Are weekends Off-Peak?

Weekends are Off-Peak when it comes to the ticket type! But there are a couple of things that you should bear in mind when you travel.

Are weekends Off-Peak?

As a general rule, Off-Peak tickets are valid all day on weekends and Bank Holidays. With the exception of some West Midlands Trains and South Western Railway tickets, you can also use Super Off-Peak tickets all day on weekends.

Unless you’re returning during a ‘peak’ time on a weekday, there’s no need to pay extra for an Anytime ticket. In any case, when you pop your journey into Railsmartr, we’ll tell you the cheapest option for the journey that you want to take:

Now, if your question is whether weekends are ‘busy’ rather than if your ticket is valid, that is a bit more complex! Weekends aren’t Off-Peak in some places if you’re judging them based on the number of people on the train. For example, many long-distance trains are busiest on Sundays. Even if you’re travelling at the weekend, we’d still recommend making a seat reservation if you can.

What if I can’t find an Off-Peak ticket?

You’re most likely to be asking this question if you’re travelling from London to Newcastle, Berwick, Edinburgh or vice-versa. As part of a ‘simpler fares‘ pilot, LNER doesn’t sell Off-Peak tickets for these journeys anymore.

As a result, on busy weekend trains, you might find that services are more expensive than during the week. Because of this, you might prefer to book a ticket to a different (but similarly located) station, where there’s still a Super Off-Peak (or Off-Peak) fare available.

Here at Railsmartr, we also offer split tickets. This is where we’ll find the best combination of tickets for your journey so you’re getting the best value fare. There’s no extra fuss, just an extra ticket in your hand! Look out for the split tickets symbol when booking: