Haywards Heath man's hack to save money on trains to Liverpool

Kieran Maguire, 60, was horrified when he discovered his return journey from Haywards Heath to Liverpool Lime Street would cost £441.20.

The lecturer makes the journey twice a week to teach accounting and finance at the University of Liverpool, so was keen to find an alternative.

He worked out that if he split his three hour and 48 minute train journey into multiple tickets, instead of buying a single ticket, he could save lots of money.

The nine tickets Mr Maguire purchased (Image: SWNS)

So now he buys nine tickets - five to Liverpool and four home - for just £81.70.

The hack - known as split ticketing - saves him £359.50 every time he travels, and he has been using it for over three years.

Kieran changes trains three times on the way to Liverpool and four times on his return home to Sussex.

"I have been doing this trip for a few years now - over three years,” said Mr Maguire.

"I am an old man and I have got a senior railcard and it saves me around £350 a journey as opposed to a standard return ticket.

"There are some very good split ticketing websites that you can now use and that is fine for someone like me who knows their way around the train system.

"I am a regular commuter but if you are a tourist or don't usually travel the price will come as a shock."

The journey could have cost him over £400 (Image: SWNS)

The tickets he purchases for his journey to Liverpool are:

• Haywards Heath to Gatwick Airport: £5.20
• Gatwick Airport to London Blackfriars: £12.90
• London Blackfriars via the tube to London Euston to Crewe: £14.65
• Crewe to Liverpool Lime Street: £12.45

And on the way home

• Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe: £12.45
• Crewe to London Euston: £8.55
• London Euston to Croydon: £6.45
• Croydon to Gatwick Airport: £3.85
• Gatwick Airport to Haywards Heath: £5.20

Mr Maguire said he is "frustrated" by the situation and recent strikes have added additional stress to his already-stressful journey.

"Today I had to get to London to catch a train at 6.38am as I couldn't catch the train 40 minutes later as it was very expensive to then join the train at Crewe,” he said.

The 60-year-old travels for his work as a university lecturer in Liverpool (Image: SWNS)

"It is supposed to be a network and the nature of a network is that they are joined up but this is the opposite of a network as this causes you to take a disjointed way to work.

"The strikes have added additional stress to travel.

"I think there has got to be greater emphasis on the greater need of passengers.

"From a business point of view it creates that level of uncertainty and people will drive which is not good for you and good for the environment.

"Commuters want a fair price and a reliable system.”