prices at galas

A growing practice is to suspend normal fares and only sell rover tickets on gala days. This seems a bit unfair to someone who just wants to take a single trip. For example, I just want to use the Severn valley for part of my cross country journey by public transport to reach the Festiniog, where I shall get a rover for their gala, but as that day is part of a diesel railcar event, I shall have to buy a rover in order to make a single journey in the late afternoon - can't get there earlier because of distance from home.

Perhaps I'm being curmudgeonly, but thought I'd air a view!

 

I agree. A few years back I was passing Llangollen with the family and as we had an hour or so spare we called in at Carrog. All we wanted was a quick trip to Berwyn or as it was a Thomas day a ride on the shuttle but for the privilege you had to buy an all day rover ticket!

Worse was that having bit the bullet with family getting on the shuttle train as I paid at the booking office having asked if any other tickets were available, the shuttle train promptly departed with me still at the booking office. My ticket was now worthless as we did not have time to travel on a later shuttle but I have to question why the station staff did not check to see if there was anybody still booking before they let the train go. i would have thought this would be standard practice.

As a consequence although we regularly pass the railway or stop at the pub in Carrog to eat, in the 5 or 6 years since we have only been on the railway once. Often we have been around when special events are on which are meant to appeal to families such as ours, and I will admit my daughters love the Duncan days on the Talyllyn, but I hate to feel I am being ripped off. I also have to admit that when we left I gave my tickets to another family who were arriving so overall the Railway lost out as well. Sorry about that but I was distinctly peeved at the time having to fork out for a full day ticket and still being left behind!

 

I would suggest that it is in the main enthusiasts and supporters etc who want more exciting galas and that you do risk alienating normal joe public many of whom could not really give two hoots. I also presumed that part of the rationale behind galas is to attract more paying customers and therefore this increase in numbers is largly the means to pay for the gala rather than the incrase in fares.

 

Not everyone does it like Llangollen or SVR, read this:

"Normal fares for point to point travel will also be available during Special Events (with the exception of Santa Specials), although a Special Event or 1, 2 or 3-day Rover Ticket will be required for access to Special Event areas outside normal travel."

Does anyone recognise their railway's terms & conditions here?

 

It is probably not the FR's and I am not a member but I believe they are offering standard tickets for there forthcoming gala. I am in the UK part of that week and due to travel back to the IoM on the Friday or Saturday. The fact that there is a gala and I could do a short trip at normal prices might be enough to persuade to do a bit of a detour and have a few hours there and spend a bit of money. It probably will depend on the weather

 

South Devon Rly get it right; normal fares and even allow member's privilege rates, but sometimes you need a rover ticket which costs a little more if you want to ride on trains all day. Normally, a return ticket allows all day travel, which is very generous. I keep coming back!

 

A lot of the problem is there a growing number of so called enthusiasts buying a round trip sometimes even a platform ticket and chancing it and riding all day. Which when thousands are spent on hiring in engines does make you wonder why you bother!!

 

A fellow passenger at the SVR Autumn Gala had a return ticket. He had travelled to the gala by rail, using either Chiltern or London Midland and had purchased a through ticket from them, that was cheaper than the rover ticket. It was checked and accepted by SVR ticket inspector.

 

Not quite the same on the WSR but they do have "special event fares" (ie more expensive than normal fares) during most special events. This is, I believe, to help cover the cost of hiring and running additional locos, and to help manage demand. I wonder if the latter reason will fade away if the current economic climate (whether real or assumed or manipulated) begins to affect visitor numbers at special events, even with a stunning loco line-up on offer.

Steve

 

I think that you are trying to 'treat' the preserved railways as part of the public transport system, which they are not; hence your problem. I'm impressed by the idea of reaching the FR by public transport though!

Personally I don't think the rover fares on the railways are too expensive, and I can understand why they have been introduced. I good many enthusiasts don't make an 'end-to-end' journey, but chop and change in order to get mileage behind a particular engine. This practice makes nonsense out of selling a normal day return fare, hence the rover.

Regards

 

The original posts seem to more identify a problem of there being only "Day Rover" type tickets available at certain events, not the usual range of part journeys, singles etc.

On the NYMR, our "All Line" tickets are "Day Rovers" every day, offering unlimited travle between the points they cover (there are two types - Grosmont to Pickering or Pickering to Whitby or visa versa).

At Gala, the price of the these tickets is increased but membership and Senior Citizen discounts still are available, as are singles and Returns for shorter journeys (e.g. Grosmont to Goathland).

I can see the point that ordinary visitors may find this unfair if they don't realsie it is a Special Event, but they do arguably still enjoy the effects of the expenditure on the Event.

Steven

 

To be honest most major tourist attractions dont charge a "per ride" fare when it's a day out theme..

If I went to Blackpool, Alton, Thorpe or any other park they sell a one day admission ticket (Plus other attractions at a supplement..)

Preserved railways should really be offering a "One Day Admission" ticket... anything less then there selling themselves short. (keep the short journey fare less advertised just in case).

Your best marketeers and sales men are really the booking office staff.


and finally to the public (who dont care whats up front as long as it smokes)... every day is a gala.
(Maybe preserved railways should hire DFS Salesmen)

 

The SVR surely have more than 2 gala weekends a year - the time I'm planning to be there is not the recent steam gala (which looks pretty magnificent - wish I didn't live so far away; I'd go much more often), but a railcar event. I'd gladly spend the weekend there but have to squeeze another (frankly more important for me) event into the same weekend.

Anyway, sometimes things cost a bit more than one wants them to; the money goes to a good cause at the end of the day.

 

Surely that's where TTIs come in?

 

It has been suggested that offering a "Day Admission" ticket risks loosing the VAT Zero Rated treatment that public transport enjoys and means Standard Rated VAT (soon to rise to 20%) must be accounted for.

This is after a change in the law to ensure that transport around sites like Alton Towers can't be standard rated. I believe some heritage railways that don't have public access at two different points do have to pay VAT on their fares.

Steven

 

Yes that's an interesting idea. But it might not work quite so well on the longer heritage railways, methinks, where a wide range of possible journeys, single and return, are popular with visitors, especially those who wish to use the railway as a means of transport from A to B and there are quite a few of those.

As for special events, I'd prefer to explore the idea of increasing the cost of the Day Rover ticket (retaining the other fares at normal levels) as the additional costs of the special event should rightly be borne by the enthusiasts who come to make many trips during the day behind several locos of their choice. If your average family turn up for a "there and back" then they should not be expected to pay a premium as they are not actually getting added value compared with an identical trip on a non special event day.

Steve

 

AT the Mid Suffolk Light railway £5 pays for the entire Year

 

I discovered this on my visit earlier this year and had to wonder how they make enough money out of food/shop sales to do this. I personally as an enthusiast would rather pay £5 each time on a visit though i'm sure paying once a year is very appealing to the general public.

Didn't one railway offer a reduction in price (maybe by 10%) if you revisited within the year? I keep thinking NNR but i'm not sure now.