Catford to Leytonstone Oyster Touching In/Out Advice

[rajguna]

Hi,
I'm in the UK for 2 weeks and I'm staying in Catford. On Monday and Tuesday I need to go to Leytonstone (during peak time but return at off-peak) for which I've already worked out a route but I'm unsure about the procedure for touching in and out when moving from rail to DLR to underground.

My journey starts at Catford Bridge to Lewisham, from there to take the DLR to Stratford and finish by taking the Central line to Leytonstone.
(if this route is not good I would be interested in any alternatives)

If I remember correctly Lewisham station and it's DLR are separate buildings and I think you have to use the barriers to come out but I don't know if there is an underground path to go between the stations without encountering barriers.

Advice will be appreciated.

 

[maniacmartin]

That is the route I would take too.

The Oyster Single Fare Finder shows the default route as being the cheap one, and the more expensive one as via central London as an Alternative Fare. This means that unless you touch somewhere such as a gate or post en route to make it think otherwise, it'll assume you've gona via Lewisham and Stratford anyway, however you could touch the pink reader posts at Stratford for good measure if you like.

The general rule you need to follow when travelling with Oyster is to always touch the pink readers if you are passing them when changing trains, and only touch yellow readers on posts if it is the very start or end of the whole journey. If you need to pass through any gatelines mid-journey, touch out an in at the relevant gates, and as long sa you don't spend ages interchanging, the system will join the journeys together automatically to charge the right fare.

 

[bicbasher]

If I remember correctly Lewisham station and it's DLR are separate buildings and I think you have to use the barriers to come out but I don't know if there is an underground path to go between the stations without encountering barriers.

Lewisham NR has barriers at the front of the station, you then cross the road which leads to stairs that lead down to the DLR platforms where Oyster validators are at the bottom. DLR ticket machines are above the stairs.

 

[rajguna]

Thank you for the really quick replies.

So this is what I should do?

• Touch in at Catford Bridge,
• Touch out at Lewisham,
• Touch the pink reader at Lewisham DLR (here, as I've touched out at Lewisham NR shouldn't I be touching a yellow reader?) ,
  
• Is Stratford like Lewisham with two stations where I'll have to touch out of one or do I only have to touch on a pink reader to get from DLR to Central?
  
• Touch out at Leytonstone.

As someone who has not come across a validator before, do they make a sound and show a light as confirmation like their yellow counterparts?

 

[maniacmartin]

As far as I'm aware, Lewisham does not have any pink readers. You should touch in on a yellow reader once you've touched out at the gateline.

You don't need to touch any readers at Stratford, and there are no gatelines you will need to go through, but you can touch a pink reader if you wish without penalty. Just don't touch the yellow reader on the post near the Jubilee line as it will touch you out and you will be trapped behind the gatelines not touched in!

 

[rajguna]

Just to confirm:

In at Catford
Out at Lewisham NR
In an Lewisham DLR
Pink at Stratford (optional but recommended?)
Out at Leytonstone.

 

[bicbasher]

Just to add, outside of the Monday to Friday morning peak (0630-1000), you'll need to change at Canary Wharf.

The morning peak service from Lewisham to Stratford operates every 12 minutes.

 

[island]

Lewisham NR has barriers at the front of the station, you then cross the road which leads to stairs that lead down to the DLR platforms where Oyster validators are at the bottom. DLR ticket machines are above the stairs.

This depends on which exit you take. From Catford Bridge you would arrive onto platform 1 at Lewisham. The exit at the up end of the platform takes you out the way you say. The exit half-way down the platform has its own barriers (which are almost always open), you then go through an underpass and at the top you are next to a set of stairs down to the DLR.

 

[rajguna]

Two questions:

What would happen if I got on the DLR without touching out at Lewisham NR due to open barriers?

I once went through a station which had it's barriers open, it was fine because I had a paper travelcard but would the oyster readers have worked if I had a card?

 

[dvboy]

If the barriers are open, still touch out on them.

 

[34D]

The general rule you need to follow when travelling with Oyster is to always touch the pink readers if you are passing them when changing trains, and only touch yellow readers on posts if it is the very start or end of the whole journey. If you need to pass through any gatelines mid-journey, touch out an in at the relevant gates, and as long sa you don't spend ages interchanging, the system will join the journeys together automatically to charge the right fare.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I'll defer to the relevant experts, but if you're walking on the highway between two stations without barriers, only readers (example west hampstead thameslink and west hampstead overground) then I understood you had to touch out then in again?

 

[maniacmartin]

I'm not sure I agree with this. I'll defer to the relevant experts, but if you're walking on the highway between two stations without barriers, only readers (example west hampstead thameslink and west hampstead overground) then I understood you had to touch out then in again?

You are of course correct.

The thing about trying to condense a complex set of rules into a few sentences of "general rules" to make it easier to understand is one will miss out the details. When leaving rail property to do an out of station interchange, you should touch out and back in at the next station

 

[MikeWh]

Two questions:

What would happen if I got on the DLR without touching out at Lewisham NR due to open barriers?

I once went through a station which had it's barriers open, it was fine because I had a paper travelcard but would the oyster readers have worked if I had a card?

Journeys via Lewisham are charged the same with either no touches or both a touch out and a touch in within 20 minutes. Both are also legal as long as you touched in at the very start. When changing from DLR to NR it is best to touch out and in unless you are certain that the gates are open.

 

[rajguna]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their posts.

I had no issues whatsoever during my trip.

 

[34D]

You are of course correct.

The thing about trying to condense a complex set of rules into a few sentences of "general rules" to make it easier to understand is one will miss out the details. When leaving rail property to do an out of station interchange, you should touch out and back in at the next station

Agree fully with your middle sentence

 

[simple simon]

only pink card readers at Stratford are on the Overground platform... no need to use them, as they are nowehere near the part of the station you will be using.

btw at Stratford remember to use platform 4 (4a / 4b) for the DLR. On your return journey board at the front of the train at Leytonstone there is a direct walkway at Stratford just a short distance from the front of the Central line train.