How to find out the peak times and when an off peak ticket is valid
I'm travelling from A to B with an off peak train ticket. I know that peak times are set by station. How do I know the peak times for each station? Is this possible without having to mock a ticket purchase, there must be an easier way!
Is there a simple list of stations and the peak times (i.e. London Paddington: 6-9:30, 17-19:30)
Best Answer
TLDR No
Stations do not have peak and off peak times, rather time restrictions depend on the ticket held. Each restriction is given a two letter code which can be looked up on National Rail Enquires.
To do this find the restriction code that relates to your journey. If you already have the tickets you can find them in the following places (highlighted in red):
In this case the new format ticket has a restriction code of WZ while the old format ticket has a code of 1C. To look these up on National Rail Enquires you would go to nre.co.uk/WZ and nre.co.uk/1C.
In this example a restriction code of 1C means for outward travel
Not valid on trains timed to arrive in London Liverpool Street or London Kings Cross after 04:29 and before 10:00.
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What time are off-peak train tickets valid?
4.3 Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets are valid for travel on the date shown on your ticket and until 04:29 on the following day. 4.4 Off-Peak Singles and the outward portion of Off-Peak Returns are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 04:29 the following morning.How do I know if my train is off-peak Trainline?
Most Off-Peak tickets are found during weekend travel or through the week outside of commuting hours, but the only way to know for sure is to check an individual journey using our app or website.Can you use an off-peak ticket anytime of day?
Off-Peak Day Single tickets are valid for outward travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 04:29 the following morning. Not applicable.Can I use an off-peak ticket on a peak train?
Off-Peak tickets give you some flexibility - if you can still use an Off-Peak ticket on the train you now want to travel on, you can just catch that one instead! If you want to travel during peak time, you'll just need to pay the difference between the Off-Peak fare and the Anytime fare.More answers regarding how to find out the peak times and when an off peak ticket is valid
Answer 2
I think it is too complicated for a simple list. As a example, the London Midland conditions can be found here, and for just one company it is already confusing.
It depends not only on origin station, but also operator and final destination.
- I can travel off-peak Euston to Coventry at any time in the evening on a slow (London Midland) train.
- But not on the faster (Virgin) trains between 1501 and 1844.
- And I couldn't get on the same London Midland train if I was only going as far as Milton Keynes (between 1649 and 1901)
- And I could get on any of the Virgin trains if I were going as far as Glasgow.
Morning times are usually fairly simple, but the evening ones are anything but. (Worth noting that the evening peak is only relevant if travelling from major cities.)
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