Season Ticket - Cheshunt

[Be3G]

Haha, took me a few seconds to figure out what you meant there.

 

[VauxhallandI]

This is John's Mother as he used his call to ring me.

He has had no trouble at the Cheshunt gate line all though it is a small pain having to show it each time.

He hasn't met any RPI's yet so he is still carrying his portfolio of supporting paperwork everywhere!

 

[VauxhallandI]

I had my first on train ticket check last night. An unusual 9.45pm raid!

Anyway nothing mentioned, I'm never sure if they or the gate line staff actually have read it properly or maybe they are all wonderfully trained and get bad press.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Well this evening upon arriving at the gate at Cheshunt the gate line chap decided I had to pay an extra fare.

I pointed out to him I didn't.

Whilst he was letting others through the barrier I popped to the loo.

When I came out there were two RPI's there who now had my ticket.

I took out my copy of the NRCOC and Routing Guide that I have been carrying around with me for weeks waiting for this moment.

Anyway the chap asked me if I came out here often and the lady asked me if the ticket was cheaper than the Cheshunt one.

I read out most of the relevant clauses and sections but they didn't seem too interested.

I did point out that I knew the ticket was valid and if they were not sure that they should take it offline as I wasn't going anywhere and would be back regularly.

When I mentioned Section E of the routing guide it didn't seem to trigger any sort of remembering on their behalf

He said they were off patch and I was on patch so he took his notes and gave me my ticket back, I believe he thanked me for my knowledge??

We then parted company.

I'm glad they were randomly there because I imagine the gate line guy would have been less diplomatic.

Do RPI's only have to learn parts of the NRCOC not all of it?

It is no an overly complex ticket I have.

 

[jon0844]

If they've heard about the recent FCC situation with tickets via St Albans City, they might have suddenly thought they'd found a similar 'loophole' - but it's good that they did listen and let you go.

There's no harm in staff not knowing absolutely everything, especially if they cover a huge area (Liverpool Street to King's Lynn one way, and off in other directions too) but it's what they say and do that matters.

 

[VauxhallandI]

If they've heard about the recent FCC situation with tickets via St Albans City, they might have suddenly thought they'd found a similar 'loophole' - but it's good that they did listen and let you go.

There's no harm in staff not knowing absolutely everything, especially if they cover a huge area (Liverpool Street to King's Lynn one way, and off in other directions too) but it's what they say and do that matters.

Indeed, FCC was alluded to.

Absolutely not everyone knows everything but I would have thought the three mile rule would be known.

I only wish I had asked them that once they had investigated that they could tell the Cheshunt staff so that it would be the end of any future gate line issues

 

[34D]

Sounds fair RPI Treatment tbh

 

[Be3G]

Indeed, it sounds like the exchange went about as well as it could have done: the RPI admitted he didn't have enough knowledge to be able to unequivocally say the ticket wasn't valid, so let it pass.

I wonder if one extra bit of useful evidence – assuming you own a smartphone, Johngill100 – might be to take a photograph of a timetable poster at Liverpool Street showing journeys to Theobalds Grove, with a change at Cheshunt. Legally it doesn't mean anything, but it might work on the level of a member of railway staff as it'd mean you could say “look, there's a strong implication that a ticket to TEO is valid via CHN”.

(I assume the timetables still show such connecting journeys – they used to years ago for my journeys back to Turkey Street.)

 

[infobleep]

This isn't as clear cut as you make out. Some TOCs have been prepared to put it in writing that they would allow such a thing. The rules aren't clear at all here. It was discussed in previous threads without consensus.

However I don't suggest writing to GA about this as using the ticket via Cheshunt would be seen to be a loophole which could see the ticket withdrawn from sale sharpish

I have an e-mail from First Great Western confirming you can travel through starting and stopping stations when there are multiple routes out from the station. I have used this before to avoid travelling on stopping services and have only been questioned once. The guard accepted my explanation.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Does it have to be NRE Website?

RSH will do it.

From London Liverpool Street
To Theobolds Grove
Via Cheshunt

Timetables only
then show trains calling at Stratford

I thought we had covered that Stratford was more than 3 miles off route.

Can the three mile rule apply more than once in a journey then?

 

[Be3G]

It's only more than three miles off by one set of measurements; see another John's post earlier in this thread for a greater explanation. Either way, if a website says you can make the journey on one ticket, then you can.

 

[34D]

I thought we had covered that Stratford was more than 3 miles off route.

Can the three mile rule apply more than once in a journey then?

It's not three mile deviation off a route as such: you need to calculate the shortest route in miles (by reference to the left hand column on the timetable pages) then calculate the mileages of your alternative routes (the same way). If one is 5 1/4 and the other 8 1/4 then you're fine.

 

[VauxhallandI]

It's not three mile deviation off a route as such: you need to calculate the shortest route in miles (by reference to the left hand column on the timetable pages) then calculate the mileages of your alternative routes (the same way). If one is 5 1/4 and the other 8 1/4 then you're fine.

Nope still don't get it is that not the same thing? One is three miles longer than the other.

Liverpool St - Stratford - Cheshunt - Theobalds Grove

V

Liverpool St - Theobalds
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Had another questioning tonight, the gate line lady had been told not to accept anything that didn't say Cheshunt on it.

Again luckily there were some RPI's in the office, the chap was very nice and congratulated on my knowledge as he had no idea of the rule.

Question is as this is not a "loophole" but a fundamental rule of the NRCoC, how long do I have to carry the paperwork around with me before I should write to GA and demand some sort of training to be handed out and a wee letter I can carry in my pocket?

One day I may miss a train and subsequently something more important.

Your thoughts please.

 

[maniacmartin]

That is unfortunately the downside of such tickets. You save money, but gain hassle!

 

[Be3G]

Had another questioning tonight, the gate line lady had been told not to accept anything that didn't say Cheshunt on it.

Hmm, very poor training. Using your ticket at Cheshunt might seem a little sneaky to the uninitiated, but banning someone from disembarking at Cheshunt on, say, a London to Cambridge non-advance ticket defies all logic!