preposition 'to' vs 'for'

[mdenglish]

Hello there

Is there a difference in meaning of the following sentences(if correct)

1. How much is a train ticket for Waterloo station?
2. How much is a train ticket to Waterloo station?
3. Is this the express train for London?
4. Is this the express train to London?

Best regards,

mdenglish

[Barb_D]

In American usage, we'd use "to" to indicate the destination in travel.

We'd use "for" for tickets for admission. How much are tickets for Hershey Park? How much are tickets for Spamalot?

It's $30 for my train ticket to New York and $80 for my ticket for the show.

[Jamie (K)]

Barb's explanation is right, but in real life people don't follow it 100 percent. You can actually say that you bought a ticket to London or a ticket for London, but "to" is better.

There are some expressions in which both "to" and "for" are correct in regard to destination:

"We're headed to London."
"We're headed for London."

Those two sentences mean exactly the same thing.

So the distinction isn't rigid, but if you follow Barb's rule you can at least be sure you'll never be wrong.

[Molly]

[MrPedantic]

I would agree with M: "to London", to me, implies direction of travel, while "for London" implies purpose.

MrP

[Molly]