Does anyone know how far towards Chester you can travel on an area b or even, does this cover Parkgate? I can't find information on Merseytravel website.

http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/articleimages/Saveaway%20Dec%2011.pdf

It only covers the Merseyside part of Wirral. Not the Cheshire part. If you're using a bus, you'd have to get off at Hooton Crossroads or just before Neston depending on which route you're traveling.

It's a bit different on Merseyrail as you can travel as far as Chester or Ellesmere Port. On the Borderlands Line, you can go as far as Heswall Station.

Area B goes south to Heswall and Bromborough, it does not cover Neston/Parkgate/E Port.

hooton,then you have to pay from there!!!!

i have an area B trio and can jump the bus to liverpool from liscard, new brighton or birkenhead, they don't check at the other end and with a trio/saveaway you dont tell them where you're going, you just show it and get on.

so technically you can get to chester etc with one, but maybe not back.


*i know what i do is technically if you're gonna be picky 'fraud' but i pay £60 a month for my trio, but at close to £4 to go from one side of the birkenhead tunnel to the other on an arriva bus that, to me, constitutes daylight robbery.

Really? I've been told it's not valid at all on the Borderlands line.

It is valid on the Borderlands Line but only as far as Heswall. It's different to Merseyrail as this line is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. Saveaways can be used across the boundary on Merseyrail as this is a quasi-subsiduary of M.P.T.E.

Yes, I use mine mostly on Merseyrail, but the Merseytravel help line says it's not valid on Borderlands. I enquired when I wanted to use it from Upton to Bidston one day.

Chester is in Area G, Touchstone, and therefore need an All Zone Saveaway.

What with Ferry times, commuter services, cruises and prices, combined attraction and cruise prices.Saveways,Trios and Solos, Areas and Zones ,where you can use them, when you can use them, what you can use them on, how far you can go. Good Lord, no wonder the grey matter is clogging up and I can't do my sums anymore.
Anyway .....................
This site seems to be quite straight forward and makes it clear to understand. Quite simple really when you understand it all!!

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr86b2ff8a7b4044b894106a11f851cf/details.html

Oh yes forgot to say, if you think Mersey Travel and Saveaways are confusing, have a look at the above site I linked, on the Rangers and Rovers section .

Sorry Granny, my mistake. Yes, only All Zone Saveaways can be used to from Hooton to Chester/Ellesmere Port.

I think Traveline has given you duff information there, Chris. I'm 99% certain you can use a Saveaway from Bidston to Upton.

i agree t.s

Thanks, TS/Rudebox, next time I'll just do it; anyway, the chances of my ticket being checked are minimal.

Yes it's completely valid on the Borderlands Line, within Merseyside. I've used Saveaways to/from Upton and Heswall stations with no problems.

I've also frequently used my Zone B1/C1 annual TRIO season ticket as far as Upton. The guard always checks my ticket on the Borderlands Line, and it's always been accepted without question.

Generally speaking, the Merseyrail pre-paid tickets are valid on all rail operators' trains within the relevant area.

It just so happens on the Wirral we only have Merseyrail or Arriva Trains Wales to choose from!

In Liverpool, I've used relevant Saveaway/Trio tickets on Northern Rail, London Midland, East Midlands & Transpennine Express trains, within the area of validity. Never had a problem, and railway staff have even recommended me to use such services on a Saveaway.

EDIT: the ticket that's only valid on Merseyrail trains is the "Merseyrail Day saver", valid on Wirral Line and Northern Lines only. But, that's a different ticket than a saveaway.

Also, please see this official page on the National Rail website

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr86b2ff8a7b4044b894106a11f851cf/details.html

which confirms the Saveaway ticket is valid on all operators' trains within the area of validity. (even specifically mentions Arriva Trains Wales)

If you were worried about using a Saveaway on the Borderlands line, you could always print that page out and take it with you when travelling.

Hope that helps!

Yes, Granny, truly complex. On a similar theme, consider ticketing. Nowadays, you go to the booking office, ask for the ticket you want, the clerk presses a couple of buttons and your ticket appears. In the days of (proper) Edmondson cardboard tickets, think of the number of tickets the booking clerk had to select from. Just on the Mersey railway, from each station to every other, he would need: 1st. and 3rd. class, adult and child, single, return and day return (that's 12 so far), without counting specials like workman's return, dog, bicycle and goodness knows what others. At a main line station, even more, and if the ticket didn't exist, he had to take a blank and write it out. He then had to stamp the date on it without crushing his fingers in the Waterlow dating machine... happy days.
Oh, I actually have an Edmonson ticket for a dog, from Bromborough to New Brighton, accompanied, value not more that £2.

EDIT: Just gone back and re-read the whole thread and I just noticed, Granny had already posted the same link I also posted to the National Rail site. Apologies for the oversight!

Thanks, PaulTaters, for the further clarification. I'd actually seen the reference to Arriva Trains Wales in the link Granny gave. It certainly looks as if I was given wrong info. on the Merseyrail helpline.

And now this post has crossed with your last one, Paul. LOL

Yes I'm not surprised you got incorrect info in this case, as the Merseyrail staff would be well briefed on the Merseyrail tickets (e.g. the Merseyrail Daysaver), which isn't valid on the Borderlands Line. Merseyrail get 100% of the revenue from those tickets.

The difference is that the Saveaway tickets are Merseytravel tickets (not Merseyrail), so if you'd have spoken to a Merseytravel staff member as opposed to Merseyrail, they might have advised you that their pre-paid tickets (e.g. Saveaways) are valid on all train operators' services (and Merseyrail only get a fraction of the revenue from the Merseytravel Saveaway tickets).

Well, I hope that makes some sort of sense anyway, cheers!

Isn't it crazy that the Merseyrail, Wirral and Northern lines Daysaver costs £4.60 yet you get so much more with the Merseytravel Saveaway all areas for £4.70?

Indeed, I frequent some rail forums and my understanding from reading those is that it was due to Merseyrail's decision to undercut the Merseytravel ticket by 10p. (Merseyrail also withdrew all "off peak" single & return tickets at the same time)

So, in the cases where passengers only wish to use Merseyrail trains (which I believe is quite common), they can save 10p, yet Merseyrail get 100% of that £4.60, compared to some fraction of the £4.70 all-zones Saveaway price.

Not sure how successful it has been though as you say, I'd much rather pay the extra 10p and have the bus option as a backup, or be able to use other operators' trains.

Like for me the other week, when a person was hit by a train at Brunswick I could get the London Midland train back from Liverpool South Parkway to Lime Street, instead of the Merseyrail train to Moorfields. For the sake of 10p, it was handy to have that option.