Bedford > 'London Terminals'

[furlong]

A Bedford-London Terminals ticket is valid only as far as St Pancras.

London Terminals in the context of tickets includes stations like London Bridge and Waterloo.

So if you take the ticket at face value, can't you use Map LB in the routeing guide to travel on a permitted route to, say, London Bridge (in the London Group, which explicitly allows travel to/via any such stations on the permitted route) and just break your journey at Farringdon Thameslink?

 

[Mike395]

London Terminals tickets are not valid to or via Farringdon.

To confirm - if you're buying a Bedford - London Terminals season at St Pancras, always do it from the ticket office as they will (well, should) issue a Bedford - London Thameslink season. (has to be that way round - it will issue from London Terminals otherwise as mentioned above ). The TVMs at Bedford all issue 7 day seasons correctly i.e. to London Thameslink - and the renewal of monthly seasons is disabled - I presume for precisely this reason

 

[barrykas]

Do the FCC S&B machines have different NLC codes?

I'd assume they do, given the need to allocate the revenue to FCC rather than EMT, though it's possible they use the old Kings Cross Thameslink NLC of 1427, the same as the Ticket Office does.

The Manual lists the following NLCs for St Pancras:

• 1427 : FCC
• 1555 : EMT Ticket Office
• 1981 : EMT TVMs
• 3335 : Southeastern TVMs
• 3481 : EMT Train Managers
• 8656 : Telesales
• 9254 : APTIS

 

[hairyhandedfool]

London Terminals tickets are not valid to or via Farringdon....

Exactly, as far as Thameslink is concerned, the only tickets valid to, from or via Farringdon are those which are to/from a London Underground destination (eg Zone U1) or a named station (eg London Bridge), have a cross London marker (or are valid for cross London travel as part of a longer journey beyond London) or are a Travelcard.

....To confirm - if you're buying a Bedford - London Terminals season at St Pancras, always do it from the ticket office as they will (well, should) issue a Bedford - London Thameslink season. (has to be that way round - it will issue from London Terminals otherwise as mentioned above ). The TVMs at Bedford all issue 7 day seasons correctly i.e. to London Thameslink - and the renewal of monthly seasons is disabled - I presume for precisely this reason

It doesn't have to be that way round at all, London Thameslink-Bedford season tickets do exist in the fares database, and ticket office staff can issue them. The staff just have to be aware that the London Thameslink fare is listed underneath the London Terminals fare. The London based TVMs appear to be the problem in not issuing the London Thameslink fare (though strictly speaking they are correct in issuing a London Terminals fare at St Pancras).

 

[stephy]

Whew thanks guys!

 

[Deerfold]

Also I would recommend you buy monthly plus seasons, they are quite a bit cheaper, especially if you schedule them to end on a Friday (so you'd start your next on the 29th of April, and have it issued for 1 month, 3 days. This would be 5 weeks for £441.20, rather than 5 * £104.30 = £521.50, as you are paying now).

This is a good plan - so long as you don't make extensive use of the season ticket at weekends.

 

[stephy]

Can I just say how useful that advice has been. I worked out the max it would cost me for the rest of the year when avoiding the odd weekend by doing this (max cos worked out on the basis of having no more time off, but I will have at least another 2weeks so will readjust once dates known), and spread evenly per month my commute goes from 400 to 325.90!! Unbelievable!!
I wonder how that compares to an annual.

 

[bb21]

I wonder how that compares to an annual.

Bedford Stations - London Thameslink annual is currently £4172. Travelcard annual Bedford Stations - London Zones 1-6 is currently £5100.

 

[stephy]

My way is cheaper. How is this possible?!

 

[bb21]

My way is cheaper. How is this possible?!

Well, you are not paying for unnecessary holidays and weekends I would think.

 

[soil]

My way is cheaper. How is this possible?!

An annual costs 10.42 monthlies, saving 11.2% compared to buying 12 monthlies, but you pay every day, even if you take a month off work.

If you buy monthly plus seasons, you will save one weekend per 33 days, approximately, which is a saving of 6.1%. In addition, for each week's holiday at the end of any month, you save roughly 2% (1/52). If you can save 3 or more such weeks, which is reasonable, then this works out cheaper than the annual.

 

[stephy]

It's brilliant. I get nearly 6 weeks off work a year so all together this massively brings my costs down. Actually made my night!,

 

[bb21]

It's brilliant. I get nearly 6 weeks off work a year so all together this massively brings my costs down. Actually made my night!,

Good. That's what we are here for.

 

[stephy]

I love trains!!

 

[soil]

I love trains!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hHkKJfcBXcw

 

[Eagle]

So this is a bit confusing, a Bedford Stns to Thameslink 7 day season is £104.30, which would be valid for the OP's journey, but the ticket s/he has is not that ticket, but has the same price, and is clearly not valid for the journey s/he attempted today??

That's a duff argument. Just because it's the same price doesn't make it valid. It has a different destination.

If a Bedford to Coventry 7-day season cost £104.30 (it's actually a couple of quid more but let's say for argument it's exactly the same) would that be valid to London Thameslink? Of course not.

 

[stephy]

Oh dear!

 

[island]

An annual costs 10.42 monthlies, saving 11.2% compared to buying 12 monthlies, but you pay every day, even if you take a month off work.

If you buy monthly plus seasons, you will save one weekend per 33 days, approximately, which is a saving of 6.1%. In addition, for each week's holiday at the end of any month, you save roughly 2% (1/52). If you can save 3 or more such weeks, which is reasonable, then this works out cheaper than the annual.

But on the other hand, you won't get a gold card.

 

[stephy]

Sorry do you mind explaining?

Also today at Farringdon with my bedford/London Thameslink ticket the guard said 'we're not doing those tickets anymore by the way. They never work' I was like eh? He was like dunno, we're just not going to be issuing them here.

Can someone explain? Why is Farringdon not going to be issuing London thameslink tickets? Please tell me they're not going to remove them? I was like well I buy mine a Bedford and he was like that's fine. I'm just really confused?! He was friendly but he didn't explain very well..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Looked up gold card, looks good just not for me yet, no children and single and have a YP railcard and only occasionally to on other services, which I pay for in advance with my discount anyway
Cheers for the heads up though
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Can anyone help with the above Thameslink ticket query?

 

[bb21]

They will not be removing them. They do not have the authority to do so without the approval of the DfT.

If the ticket is on sale, they cannot decide to not sell them.

Someone is telling porkies.