splitting season tickets between Bedford and Leicester

[rmpbedford]

Hi there,

I wonder if colleagues here may be able to help me with a split season ticket inquiry? I'm sorry if this seems a particularly 'green' request, or if it has been asked before. I have actually hunted around a fair bit on this site and elsewhere and haven't been able to get a conclusive answer to this apparently simple scenario, hence my question here. I'm about to spend more money on a rail ticket than I've spent on anything else, beyond a house. Thus I'm keen to get some reassurance from more experienced colleagues!

From this September I will begin a new job which will see me commute between Bedford and Leicester railway stations. An annual season ticket for this journey is quoted at £4,580. I have established that it should be possible to split this into two legs: from Bedford to Wellingborough and from Wellingborough to Leicester. The former costs £1,656 and the latter £2,584. Thus, the split apparently offers a saving of £340 per year.

I believe that I am covered by section 19b of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage. According to the current timetable, it seems all EMT trains between Bedford and Leicester stop at Wellingborough Mon-Fri (and at all other intermediate stations, as it happens).

I wonder whether forum members can advise on whether there are there any restrictions or difficulties with my proposed split?

Also, I'm interested to know what one actually shows a ticket inspector when using a split season ticket arrangement. Do you have to keep track of where you are on the journey and only show them the ticket for the leg in which you are currently traveling? Or is it acceptable to have tickets for both legs in a plastic wallet, alongside a photocard, and to expect the inspector to understand what you are doing?

Very many thanks indeed for any advice that you can offer!

Thanks
Ross

 

[bb21]

You can use your proposed split on trains that stop at Wellingborough, which is roughly one an hour. You cannot use them on non-stop services (if there is any).

As to what to show, it varies. Some guards prefer all tickets to be shown at the same time, and others are only interested in the one you are using at that moment in time.

 

[maniacmartin]

This is a bit of a rarity. Usually such splits are more expensive.

As bb21 says, its valid as long as the train calls at Wellingborough.

Given that most ticket wallets have 3 slots, I'd just put a ticket in each slot along with a photocard that's common to them both.

 

[rmpbedford]

Hi bb21 and maniacmartin,

Wonderful! Very many thanks for your advice. Exactly what I hoped to hear.

Sincere thanks.

 

[rdwarr]

Does the "you know who special" of
Bedford - Kettering £2,296
Loughborough - Leicester £1,000
apply here?

Not suggesting the OP tries it, just wondering if it's actually valid.

 

[maniacmartin]

Yes it would apply here, however I strongly recommend the OP does not try such a combination

 

[rmpbedford]

Okay... So that's got me interested! Had a quick search to see if I could find out more about this one myself but have drawn a blank. Would it be possible for someone to elucidate, even if it is just for academic purposes?

Many thanks!

 

[bb21]

I will send you a PM.

 

[yorkie]

Does the "you know who special" of
Bedford - Kettering £2,296
Loughborough - Leicester £1,000
apply here?

Only if you are prepared to defend possible prosecution from EMT.

Not suggesting the OP tries it,

Indeed, I certainly wouldn't suggest it, or hint at it.

just wondering if it's actually valid.

Well, you wouldn't be mentioning it if you didn't know it was valid

I agree that Loughborough - Leicester is shown as valid in the Routeing Guide by map EM.

I also agree that tracing a route of Loughborough - Melton Mowbray - Oakham - Kettering - Leicester does indeed appear to be following a permitted route according to the rules laid out in the Routeing Guide, and I can find nothing to suggest that would not be valid.

But anyone doing so would almost certainly end up being embroiled in a dispute with EMT.

A single ticket holder would likely initially be assumed to have taken the wrong train. Anyone using the ticket for a section of the above route, finishing 'short', and immediately using another ticket to continue their journey elsewhere, would be making it obvious they are using an anomaly, and the outcome would be unpredictable.

 

[rmpbedford]

OK - got it! Won't be trying it, don't worry. But I'm very grateful to you for explaining.

Thanks again

 

[yorkie]

OK - got it! Won't be trying it, don't worry.

Glad to hear it, as a new member asked about using a quite "normal" series of tickets from Leicester to London in this thread, but received advice in a PM about the aforementioned loophole ticket, which reduced the price slightly. He took that advice, against my recommendation, and the result was Emt upfn.

Eventually, the unpaid fare notice was quashed, but even at minimum wage levels, the time spent dealing with the matter was worth far more than the cost saving of using the loophole ticket.

But I'm very grateful to you for explaining.

No problem

 

[rmpbedford]

Blimey...

 

[talltim]

As a matter of interest, if you were to do so and were challenged by an
Inspector who disagreed on the validity, their correct course would be to withdraw the ticket/s, issue a TIR and a zero fare replacement?
If the tickets are seasons, do you get zero fare replacement seasons? After all even if it turned out that they are not valid for the journey being made, they are still valid for other journeys today and until they expire.

 

[bb21]

As a matter of interest, if you were to do so and were challenged by an
Inspector who disagreed on the validity, their correct course would be to withdraw the ticket/s, issue a TIR and a zero fare replacement?
If the tickets are seasons, do you get zero fare replacement seasons? After all even if it turned out that they are not valid for the journey being made, they are still valid for other journeys today and until they expire.

The guidelines state that a free replacement must be issued to enable the passenger to complete his journey.

There is no provision for a withdrawn season ticket. The passenger might have to purchase new tickets and seek a refund later.

 

[rdwarr]

Well, you wouldn't be mentioning it if you didn't know it was valid

I'm very much a novice here (long-term commuter). I wasn't sure if trains on the route stopped at Kettering or if there was any difference in seasons vs. ticket types previously discussed.

Probably not the best thread to raise the subject given the ensuing discussion - I'll be more careful next time.