How to book walk-on tickets ahead

With the main annual fares rise taking place on January 2, several readers have asked me about buying tickets in advance, so I thought it worth explaining.

Advance fares can only be bought at the price quoted for that train and day when bookings open, but any walk-on single or return can be purchased up to 12 months ahead. Clearly a year ahead can’t be done online (except for Caledonian Sleeper), as train times won’t show - and with our (backward) system of buying online, which requires a train time to be selected first, that prevents sales.

However, any station will sell any type of walk-on single or return - and any Rover or Ranger ticket - up to a year ahead of outward travel. This does not apply to seasons, which generally can only be bought the day before they commence.

As to price, the rule is simple: if you buy more than four weeks before a fares changedate for outward travel after the change-date, you pay the current price. If you buy four weeks or less before, you pay the new price.

So, for the January 2 fares change you can buy at today’s prices on December 4 for outward travel any day up to December 4 2018, but if you buy on December 5 then you can only buy at today’s prices for outward travel up to January 1. You can still buy for any date after that up to December 5 2018, but (of course) at the new rates.

Finally, in my article on Southeastern in the last issue, I commented on fares often having two routes: ‘+ any permitted’ and ‘+ not valid on HS1’. As it happens, a reader recently emailed me pointing out a strange anomaly from Cambridge to Hastings where the ‘+ not valid on HS1’ are more expensive than the ‘+ any permitted’.

As an example, a ‘+ any permitted’ OP return, which allows travel on the classic route or HS1 (via Ashford and Rye) is £48.30. Yet if you choose the ticket that bars use of HS1 it’s £61.30!

The reason again is historical: Southeastern prices the ‘+ any permitted’ fare, yet the fare that bars use of HS1 is priced by the Great Northern arm of Govia Thameslink Railway, which obviously charges a higher rate per mile for the throughout fare than Southeastern does.

Again, what a crazy way to run a railway. But, as with the system I quote elsewhere that will keep East Coast fares higher than the West Coast, nothing will change here either. The Department for Transport, not the railway industry, rules.

So, if you are booking onto Southeastern from another patch do check all the options carefully before you travel.