridge line. These are generally about 4/5ths the cost of an SDR. Not valid before 0900 Mons-Fris.
ANGLIA DAY RANGER TICKET – This £13.00 (£2.00 for accompanied children) day rover ticket gives unlimited travel in Norfolk and Suffolk plus the whole of the Cambridge-Ely-Norwich and Cambridge/Ely-Ipswich routes. Valid from 0845 Mons-Fris, any time weekends. These tickets can be issued at Colchester / Manningtree / Wivenhoe in connection with a ODR to Ipswich (ADR to Ipswich if travelling on the 0838 or 0850 from Colchester). Railcard discounts available.
If making a day trip to anywhere beyond (via) Norwich, or to Lowestoft, it is always £3 - £7 cheaper to buy a Day Return to Ipswich plus an Anglia Ranger ticket, than it is to buy a return ticket to your destination station.
Part Four – Longer Distance fares
i.e. to the Midlands and North, Wales, Scotland, and to the West of England via Paddington
The normal types of ticket available are:
Single
Offpeak (formerly Saver) [monthly] Return (see below for restrictions; return any day within one month)
Anytime Return (valid any time, return any day within one month)
Advance [See end of this section].
[Just to make things complicated, on some routes the former Saver return is now known as a Super Offpeak Return !, and there is an intermediate-priced Offpeak Return with fewer restrictions].
Offpeak Day Return tickets are available only for a very few medium-distance journeys, e.g. via Paddington to any station Oxford-Worcester-Hereford, via Paddington or Marylebone to Leamington or Stratford on Avon, and via Marylebone only to Birmingham (£48.80, no restrictions at all!).
Anytime Returns are normally twice the single fare, i.e. extremely expensive!! Therefore, if you have not been in a position to obtain an 'Advance' ticket, the only question you face is whether you can arrange Mon-Fri journeys at times when an Ofpeak Return is available. The restrictions on long-distance Offpeak Returns are very variable. They tend to be more relaxed for the longest journeys (otherwise people would never be able to make the journey at all!). You must always check the restrictions details before purchasing the ticket. Do not rely on what self-service machines tell you about restrictions.
The following advice gives Mon-Fri Offpeak Return restrictions to some of the more common destinations [this information last checked spring 2007]:
- To all stations in Yorkshire and the North East, and all stations in Scotland via Edinburgh
No restrictions at all if travelling via Ipswich-Ely-Peterborough (NB – this is a more attractive option now that there are through trains from Colchester to Peterborough. Offpeak Return fares are also about 10% cheaper this way).
Via Kings Cross – valid on any train to/from Liverpool St. Outward from Kings Cross on any train 0930-1435 / 1900 and later. Return to Kings Cross on any train timed to arrive there after 1115.
- To stations in the East Midlands/Sheffield via Ipswich-Ely-Peterborough
Outward and return by any train after 0900. (Again, Offpeak Return fares are cheaper by this route than via London).
- To stations in the West Midlands and North West via Euston
Valid on any train to/from Liverpool St. Outward from Euston on any train 0915-1514 / 1812 or later. Return to Euston on any train timed to arrive after 1100.
- To stations in Mid Wales via Euston-Shrewsbury, and North Wales via Euston-Chester
No restrictions at all.
- To stations in South Wales and West of England via Paddington
Valid on any train to/from Liverpool St.
From Paddington on any train 0915-1633 /1848 or later. [To stations beyond Swansea on all trains from 0845. To stations Newton Abbot and beyond also valid on 1803 from Paddington].
Return to Paddington – early morning restrictions vary according to station, please enquire.
--------------------------------------------------------------
ADVANCE tickets - A new standard product 'Advance' ticket has now replaced the incomprehensible multiplicity of different types of advance-booking tickets offered by individual train companies for long-distance travel prior to May 2008. 'Advance' tickets are available as single tickets from any station in NE Essex to any station in the above area (i.e. beyond the limits of the London & South East area as defined at the start of Part Two). They must be booked via www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com, or by phone on 0800 600 7245, or at North Station / Manningtree ticket offices, by at the latest the day before travel, and are subject to the 'quota' not being sold out (which it generally will be at popular times, or at short notice!). They are only available on a specified train as stated on the ticket.
Single tickets for your return journey are available on the same basis. They may be booked together with the outward journey, but do not have to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
