Train Tickets - how does it work?

[surveyor]

When I buy my standard peak or off-peak ticket on the East Coast route, I normally buy using East Coast as they give reward points, and I end up with a couple of free first class trips a year.

Because there trains are crap, and they charge for WiFi, I try and catch Grand Central or Hull Trains services if they are available.

They don't check to see where you've bought your ticket, just that it's valid for the journey so presumably can't say to East Coast - Hey we carried someone who bought a ticket from you - give us your dosh.

So how does it work?

[mrmr96]

I think they DO check. So if you've bought a cross country ticket but get on a virgin train then they can take action. Similar to planes I guess, just because both BA and Virgin fly London to Paris doesn't mean you can fly Virgin on a BA ticket.

[surveyor]

You miisunderstand. You can buy cheaper tickets that will only allow you to use a certain service - but this is normally restricted to the time as well as operator so useless to me.

The tickets I buy can be used on the route with any operator - but I've only paid one operator.

[randlemarcus]

IIRC, season tickets are treated as a percentage thing, i.e. the big pot of who sold what is added up, and then divided between the TOCs. Worst Coast would have taken a 2% commission selling the thing in the first place though.

Top tip for Hull Trains - Coach A (standard class) hides behind First Class, and is always nice and quiet for each end of the journey.

[Chrisgr31]

randlemarcus said:

IIRC, season tickets are treated as a percentage thing, i.e. the big pot of who sold what is added up, and then divided between the TOCs. Worst Coast would have taken a 2% commission selling the thing in the first place though.

Yes. There is commission for selling the ticket, so the seller of the ticket whether thats East Coast or any other train operating company, or travel company gets a slice off every ticket they sell.

The remainder of the income from the ticket sale goes to the company named on the ticket where it is an exclusive ticket, where its a general ticket its apportioned between the train operating companies on that route.

[Munter]

Chrisgr31 said:

where its a general ticket its apportioned between the train operating companies on that route.

I presume at some point there is a survey of passenger numbers carried by each operator on the route and that's how it's split?

Would seem silly to do a straight 50/50 if there were 2 operators but one carried 80% of the passengers so I hope it's not done that way.

[Magog]

I think this is what you are looking for;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_Settlement_Plan

and before BR they had this;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Clearing_Hous...

Which must've been fiendishly complicated.