On 22/10/2012 15:27, Paul Corfield wrote:

It is important to remember that train services are run by different
companies in different parts of the UK.

Actually, when advising a foreigner I'd say the opposite; unlike many
countries, in .uk you don't need to know who runs the train. Unless you
are going to/from Heathrow or Gatwick airports or on Eurostar, a normal
ticket from A to B on the national network is valid on any train going
from A to B (and unlike in some other countries, it is possibly also
valid via C, D, and Z, if you know what you are doing!).


Sometimes you may get trains
from different companies on the same section of track or between two
places (e.g. London to Cambridge) via different routes. Prices and
ticket restrictions can be different so be careful to find out what
ticket works on what route - if you get caught out then you may have
to pay another fare.


Although broadly speaking we price by time of day, with cheaper tickets
if you don't travel in the morning commuter peak, rather than by the
operating company or type of train. We don't do supplements, so our
visitor can get a non-stop King's Cross - Cambridge train for the same
price as one which stops at obscure places like Foxton.

It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible to
save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a case of
asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

If a tourist buys a normal peak/off-peak ticket for a journey like
Cambridge - London he might pay a little bit than us lot would, but to a
certain extent that is a standard risk of travel. I bet our poster pays
less for pizza and beer that I do when in Italy as an obvious tourist!

If you wanted to use buses in Cambridge [missing word here?] operate most of the local
buses plus some longer distance ones. Their tickets are often quite
good value.

Although, subject to where he is staying, most of the places in the city
which are likely to be of interest to a tourist are walkable for an
able-bodied person with minimal luggage (except the US cemetery). Even
the station isn't really all that far from civilisation.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at 16:16:21 on Mon, 22 Oct
2012, Mizter T remarked:

Oxford P&R seems pretty well patronised (the car parks and the buses).

Lots of people over a barrel, I'm afraid.

You're suggesting that none of the users are making a discretionary journey?

No, just that lots don't have a choice. And some don't realise they
could have a choice.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 16:19:44 on
Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Paul Corfield remarked:
Oxford P&R seems pretty well patronised (the car parks and the buses).

Lots of people over a barrel, I'm afraid.

What's the alternative? Massive, choking traffic jams or demolishing
tracts of the City Centre to create massive car parks?

Work/shop/study somewhere else. That's what I did (shopped in Henley,
Thame and High Wycombe rather than Oxford, when I lived around those
parts).
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 15:32:45 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012,
Nick Leverton remarked:
Nottingham's P+R tram service from Phoenix Park works very well to the
city centre. Thanks to the 50mph off-street speed limit, which extends
halfway into the city, it's nearly as quick as the car at most times of
day, and it's cheaper than commercial parking. And unlike most P&R's
it runs until after midnight so you can stay for a meal or a pint.

That's an improvement on the one near B&Q, which shuts about 7pm.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at
20:33:17 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible to
save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a case of
asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

But not available at all on the London-Cambridge line, so it's a bit
confusing to mention them.
--
Roland Perry

On 22/10/2012 21:01, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 16:16:21 on Mon, 22 Oct
2012, Mizter T remarked:

Oxford P&R seems pretty well patronised (the car parks and the buses).

Lots of people over a barrel, I'm afraid.

You're suggesting that none of the users are making a discretionary
journey?

No, just that lots don't have a choice. And some don't realise they
could have a choice.

Choice is inherent in the concept of a discretionary journey.

And what choice do these 'some' not realise they could have? (This is
starting to sound like a riddle - bit of plain English never goes amiss.)

On 22/10/2012 21:05, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
20:33:17 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible
to save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a
case of asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

But not available at all on the London-Cambridge line, so it's a bit
confusing to mention them.

But in the context of a brief overview of how things work (which is what
Arthur seemed to be aiming for), a legitimate inclusion.

In article ,
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:32:45 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012,
Nick Leverton remarked:
Nottingham's P+R tram service from Phoenix Park works very well to the
city centre. Thanks to the 50mph off-street speed limit, which extends
halfway into the city, it's nearly as quick as the car at most times of
day, and it's cheaper than commercial parking. And unlike most P&R's
it runs until after midnight so you can stay for a meal or a pint.

That's an improvement on the one near B&Q, which shuts about 7pm.

They need a tram extension down there True the Phoenix Park one
is also busy with Basford passengers but it's had reasonable numbers
to/from the terminus at most times times of day when I've used it,
even the 20 minute evening service.

Nick
--
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

On 22/10/2012 21:14, Mizter T wrote:

On 22/10/2012 21:05, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
20:33:17 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible
to save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a
case of asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

But not available at all on the London-Cambridge line, so it's a bit
confusing to mention them.

But in the context of a brief overview of how things work (which is what
Arthur seemed to be aiming for), a legitimate inclusion.

Especially if someone has said something which might possibly be
understood as suggesting it is an issue for this route, and there is
talk about doing other trips as well.

Some people seem to get worked up about knowing TOCs, when you don't
really need to.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On 22/10/2012 22:24, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:07:48 +0100, Arthur Figgis
wrote:

On 22/10/2012 21:14, Mizter T wrote:

On 22/10/2012 21:05, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at
20:33:17 on Mon, 22 Oct 2012, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
It is possible to save money by booking tickets which are tied to a
specific train, which makes sense for long intercity journeys, and on
some routes there are operator-specific tickets where it is possible
to save money by making a slower journey, but these are probably a
case of asking the station (or using the internet) to explain the rules.

But not available at all on the London-Cambridge line, so it's a bit
confusing to mention them.

But in the context of a brief overview of how things work (which is what
Arthur seemed to be aiming for), a legitimate inclusion.

Especially if someone has said something which might possibly be
understood as suggesting it is an issue for this route, and there is
talk about doing other trips as well.

Some people seem to get worked up about knowing TOCs, when you don't
really need to.

Err I am not getting "worked up".

But I rather suspect you know a little more than most people about
ticketing!

There were mentions about different
fares and different routes / companies in posts prior to mine but no
real context was given.

Hence my comments about not really needing to worry about it.

I gave the info as an aid to the OP and also
in the context of the Anglia Plus ticket which has some complex
validity rules north of Cambridge depending on whose train you step on
/ where you want to travel to.

Your basic point is fair enough - generally you do not need to worry
*provided* you buy the "any permitted" ticket.

Which is generally what you'll get, unless you ask for something else.

However we have no idea quite how well off the OP is

Though if he is visiting London and Cambridge and contemplating Oxford
and the coast, I think we can make some rough assumptions. If he said he
was arriving by coach and wanted to know where there were some park
benches, or arriving at Biggin Hill and wanted to know if there is
somewhere to get a new plane as the ash trays will be full, we might
make other guesses.

and whether he would be tempted to
opt for what look like cheap tickets but which can be riddled with
restrictions. Don't FCC have some complex restrictions on trains out
of KX if you happen to hold an off peak ticket?

Yes, but they will probably be time specific, rather than something else
specific (though the option to go via Liverpool Street potentially
complicates things with the Cambridge - London specifically).

I'm pretty sure the people at Cambridge ticket office will have some
experience of selling tickets to foreign tourists wanting to visit
London for the day. I think the situation will have arisen before.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK