Train Novice needs help, please!

[sassy12]

We need to get from the Waterloo London train station to Southampton on a Saturday morning/early afternoon on a Saturday in May. Have tried to purchase tickets but -

 

1. Do we go to Southampton Central?

2. Should we reserve Seats?

3. How far ahead of departure should we be at the Station?

4. Do we have to change trains or is it a direct trip?

 

We have never traveled by ourselve in Europe by train and only once since high school in the 60's. I have checked several sites but am hopelessly confused.

[durante]

hi, yes, it's a direct trip, the station you get off is Southampton Central and you don't need to reserve seats. I would be at Waterloo at least 20 minutes before departure. As soon as the platform number for your train appears on the signboard, go straight to that platform and get into whichever carriage you want, unless you are going for First Class. You can take suitcases with you.

If you don't mind waiting a few more weeks for dates in May to open up, you can get tickets on these particular Saturday trains departing Waterloo -7.39am, 9.39am, 11.39am or 1.39pm for ?9 each on the megabus website. You would select London for departure station and Southampton as arrival station. And you can only travel on the particular train booked on this website. You just print out the confirmation email showing the booking reference and show it to the guard to get onto the platform at Waterloo, and then show it again to the train conductor during the journey.

Otherwise , if you feel you must book right now and/or you don't want to travel on any of these 4 train times, you can book tickets now on other websites for any train leaving on a Saturday but it will cost around ?39 each.

[Bob++]

Megabus is an agency that sell train and bus tickets at discount prices. If you go to their website https://uk.megabus.com/ you can easily book your seats nearer the day, and yes ?9 is the price. You are supposed to use a carriage with a MEGABUS sign, but it seems that no one worries much about that.

 

Waterloo is a big station so allow a little time for finding your way; maybe a reconnaissance while you are exploring London would be in order. This video

gives you an idea. It I were you, I would allow an hour. You won't know which platform until the train arrives as platform allocation is dynamic, so you have to watch the indicator boards, just like in an airport.

 

The train won't be crowded, which is why they sell cheap tickets, so you can sit with your luggage. It is a direct service so no need to change, but you will probably want to take a taxi from rank outside the station to your ship.

Edited March 1, 2017 by Bob++

[durante]

:)Thanks Bob for giving the extra information about megabus. It is such a bargain, isn't it.

Just to add I have done this trip on a Saturday booking on megabus website twice this year already, once to Southampton and then the really long trip to Poole, and the trains don't have Megabus signs now in any carriages. I remember the sign was on one carriage about 4 years ago.

[Globaliser]

2. Should we reserve Seats?

Leaving aside the issue about whether there are specific Megabus carriages any more, if your question is about whether to reserve specific seats on the train, then the short answer is that this is not possible on these trains. They are basically commuter trains; even if you have a first class ticket you can't reserve specific seats. So don't worry about this.

 

3. How far ahead of departure should we be at the Station?

It I were you, I would allow an hour.

Sorry, I think an hour is wild overkill. 20 minutes, as Durante suggests, is almost too much. The platform number often isn't posted until about 10 minutes before departure, and there is then still ample time to get to any platform on the station - including walking to the very front of the train if you want.

 

In fact, if you get to Waterloo an hour before a specific departure, you'll usually be able to watch two earlier Southampton trains depart before yours does. And if you have a Megabus ticket, it'll be the two earlier fast trains that you can see departing while you're waiting for your slow train!

[John Bull]

 

In fact, if you get to Waterloo an hour before a specific departure, you'll usually be able to watch two earlier Southampton trains depart before yours does. And if you have a Megabus ticket, it'll be the two earlier fast trains that you can see departing while you're waiting for your slow train!

 

Just to clarify G's "fast" & "slow" trains.

 

Megatrain tickets are only available for trains that call at more intermediate stations. That means a journey time of about 95 minutes instead of about 80 minutes.

A saving of around ?30 per person for a difference of just 15 minutes.

 

JB :)

 

Hmmm, another glitch with this Cruise Critic website re-vamp. :rolleyes:

In his post I thought Bob had accidentally hit the ? key instead of the GBP sign.

Nope.

Same happened to it in my post.

I know that sterling has taken a hit in the past few months, but not bad enough to change GBP to ? :D

Edited March 1, 2017 by John Bull

[Globaliser]

Megatrain tickets are only available for trains that call at more intermediate stations. That means a journey time of about 95 minutes instead of about 80 minutes.

A saving of around ?30 per person for a difference of just 15 minutes.

The difference is actually closer to 20 minutes than 15.

 

Nevertheless, the other great thing about the normal ticket is that it's flexible, so on a Saturday you can simply turn up when you like and go on the next train rather than being tied to a specific departure. The saving/extra cost is not referable only to the time taken from station platform to station platform, but also to the reduction in both stress and overall journey time.

 

Also, on a Saturday you can get a cheap Weekend First upgrade if you have a normal ticket.

 

There are sometimes good offers on normal tickets too. At the moment, you can get a one-way off-peak ticket for ?14 (instead of ?40). If you were to do that and then do a Weekend First, that would be great value.

[durante]

Hi sassy12, hope all this information from everyone on this thread will help you make your decision. If you need any more info/advice let us all know. I love getting out of London and going to beautiful Hampshire and Dorset for such a cheap price on mega train.:D If you are joining a cruise ship in Southampton, it's easily the cheapest and most comfortable way to travel from Central London! Carriages are usually pretty empty on this route. The faster trains as mentioned by Globaliser- ie 15 mins quicker, from my previous experience a few years ago were more crowded.

[Post Captain]

I'm yet another satisfied customer who travels from London Waterloo to So'ton with cheap tickets (usually costing ?8) purchased in advance from Megatrain. I generally take the train departing at 11:39, arriving at Southampton Central at 13:12. As I recall, Megatrain also sells tickets for the 09:39 train out of Waterloo. (For what it's worth, the trains themselves are operated by South West Trains.)

I don't mind arriving early at Waterloo Station; quite the contrary. Call me a holdover from the Victorian era, but I'm one of those people who finds railway stations fascinating in themselves, on a number of levels. And Waterloo is an ideal place for people-watching. (Well, I admit it--I'm easily entertained.:D)

 

You can take a virtual walk through the station via Google streetview:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/srNkTJiSEkK2

 

[h3rjp]

There's loads of great advice here on this post.

 

But the only thing I would say is relax. No matter how complicated it seems, travel by train is easy, quick and relaxing (well provided you aren't travelling at peak times).

 

When you arrive at the station there are very clear information screens telling you the departures and, once allocated, the platform it will depart from. These are also back up with automated announcements, so establishing which is your train and where it goes from is very easy.

 

If you get to the station early there are plenty of places to eat and there's a ok (if expensive) coffee shop on the balcony level which is great for people watching.

 

There is nothing in the way of check in or porters; when you know which track (platform) your train will leave from, head there. You might need to go through a ticket barrier and just feed your ticket in stripe side down and it will open. If you have bags, find one of the wider disabled / luggage gates. Take you luggage with you on to the train, there is normally a small step between the train and platform edge, but nothing most suitcases can't easily be dragged over.

 

Then just settle in for your trip and enjoy watching the hustle of London fly past your window and then the English countryside on the way to Southampton.

 

 

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[sassy12]

Oh, my goodness. What wonderful replies. Thank you all very much.

 

I plan on casing out the station prior to travel date. That's my OCD coming out. I am a planner and already have all other travel incidentals such as meds, first aid stuff, paperwork for three cruises, three separate hotels and nearly all travel docs, raincoats and jackets as well as most of dh's clothes already packed with 60 days to go. Can't decide yet on my clothes.

 

So, around the first of May we might be able to get a better Deal? Unfortunately our first cruise begins on April 30th so will try before we leave our country.

 

Thanks again. LOVE Cruise Critic!

[durante]

If you keep doing a fake booking on megabus, you will see when your chosen departure date first appears at the cheapest price, I think it's about 6 weeks beforehand.

[John Bull]

If you keep doing a fake booking on megabus, you will see when your chosen departure date first appears at the cheapest price, I think it's about 6 weeks beforehand.

 

 

Yes, available from about 6 weeks out.

From the time they're available, the only way I've ever seen prices going is up - so buy as soon as available.

 

JB :).

[Bob++]

I stand by allowing an hour. For anyone familiar with Waterloo Station, 20 minutes is more than enough. The OP says that not only is he a stranger there, but unfamiliar with trains. I imagine walking into the fairly busy terminus with two bags each and looking round for signs etc; possibly having been held up in traffic as well. They could find a spot with a view of the indicator board and have a coffee while they wait, instead of rushing and panicking.

[John Bull]

I stand by allowing an hour. For anyone familiar with Waterloo Station, 20 minutes is more than enough. The OP says that not only is he a stranger there, but unfamiliar with trains. I imagine walking into the fairly busy terminus with two bags each and looking round for signs etc; possibly having been held up in traffic as well. They could find a spot with a view of the indicator board and have a coffee while they wait, instead of rushing and panicking.

 

 

Judging by Sassy's last post, they'll be doing just that.

Or mebbe two hours, just to be on the safe side ;p

 

JB :)

[gfkcruiser]

I am doing the reverse. Traveling from Southampton to Waterloo station on April 29 after cruise. First time in London. We don't do commuter trains in my part of the US so it will be an experience. We are staying a few blocks from the station so only have to find the exit once we reach the station. I went on the Southwest trains website and was notified when my travel date had opened for discount tickets. Not as cheap as Megatrain but reasonable to me.

 

Gail

[durante]

hi gfkcruiser, Assume you will be taking a morning train back to London, if so just be prepared for jam packed carriages full of commuters, also the trains will already be quite packed with people who got on the train previous to Southampton. It's not a terrible problem as long as you know what to expect beforehand.

[Cotswold Eagle]

hi gfkcruiser, Assume you will be taking a morning train back to London,

 

 

Fortunately, April 29 is a Saturday, so such an assumption would be false :)

 

 

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[Bob++]

I love train travel, especially in towns because you get to see the parts other modes of transport don't reach.

 

I used to travel across London frequently and loved looking at people back gardens; I remember one house that was obviously converted to flats because it had a zig-zag wooden ramp from the ground to the third floor; presumably for a cat to get home on.

[Globaliser]

For anyone familiar with Waterloo Station, 20 minutes is more than enough.

Anyone familiar with Waterloo station wouldn't willingly spend more than 5 minutes waiting for a train there without some extraneous reason!

[gfkcruiser]

Fortunately, April 29 is a Saturday, so such an assumption would be false :)

 

 

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I am hoping that will be the situation!

 

Thanks

Gail.

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

Megabus doesn't seem to have tickets from St. Pancras to Dover so I'm going to have to get a ticket from the Southeastern Trains website. How do I get my ticket 3 months later when I'm at the train station? Do I just go to a ticket machine and swipe my credit card that I used to make the booking?

 

For anyone not used to train travel, London's train stations are a bit scary and overwhelming. There's a lot going on and you have to suppress your urge to stand there and gawk like a tourist. :D Now I love going to any train station there just to people-watch, kind-of like at an airport.

[gfkcruiser]

I purchased my train ticket and received a confirmation with a code. Use that and credit card used for purchase to redeem tickets at a station

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

gfkcruiser - Did you buy the ticket at Megabus.com or SoutheasternRailway.co.uk? Where was the ticket machine at St. Pancras? Thanks for the help!

[gfkcruiser]

Purchased through southwest site. I did not get megabus/train as I want to get an early start.

 

 

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