Biggleswade to Ipswich (Not London) Routeing

[stut]

I'm confused...

The 'logical' way to go from Biggleswade to Ipswich, for me, would be via a single change at Peterborough.

However, the OJP wants you to change at Hitchin and Cambridge, saying that you need multiple tickets to travel via Peterborough (a PBO-IPS is a lot more than BIW-IPS for starters).

Looking at the routeing guide (which I can't claim to be confident with), it lists both Peterborough and Stevenage as routeing points for Biggleswade. So, what's the story? Can I travel via Peterborough on a single ticket?

 

[clagmonster]

No, the fare check rule applies.
For a routing point to be appropriate for the origin station, the cost of the same type of ticket from the routing point to the destination must be less than that of the same ticket type from the origin to the destination. The rule is dimilar for the destination routing point.
As you say, in this case Peterborough-Ipswich is more expensive that Biggleswade-Ipswich, Peterborough is not an appropriate routing point.
The Stevenage ticket is the same price as the Biggleswade ticket so Stevenage is an appropriate routing point.

 

[dan_atki]

The fares check rule to determine which of Hitchin and Peterborough you can go by is quite complicated in this case.

The only ticket from Biggleswade to Ipswich valid via Peterborough is the Route Not London Off-Peak Return (SVR), priced at £24.00, and valid after 0900 (return within one calendar month).

This ticket, along with the Anytime Day Single/Return, is valid via Hitchin (which is the shortest distance for the journey).

The Route +Any Permitted tickets do not allow travel via Peterborough. They are priced by NXEC from PBO (rather than their EA counterparts), and as such it suggests the expected route for people to take on these is via London.

 

[stut]

Thankyou both for your replies - however, the plot thickens!

I've also checked on the NXEC booking engine (I used the traintimes.org.uk one before) and it's giving me PBO as a permitted route for the £13.60 BIW-IPS ticket, even letting me reserve the PBO-IPS section. A glitch in the matrix?

 

[clagmonster]

Sorry, my mistake. I didn't even notice the not London ticket from Peterborough. Dan and NXEC are quite right, the not London saver is valid via Peterborough.

 

[dan_atki]

I've also checked on the NXEC booking engine (I used the traintimes.org.uk one before) and it's giving me PBO as a permitted route for the £13.60 BIW-IPS ticket, even letting me reserve the PBO-IPS section. A glitch in the matrix?

Each booking engine has its own interpretation of the routeing guide... shows how complicated the thing is!

The £13.60 ticket in an Anytime Day Single. There is no equivalent fare from Peterborough (they become open singles/returns there) so the fare check is harder to apply. The routeing guide has this built in:

In exceptional circumstances, due to local fares policies, a direct comparison may not be possible. If this is the case and the origin station or destination station has a lower fare of the type selected than all its routeing points, the Standard Single (Day or Open) fares should be used for comparison purposes.

Based on that, it suggests to me that I should compare the SDS from BIW to the SOS from PBO... If I do that, then the fares check deems Peterborough is not valid! In fact I fail to see how it could be allowed comparing any ticket type - all PBO-IPS Not London fares are over £13.60.

 

[stut]

Now I'm really confused!

I may have to book via NXEA, print off the confirmation screen and plead ignorance.

 

[dan_atki]

Now I'm really confused!

I may have to book via NXEA, print off the confirmation screen and plead ignorance.

If you've got a seat reservation for the journey then they can't really argue!

 

[GB]

Jeez! Why does it have to be so complicated!?

Is it any wonder why Joe Public find ticketing a nightmare!