Validity of tickets on the MML

[RJ]

So after a year's, break my erratic commute between the East Midlands and London is back in full flow. For two years, I considered the service reliability to be superb, even when FCC's service along the same line was up the wall. The last week, my journeys have been bedevilled by cancellations, full Delay Repay busting delays a smidgeon short of 120 minutes and irritating instances of connection breaking congestion delays at strange times of day. And again. Is it me or has right time performance on Mainline services taken a battering in recent months? Loughborough for example, RT arrivals are the exception rather than the rule and it seems to be like that every day now.

Anyway, lots of journeys means buying lots of tickets. I intend to post any further comments about tickets on this line in this thread. I was rather surprised recently when travelling on a fast service between Leicester and St Pancras with a Kiveton Bridge to Cuxton ticket, routed +Via Chesterfield. After suspiciously questioning me as to the location of both stations, the TM asked me if the route shown on the ticket was valid on that line.

Now I'm no ticketing expert so probably shouldn't comment on the TM's judgement - but am I missing something here? Is there any circumstance where a +Via Chesterfield routed ticket would not be valid on the MML between Leicester and St Pancras? No more was said, other than her claiming that it always made her day when she saw me. I've come across this individual several times in the past - most recently in an awkward encounter on my very first trip on the line this year. Despite her pernicious tirades in the past, I've never known someone to make so many irrelevant comments in a vain hope of getting a response. I guess some things will never change.

I've had positive responses from other TMs - a number have welcomed me back onto the trains, some refuse to check my ticket and one said that in the nicest possible way, I was the worst type of passenger a ticket inspector could hope to come across - thanks?

 

[bb21]

I do wonder who this woman is and whether her questioning you on this ticket has everything to do with the fact that it was you rather than the ticket itself.

I have lost count of the number of times I have used the Kent Flyer family of tickets by now, and barring two TMs all accepted the ticket without any further issue, some after a little hesitation. With those two, after I briefly explained what had happened and the tweet EMT sent me, they both commented on how lucky I was to have got hold of them before moving on. I can't say whether I have met the TM you described as I don't know who she is, but would be intrigued to find out.

There were quite a few problems recently on the MML and I rarely found myself on time, whatever the time of the day. Just a bad patch I think but not yet as bad as a two-hour delay with four trains an hour.

No, I don't think there would be any ticket with both a cross-London marker and routed via Chesterfield that is not valid down the MML, but as I said earlier, it could be down to her having an issue with you rather than the routing. Some people are like that, sadly.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I just noticed that you were on 1F83 on Thursday, which was particularly badly affected by the fatality at Kettering as I noted in this thread.

 

[bunnahabhain]

No, I don't think there would be any ticket with both a cross-London marker and routed via Chesterfield that is not valid down the MML, but as I said earlier, it could be down to her having an issue with you rather than the routing. Some people are like that, sadly.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I just noticed that you were on 1F83 on Thursday, which was particularly badly affected by the fatality at Kettering as I noted in this thread.

The only other route Chesterfield tickets I know of are some EMT Advance Purchase tickets which usually give something like Route: EMTviaChfld

 

[kieron]

Now I'm no ticketing expert so probably shouldn't comment on the TM's judgement - but am I missing something here? Is there any circumstance where a +Via Chesterfield routed ticket would not be valid on the MML between Leicester and St Pancras?

A Kiveton Bridge-Luton ticket routed "+Via Chesterfield" wouldn't be valid on your train, not least because it isn't valid as far as London by any route. There are some similar tickets which do allow travel via London, so it would be a shame to see the route cut back to routes where it is obvious that it is useful.

I don't know if this sort of thing affects journeys to stations which aren't on the MML, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it does.

 

[Starmill]

one said that in the nicest possible way, I was the worst type of passenger a ticket inspector could hope to come across - thanks?

Seriously? Gosh that sounds like a difficult job then

 

[RJ]

A Kiveton Bridge-Luton ticket routed "+Via Chesterfield" wouldn't be valid on your train, not least because it isn't valid as far as London by any route. There are some similar tickets which do allow travel via London, so it would be a shame to see the route cut back to routes where it is obvious that it is useful.

I don't know if this sort of thing affects journeys to stations which aren't on the MML, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it does.

My feeling is that it is valid to double back between Luton and St Pancras. The Cross London Marker denotes validity through at least one of a.) London Terminals, b.) Underground/DLR or c.) Snow Hill Tunnel. The route restriction text takes precedence and can filter out up to two of these, but not all three where the marker is present. This is supported by the NRE journey planner - http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/KIV/LUT/tomorrow/1200/dep?via=London&avd=PBO

I do wonder who this woman is and whether her questioning you on this ticket has everything to do with the fact that it was you rather than the ticket itself.

I have lost count of the number of times I have used the Kent Flyer family of tickets by now, and barring two TMs all accepted the ticket without any further issue, some after a little hesitation. With those two, after I briefly explained what had happened and the tweet EMT sent me, they both commented on how lucky I was to have got hold of them before moving on. I can't say whether I have met the TM you described as I don't know who she is, but would be intrigued to find out.

There were quite a few problems recently on the MML and I rarely found myself on time, whatever the time of the day. Just a bad patch I think but not yet as bad as a two-hour delay with four trains an hour.

No, I don't think there would be any ticket with both a cross-London marker and routed via Chesterfield that is not valid down the MML, but as I said earlier, it could be down to her having an issue with you rather than the routing. Some people are like that, sadly.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I just noticed that you were on 1F83 on Thursday, which was particularly badly affected by the fatality at Kettering as I noted in this thread.

She's a laugh a minute - the first time I came across her, I stumped out £74 for a new Leicester to London SOS on top of the valid ticket I had, solely to avoid confrontation. Ever since, she goes on every time she sees me. Puts paid to bad advice that people in a similar situation should pay up/accept a UFN/do anything that can be taken as an admission of guilt and appeal later. Asides from her lengthy rants and unnecessary awkward comments, I remember her for actually trying to find something to pin on me. She once tried to pressure me into telling her which station I worked at, after failing to get me to concede the ticket I had wasn't valid. She proceeded to lecture me about how it is forbidden for me to sell tickets for myself and if she found that I did this, she'd report me. I told her she didn't need to know where I worked and left it at that. As it happens I bought that ticket from one of the TOCs I haven't worked for. I've drawn a line under past mishaps where EMT are concerned, but there's always one!

The Kent Flyer tickets are useful - "Where's Cuxton?" is something I'm asked regularly. Not unanticipated as it's one of the least used stations on Southeastern's network. It appears regularly as it means I have flexibility to travel on Southeastern if needs be - via HS1 and Strood or out of London towards Paddock Wood via Tonbridge. Or simply on lines within London. Very useful indeed.

As for 1F83, the decision was taken to hold the train at St Pancras until the line reopened. We got stuck behind an all stations stopper between Mill Hill and Bedford - then continued to lose time by being on the slow lines and subject to significant SDO restrictions. I ought to write in a letter for the Train Manager - despite it being very late in the day and obviously having to work overtime, she was sprightly, kept passengers informed through announcements and thanked us for being understanding and patient. Similar to the experience you posted

 

[furlong]

The Cross London Marker denotes validity through at least one of a.) London Terminals, b.) Underground/DLR or c.) Snow Hill Tunnel.

That's not a universal opinion. Strike out (a).

If the ticket is not otherwise valid on routes via London Group, how is the presence of a Maltese Cross going to make that magically valid?

Whatever you choose to call it - a "via London" symbol or a "Maltese Cross" - it "signifies that the ticket may be used via London Underground or Thameslink services". Or if you prefer "valid for one journey across London by Underground/DLR services if required". I would submit that to believe that it can also confer additional National Rail validity for a journey segment to/from a London terminal outside the routes permitted by the routeing guide is just wishful thinking. But regardless, if you can show that an accredited website will show such a route, then you're hardly likely to be seeing a penalty fare or successful prosecution.

 

[RJ]

That's not a universal opinion. Strike out (a).

If the ticket is not otherwise valid on routes via London Group, how is the presence of a Maltese Cross going to make that magically valid?

Whatever you choose to call it - a "via London" symbol or a "Maltese Cross" - it "signifies that the ticket may be used via London Underground or Thameslink services". Or if you prefer "valid for one journey across London by Underground/DLR services if required". I would submit that to believe that it can also confer additional National Rail validity for a journey segment to/from a London terminal outside the routes permitted by the routeing guide is just wishful thinking. But regardless, if you can show that an accredited website will show such a route, then you're hardly likely to be seeing a penalty fare or successful prosecution.

It's the same end result at the end of the day.

 

[louis97]

Loughborough for example, RT arrivals are the exception rather than the rule and it seems to be like that every day now.

Living in Loughborough I agree, ever since the new timetable with faster line speeds trains rarely arrive RT now. It just seems that the sectional running times are just not possible (although some EMT drivers are quite slow at pulling into the station) - especially on the Northbound Sheffield services, they call at Leicester Platform 1, yet get no more time than calling at Platform 2 - before the timetable change they did get extra time, not anymore. No line speed changes out of Leicester either. This combined with differentials between the WTT and Public Timetable this makes the service look like its always late.

The running time between Wigston North and Leicester is a bit tight too, although there has been a TSR of the old line speed there that has only just been removed recently.

 

[kieron]

My feeling is that it is valid to double back between Luton and St Pancras. The Cross London Marker denotes validity through at least one of a.) London Terminals, b.) Underground/DLR or c.) Snow Hill Tunnel. The route restriction text takes precedence and can filter out up to two of these, but not all three where the marker is present. This is supported by the NRE journey planner - http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/KIV/LUT/tomorrow/1200/dep?via=London&avd=PBO

Sorry, I'd somehow managed to mess the fare check up. Using the "+via Chesterfield" tickets, West Hampstead is a valid routeing point (SOS £113 to Luton, £100 to West Hampstead) for Kiveton Bridge-Luton, but Bedford isn't. Sheffield and Worksop are okay at the other end. Sheffield-West Hampstead has mapped routes via Chesterfield which reach London via the ECML, so this isn't the reason why NRE, etc., give itineraries which double back via St. Pancras.

There are no mapped routes via Chesterfield and London for a Meadowhall-Luton "+via Chesterfield" ticket, though, and I haven't noticed any relevant easements. I don't think you can draw any conclusions about how this should be treated from what journey planners do, though.

 

[RJ]

Sorry, I'd somehow managed to mess the fare check up. Using the "+via Chesterfield" tickets, West Hampstead is a valid routeing point (SOS £113 to Luton, £100 to West Hampstead) for Kiveton Bridge-Luton, but Bedford isn't. Sheffield and Worksop are okay at the other end. Sheffield-West Hampstead has mapped routes via Chesterfield which reach London via the ECML, so this isn't the reason why NRE, etc., give itineraries which double back via St. Pancras.

There are no mapped routes via Chesterfield and London for a Meadowhall-Luton "+via Chesterfield" ticket, though, and I haven't noticed any relevant easements. I don't think you can draw any conclusions about how this should be treated from what journey planners do, though.

Getting from Sheffield to Luton is awkward for most of the week. There is no fast, direct service. Travellers have the unattractive choice of changing twice, doubling back, or a combination of these to complete this journey.

For those who don't want to double back, it's necessary to change at Leicester for the hourly stopper to Bedford, then change onto a Thameslink service to Luton. Alternatively, they can travel to Luton Airport Parkway then double back to Luton.

It's common for long distance operators to use the Maltese Cross to denote a doubleback into London Terminals is permitted.

Uttoxeter to St Albans. EMT have a fare routed +London Derby.
Rugby to Watford Junction - Virgin Trains have a fare routed +Via London.
Theale to Hanwell - FGW have a fare routed +Any Permitted.
Grantham to Welwyn Garden City - East Coast have a fare routed +Any Permitted.

In the example we're discussing, EMT can't use the Via London or Any Permitted route as the validity on the ECML would presumably have an implication for their revenue.

 

[SickyNicky]

I don't think you can draw any conclusions about how this should be treated from what journey planners do, though.

I believe that most journey planners will see the cross-London marker in the data feed and split the journey into two segments, to London and from London, ignoring any double backs. Permitted routes will then be calculated as origin to London and London to destination.

The lack of LONDON as a mapped route is ignored in these circumstances.

This may not be the way the routeing guide tells you to do it, but it does seem to be the interpretation of journey planners (including the one I use).

 

[RJ]

Had a bit of an odd one today. I made a day trip to London. On the way up, I was heartened to hear the TM's announcement at Leicester, he actually said "feel free to ask if you have any questions about the railway, I'm a bit of a trainspotter." Pity he never made it through the train!

I went shopping in the Stratford International area before returning to the East Midlands. I was using a Cuxton to Thurnscoe Super Off Peak ticket. No problems on HS1 and I went across to board the 21:25 EMT service. When the TM came, he scrutinised the ticket and said that a ticket from Cuxton to Thurnscoe wasn't valid on that service. First I made the point that a ticket with a Cross London marker routed "Via Chesterfield" should be valid on the MML. He disagreed and said the ticket wasn't valid on that service, because it was not going to Chesterfield. I explained to him that I'd be breaking my journey/stopping short for the night along the way. He marked the ticket and said this wasn't allowed. He said that he'd come back to me to talk further about this ticket. In my opinion, there was nothing else that needed to be said.

However, once again the train managed to get caught up in one of these random irksome delays, so he never came back - instead, focusing on providing helpful information on the disruption. What is going on with the service on the MML? For the first two years I used it, reliability was really superb. Asides from the odd signalling meltdown at West Hampstead, it was rare for my journeys on EMT to be delayed. Since I resumed the commute last month, probably 4 in 5 journeys have been delayed by anything between 10 and 119 minutes. What has changed? It's never down to EMT - the trains usually leave on time when I board, but progress is always slower than it's supposed to be!

More to the point, I'm surprised that I'm being challenged on tickets routed "Via Chesterfield." Maybe this one was just a minor misunderstanding of the way I was breaking my journey. Regardless, I decided to check if there was anything prohibiting me going all the way to Nottingham before changing trains. Something has piqued my interest. Typing Cuxton to Thurnscoe into NRE, it suggests the ticket is not valid via Nottingham, unless it's a direct service from St Pancras to Sheffield that goes via Nottingham. Most odd.

 

[lyndhurst25]

RJ, your travel reports are always entertaining! Can I ask how come your Cuxton to
Thurnscoe ticket is showing a price of £5.70 on it? Even with a 16-25 Railcard it sould cost nearly 10x that amount. Am I being stupid and missing something?

 

[bb21]

RJ, your travel reports are always entertaining! Can I ask how come your Cuxton to
Thurnscoe ticket is showing a price of £5.70 on it? Even with a 16-25 Railcard it sould cost nearly 10x that amount. Am I being stupid and missing something?

It was a "special offer".

 

[Starmill]

RJ, your travel reports are always entertaining! Can I ask how come your Cuxton to
Thurnscoe ticket is showing a price of £5.70 on it? Even with a 16-25 Railcard it sould cost nearly 10x that amount. Am I being stupid and missing something?

Nearly 10x? Or... exactly 10x?

 

[Searle]

Nearly 10x? Or... exactly 10x?

£56.75 for a super off peak return... so nearly 10x

 

[Starmill]

Unlike some, I can cope with a rounding error :roll:

 

[NSEFAN]

RJ, you of all people should know by now that price determines validity. Such a cheap fare can't possibly be valid on an intercity service!

 

[Merseysider]

£56.75 for a super off peak return... so nearly 10x

I think at the time it was exactly 10x, as someone had missed off a zero during pricing.
The fare was £8.60 and it is now £86.00.
With railcard discount, it would be £5.675 or £56.75 respectively. So exactly 10x, but rounded up to £5.70 because you can't have fractions of a penny, and all fares end in a 0 or a 5.

 

[bb21]

Mod note - Some posts have been split into this thread.

 

[RJ]

So I made a return trip to London the other day. I travelled back on the 20:26 service from St Pancras, which was late and continued to lose time along the way. With these seemingly delays which are affecting the majority of my journeys leaving London nowadays, it seems the actual journey times are worse now than they were before the line speed upgrades! The ticket check soon took place and I handed over my Cuxton to Goldthorpe Super Off Peak Return. The TM inspected it with deep scrutiny whilst I flicked through my ticket wallet, looking for my 16-25 railcard.

The TM was less interested in the railcard as she was in the ticket itself. Smiling, she asked me to explain the ticket to her. Unsure of what she was getting at, I said that Cuxton is in Kent and Goldthorpe is near Sheffield so boom, I'm on route. She said that I knew what she was talking about was and again, asked me to explain. I said she'd have to elaborate as I didn't know what she was referring to. Most of the time I've been challenged on routing validity, adherence to time restrictions and appropriate use of split ticketing, none of which were likely to be the point of contention.

Although nothing of the sort was said, it was apparent that this TM knew who I was. She asked why the price showed as £5.70. I said it was probably a printing error and was supposed to say £57.00. I got Avantix Traveller up found the ticket and said "there you go, £56.75!" She wasn't convinced, also mentioning that the ticket was printed on the 13th May 2014, some 6 months ago. Reading between the lines, I guessed that she might already have been aware of these tickets. Still, I asked what it was she was getting at.

The exchange had piqued the interest of passengers sitting nearby, eyes peering above a copy of the Times and a Macbook, eavesdropping in amusement. On a serious note, I feel that what one pays for a service is a private matter and should be kept between the customer and the business, unless the customer voluntarily wishes to share that information. Although I guess it would be correct to feel slightly awkward at being exposed as paying so little, other passengers who do comment usually say something along the lines of "I don't know what it is you've done, but well done for buying a cheap ticket, rail travel is so expensive." Sometimes it's the ticket inspector themselves who say this, I've even had it where I've been asked to tell them exactly what I've done so they can share it with their friends.

Anyway, I told the TM what she wanted to hear and she said "Thanks for explaining that to me!" I said that I had enough tickets to see me through to the end of the term, which prompted one of the other passengers to burst out laughing. The TM, still smiling, carried on with her ticket check. The way I see it, EMT sell tickets for £5.95, probably cheaper in the past, so there isn't much difference in it. As I have said in the past, I've all but retired from the "creative ticketing" game, but I don't mind buying simple point to point tickets if there is a saving to be had.

After completing the ticket check, the TM stopped by again and politely asked if she could borrow my ticket. I handed it over and she disappeared into First Class. Almost an hour later, she returned with the ticket. I asked if everything was ok. She claimed there was a new guard in training further down the train and she wanted to show him the ticket. I felt honored that my ticket, out of everybody's on the train had been selected for this purpose. I'm sure there was absolutely nothing else to it . I asked if he had been trained on me - she reckoned as he was on the local side, it would be unlikely. I do use the Ivanhoe service sometimes, which runs between Leicester and Nottingham and beyond.

It's always nice to see a member of staff who's happy and appears to enjoy their job .

 

[bb21]

Well at one stage I was dreading where this story was going, but all's good for once.

 

[RJ]

Yes, it was dealt with professionally and in accordance with the brief, which was good to see. As a customer, I'm not averse to a bit of friendly banter. That said, I had an experience last week which balances out the world a bit. I travelled to London with a Darnall to Cuxton via Chesterfield ticket.

This time, the TM came through shortly after I boarded. Upon showing him the ticket, he said that the ticket wasn't valid via the MML route, not for £5.70 and said I'd have to buy a new ticket. All I said was that Cuxton is in Kent and that a via Chesterfield ticket entitled me to travel via the MML to St Pancras. With this revelation, he went off into First Class with the ticket.

A minute later, he returned and asked me to follow him. I was taken into the First Class vestibule, where a performance manager was travelling. It's in this manager's interests to ensure that train delays are minimised. The TM, clearly distressed, launched into a speech about how this ticket was not valid and how he was not prepared to allow me to travel any further than Leicester. It was not clear to me what allegations the TM made whilst previously conferring with the manager, but I gather he at least suggested that there was some fraudulent activity involved. Which I resent, because I have a reputation to keep up. He also had an issue with the fact the ticket was printed in May and was paid for with a warrant - but wasn't interested in the explanation I had for this.

The TM asked to see all tickets I had in my wallet and I was asked if I showed a railcard when I bought the ticket. Then upon seeing my passes in my wallet, he got rather excited. The usual "you're staff, you should know better. I can call your boss and get you sacked" spiel came out. He'll have to join the queue - I'm getting a bit fed up with misguided ticket inspectors saying they'll put in false allegations to my employers!

So upon arrival at Leicester, the TM decided I was leave the train. He offered no option of buying a ticket or issuing a UFN. I did say a number of times that he was free to take my details - but he said he didn't have any time to deal with ticket disputes. Yet he did have time to delay the train at Leicester and was prepared to wait as long as it took until I got off. He had really gotten himself worked up and was incoherently spitting out his words. Even if I wanted to get a word in edge ways, he didn't want to hear any of it. Maybe he was having a bad day, but it's not my role as a customer to bear the brunt of that.

The manager, still holding the ticket, said he'd take on getting the ticket investigated and promised to get me on the next train. He seemed like a genuine enough person. Because of this, I got off the train within a couple of minutes of arrival at Leicester. I'd have had no moral conviction with taking a seat and waiting for the BTP to turn up otherwise. I don't have anything to hide and invariably, I turn the situation around so it's the ticket inspector who ends up being quizzed by the BTP in these situations. The train was still delayed by 2 minutes, which turned into a 6 minute late arrival at St Pancras.

Anyway, the manager wasn't from a revenue background so chose to defer to other colleagues to look into the matter. As he chose to retain the ticket, I asked for a receipt, in line with clause 20 of the NRCoC. He took me to the ticket office in order to establish what the present price of the ticket was. Upon seeing the ticket, the reaction from the clerks was a mix of bemusement, bewilderment and perplexion. It was suggested it had been misprinted, or somehow a '0' had been missed off the price.

I was taken back onto the platform. To help things along, I suggested to the manager which of his colleagues might be best placed to deal with the matter. He chose to take a photocopy of the ticket instead of retaining it. He stayed true to his promise and did his bit to help me along on the next train. Although I was less than pleased at being asked to get off the train I was on, I respected him for being genuine from the outset and his manner in general. I could see that all other staff we walked past in the station held him in high regard too.

Before the next train pulled in, I rang Customer Relations and put in a complaint against the TM. His attitude stank to high heaven. I don't take kindly to being threatened and I wasn't convinced he was acting in the best interests of the business, the other passengers or anyone but himself and his pride. Deciding to delay the train for such a stupid reason, in front of a performance manager as well, suggested to me that this wasn't an individual of sound judgement. Not to mention ordering me off the train after I showed him a valid ticket. It's bad customer service.

It's not normally my style to complain about staff on a personal level. The only times I've done so if if that member of staff has been abusive towards me, or deliberately physically apprehended me, which has happened 3 times out of maybe 250 trips on EMT. This was the first time that by request of the TM, I've left a train before my destination since I started commuting with EMT in 2011.

It has to be said that EMT have made concerted efforts to put right the wrongs that happened in the past. They've also put measures into place to prevent these disputes happening again. I see this as an isolated incident involving an imperious individual who appears to have scant respect for authority within his company. I'm reliably informed that since the incident, the Train Manager involved has been spoken to, so I shouldn't be bothered by him again without just cause. To this end, I consider the matter as adequately dealt with. I was offered a sympathetic apology and full refund by Customer Relations on the day, but I'm not likely to take them up on that.

Onwards and upwards, it's almost time for the Christmas break, which means 3 weeks' break from yo-yoing up and down the MML

 

[Deerfold]

How long were you delayed? Enough for Delay Repay?

 

[RJ]

How long were you delayed? Enough for Delay Repay?

30 minutes or so, but my time is worth more than the amount I'd get back!

 

[Starmill]

I'm surprised you showed your wallet and so on when asked to. Did he have any right to see anything other than the railcard?

 

[RJ]

I'm surprised you showed your wallet and so on when asked to. Did he have any right to see anything other than the railcard?

Conscious that all of this was being witnessed by the manager, I went along with it. The Train Manager was in the process of digging a hole for himself and nothing I could do would have changed that. However, I was in control of my own conduct. The Train Manager couldn't claim I was being deliberately awkward if I complied by showing him the completely irrelevant contents my wallet. I don't suppose I had any legal obligation to do so.

I'll be heading back to London on 1C32 today, among the mass exodus of students from various towns and cities along the route. I do predict this service will be slightly delayed because of extended dwell times - getting on board on this Friday of each year usually involves swimming over a sea of suitcases

 

[WelshBluebird]

When will certain (certainly not all before anyone jumps on me) staff learn that price has nothing to do with validity! I've had a 16-25 railcard printed with a price of £0 (as it was a replacement for one that had faded to the point of being unreadable). Does that mean it isn't valid to use? Of course not!

I'll be heading back to London on 1C32 today, among the mass exodus of students from various towns and cities along the route. I do predict this service will be slightly delayed because of extended dwell times - getting on board on this Friday of each year usually involves swimming over a sea of suitcases

Running 4 late atm, I hope that is the dwell times rather than you being asked to leave!
Oh and the "swimming over a sea of suitcases" sounds like a standard journey on XC Voyagers on a weekend!

 

[Tetchytyke]

My annual season ticket shows a price of £0.00 as it is now on its third reprint. Goodness only knows what that TM would make of such a thing.

I love the allegations of "fraud". Surely if one were to be fraudulent one wouldn't use a ticket with such an obvious pricing mistake.