Newcastle fan's train journey sees 56-ticket split - BBC News
Newcastle fan saves on FA Cup train journey but needed 56 tickets.
Mr Heywood posted a picture of his ticket bonanza on Twitter

Newcastle United's army of fans is used to long journeys, and one found a way to cut the cost of a trip to Oxford - but it needed 56 separate rail tickets.

Jonny Heywood booked split tickets from Tyneside for the Magpies' fourth round FA Cup clash last weekend.

Mr Heywood said he saved £56 by not buying one ticket for the whole trip - but was left with a stack of seat reservations and returns.

He and his girlfriend were left juggling 28 tickets each.

In his tweet, Mr Heywood, of Washington, jokingly thanked his friend for the "worst advice" he said he had ever received.

The tweet prompted other people to tell of their own thriftiness, including a football fan who posted a picture of a mound of tickets for a trip to see Southampton, which he said saved him £30.

Split tickets can save passengers money as separate fares for each leg of a journey - all on the same train - are sometimes cheaper than one ticket covering the entire trip.

On Wednesday, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) which represents train operators announced a trial of a scheme that will automatically offer the cheapest possible fare to passengers.

As for Mr Heywood, although he saved money he had to endure a 3-0 pummelling at the hands of League One Oxford.

Have you ever bought a similar number of tickets to make a rail journey? Email your comments to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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