Advance Fare Advice

[3309will]

Hi there,

Just a quick question I have about a ticket which I am about to purchase.

I am going from Wakefield Westgate - Winchfield via King's Cross and Waterloo, however I am planning on meeting friends in London before I travel from Waterloo onwards.

Am I allowed to do this if I purchase an advance ticket? Am I right in thinking that the advance part only applies to the VTEC train to London, and thereafter I am able to use any connecting service?

Cheers,

Will

 

[roversfan2001]

Technically no, break of journey is not permitted. However, whether you could 'get away' with it would depend on whether you would receive seat reservations on the final train.

 

[yorkie]

Hi there,

Just a quick question I have about a ticket which I am about to purchase.

I am going from Wakefield Westgate - Winchfield via King's Cross and Waterloo, however I am planning on meeting friends in London before I travel from Waterloo onwards.

Am I allowed to do this if I purchase an advance ticket? Am I right in thinking that the advance part only applies to the VTEC train to London, and thereafter I am able to use any connecting service?

Cheers,

Will

You are required to take the booked train to London and "appropriate" connecting trains from London.

You are not permitted to break your journey from Wakefield to Winchfield.

Break of journey is no longer defined in the Conditions of Travel, but used to be defined (in the old Conditions of Carriage) as leaving railway premises for any reason other than to get a train from another station.

So, having a meal with friends at The Parcel Yard within Kings Cross is fine, as is walking with them from Kings Cross to Waterloo. In theory that could string it out for a few hours.

But going to a restaurant in the middle of London wouldn't be OK. (Don't ask how this can be enforced; it can't be!)

See: Another break of journey question

And this quote from 4½ years ago is still relevant today:

There's nothing to add that hasn't been said before, for example in this topic: break of journey on an advance.

The rules may be seen as silly by some (or many!), they may be unenforceable, but the question has been asked and the answer has been given. What the OP chooses to do is down to them.

And if you want to read more of what's been said before, here is even more reading material :

This crops up quite often, some examples include:

• Grantham to Poole 'EC & Connections' Advance ticket query
• "& Connections" Advance question
• EMT + Connections Internet Advance
• Definition of an acceptable delay on a +connections ticket
• East Coast & Connections

and here's what I posted about a year ago:

The rules state that you may take "appropriate" connecting trains, and The Advance FAQs in The Manual provides some additional information:

Q25. Can passengers on an advance ticket travel on earlier connecting trains?

A. Yes if it is non-reservable, no if it is reservable.

An exception that benefits customers: Where East Coast is a connecting TOC from Stevenage via London and vice versa e.g "AP London Reading" or "VWC & connections", East Coast waives the need for travel on the exact East Coast train booked on this relatively short journey Stevenage-Kings Cross, even though retail systems will force a reservation to be made.

Some recent topics include:

• Early connection on advance ticket?
• Advance ticket advice
• Newcastle - Kirkcaldy Advance ticket
• St Albans City to Bath Spa
• Valid travel itinerary
• VWC and connections' advance ticket
• Advance Tickets.unreserved seats
• Unreserved portion on an AP ticket...
• St Albans - Bridgend advanced ticket
• Breaking journey on unreserved last leg of AP ticket
• Advance fare train limitations
• "Advance ticket" question
• AP EMT + Connections: Do time restrictions apply to SWT portion too?
• EMT +cnnectns Leeds - Sheffield
• Tickets 'with Connections'
• Hayle to Paddington
• Advance Tickets: Question on Restrictions.

Another useful place is our RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide, which has information on Advance tickets, and we also supply ATOC's 'Advance Fares FAQ' from The Manual as an attachment (with their permission). If there's anything that still isn't clear, let us know (but bear in mind terms such as reasonable and appropriate are open to interpretation!)