Commuting across zone 6

[Bijgc]

I wonder if anyone has some fare advice - I need to commute from Sanderstead (SNR) to Egham (EGH) on a daily basis. Once (maybe twice) a week, I will need zone 1 tube access. Currently, I buy an EGH to Z1-6 travel card and change trains at Clapham Junction (CLJ), but suspect there may be cheaper ways of doing this (for example, SNR to EGH rail-only season, route NOT VIA LONDON) and/or oyster PAYG.

1. Current plans are rail-only season SNR-EGH and remembering to buy a Z1/2 travel card when required. Are there any better/cheaper ways to do this journey?
2. Is there any way to switch from paper rail-only SNR-EGH ticket to Oyster PAYG at CLJ, without getting off the train, running to the barriers and back? I presume a rail-only ticket can't be added to oyster as EGH is outside Z6, and may not in any event allow transition from season to PAYG as you passed through CLJ en-route to Waterloo. Would an SNR-Feltham (FEL) rail-only season allow this transition? I appreciate that an additional FEL-EGH paper season would be required in this case.
3. I presume the answer to this one is 'no', but for the daily journeys, as start and end stations are Z6 or outside Z6, would a Z5/6 travel card and extension BZ6-Egham be valid, provided you didn't try and exit at CLJ?

 

[bb21]

2. Is there any way to switch from paper rail-only SNR-EGH ticket to Oyster PAYG at CLJ, without getting off the train, running to the barriers and back? I presume a rail-only ticket can't be added to oyster as EGH is outside Z6, and may not in any event allow transition from season to PAYG as you passed through CLJ en-route to Waterloo. Would an SNR-Feltham (FEL) rail-only season allow this transition? I appreciate that an additional FEL-EGH paper season would be required in this case.

An outboundary Travelcard season cannot be loaded onto an Oyster, so to use Oyster PAYG you will have to disembark and touch in.

The bottom line is that you will need to touch in if using Oyster PAYG, so if you have a paper ticket, then you will need to get off the train and start your journey on Oyster at a reader.

3. I presume the answer to this one is 'no', but for the daily journeys, as start and end stations are Z6 or outside Z6, would a Z5/6 travel card and extension BZ6-Egham be valid, provided you didn't try and exit at CLJ?

No. If using a Travelcard product, your ticket must cover all the zones you travel through.

Are you buying daily tickets at the moment or are you buying Travelcard seasons at the moment because that is not clear.

If you are currently buying an Egham - London Zones 1-6 Travelcard season, you might find that buying an Egham - London Zones 2-6 one and using Oyster PAYG for the odd journey into central London gives you a cheaper option, since you normally change at Clapham Junction. This of course depends on how often you go into central London, and has the obvious drawback of having to get off the train at Clapham Junction to touch in, unless using an expensive paper ticket extension.

Egham - London Zones 2-6 is £64.40 per week, or £247.30 per month.

There is no rail only Sanderstead - Egham season ticket as Sanderstead is in the Travelcard zones, so a Travelcard season is required. You can of course buy from the first station outside the zones, Woldingham, and start short. A Not Via London (valid via Clapham Junction) rail only season ticket is £305.70 per month, so not really worth it imo.

 

[maniacmartin]

3. I presume the answer to this one is 'no', but for the daily journeys, as start and end stations are Z6 or outside Z6, would a Z5/6 travel card and extension BZ6-Egham be valid, provided you didn't try and exit at CLJ?

This would not be valid. If you have a zonal ticket, your zones need to cover every zone you pass through, not just the start and end zones. What you proposed here is called doughnutting and the consequences if caught wouldn't be nice.

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There is an Oyster reader on platform 16? I think that you could use if you don't want go to the barriers.

 

[MikeWh]

If you are currently buying an Egham - London Zones 1-6 Travelcard season, you might find that buying an Egham - London Zones 2-6 one and using Oyster PAYG for the odd journey into central London gives you a cheaper option, since you normally change at Clapham Junction. This of course depends on how often you go into central London, and has the obvious drawback of having to get off the train at Clapham Junction to touch in, unless using an expensive paper ticket extension.

Depending on how much travel you plan to do in zone 1 it may be cheaper to switch at Vauxhall as that is dual zoned 1/2. If you're going to reach the zone 1-2 cap then starting in zone 2 won't matter.