North Kent - BML season ticket routeing

[mugam4]

I'm looking to purchase a Charlton - Burgess Hill season ticket (route London Not Gatwick Express) and am wondering what routes this makes available to me.

I've looked through the routeing guide and understand I need to be looking for Charlton - Wivelsfield, and it gives via London, but which London stations would actually be valid?

Definitely:
Charlton - Greenwich - London Bridge
Charlton - Lewisham - London Bridge

And then:
London Bridge - New Cross Gate - East Croydon - Wivelsfield
London Bridge - Peckham Rye - Crystal Palace - East Croydon - Wivelsfield
London Bridge - Peckham Rye - Streatham Common - East Croydon - Wivelsfield

Maybe:
London Blackfriars - Elephant & Castle - Crystal Palace - East Croydon - Wivelsfield
London Blackfriars - Elephant & Castle - Streatham Common - East Croydon - Wivelsfield

Perhaps:
London Victoria - Clapham Junction - Wivelsfield?
London Waterloo - Clapham Junction - Wivelsfield?

This is not very clear from the Routeing Guide data. Thanks in advance!

 

[RJ]

Routeing Maps | data.atoc.org

For Charlton to London you can pick a route from map CT or VL.

For London to Wivelsfield you can pick a route on map LB or VB.

As for London, that ticket has validity via Blackfriars, London Bridge, Victoria, Vauxhall, Waterloo and Waterloo East.

The maps only really make sense if you know South London's rail network well or can cross reference effectively with a network map.

 

[paul1609]

Arent you better off with a Burgess Hill to London Zones 1 to 6 travelcard route thameslink only?

 

[mugam4]

Arent you better off with a Burgess Hill to London Zones 1 to 6 travelcard route thameslink only?

That's what I'm trying to compare against! Wanted to know the validity of the Charlton one (which includes validity on SN Burgess Hill - East Croydon) against the travelcard.

As for London, that ticket has validity via Blackfriars, London Bridge, Victoria, Vauxhall, Waterloo and Waterloo East.

That's great, thanks!

 

[RJ]

That's what I'm trying to compare against! Wanted to know the validity of the Charlton one (which includes validity on SN Burgess Hill - East Croydon) against the travelcard.

Oh no, you're going to open a can of worms with that one...

 

[paul1609]

Oh no, you're going to open a can of worms with that one...

Don't really see why. With 4/3 Thameslink tph from Burgess Hill the only reason that you'd want to get Southern is if you;
a) wanted to get the Southern train directly to Victoria
b) have a fetish for Electrostars
If its a) there is already a cheaper London Victoria season.
For any real journey to Charlton you'd use Thameslink anyway as any first fast train to London Bridge is likely to be Thameslink and the Thameslink Only travel card is cheaper than the point to point season.
I'm sure that there's probably a station somewhere where its advantageous but I cant see a major flow.

 

[30907]

That's what I'm trying to compare against! Wanted to know the validity of the Charlton one (which includes validity on SN Burgess Hill - East Croydon) against the travelcard.


That's great, thanks!

In terms of the South London suburbs, you seem to be covered for all possible routes via Peckham Rye. I can't find a mapped route for LO Wandsworth Rd-Clapham Jn (unlikely to be a problem in practice) nor one at Streatham Hill.
AIUI the season is unlikely to open barriers in South London, which may be slightly inconvenient.

 

[JB_B]

Don't really see why. With 4/3 Thameslink tph from Burgess Hill the only reason that you'd want to get Southern is if you;
a) wanted to get the Southern train directly to Victoria
b) have a fetish for Electrostars
If its a) there is already a cheaper London Victoria season.
For any real journey to Charlton you'd use Thameslink anyway as any first fast train to London Bridge is likely to be Thameslink and the Thameslink Only travel card is cheaper than the point to point season.
I'm sure that there's probably a station somewhere where its advantageous but I cant see a major flow.

I think @RJ 's 'can of worms' is just a nod to the debate about the enforceability ( or otherwise ) of GTR sub-brand restrictions (Not Gatex, Thameslink only ,etc).

I agree with you - for me it would be a no-brainer - given the frequency on Thameslink you'd have to have a very niche set of requirements for the point-to-point season to work out better than the cheaper Thameslink-Only travelcard.

The network of routes available in South London on the point-to-point is probably bigger than you might at first imagine but it's still nothing compared to the whole of Z1-6. It's also quite likely you'll get barrier failures/conversations/hassle if you try anything other than the most obvious routes - that is very much less likely to happen with the travelcard (though still not impossible, sadly).

 

[mugam4]

Don't really see why. With 4/3 Thameslink tph from Burgess Hill the only reason that you'd want to get Southern is if you;
a) wanted to get the Southern train directly to Victoria
b) have a fetish for Electrostars
If its a) there is already a cheaper London Victoria season.

Aware of the debate around GTR's brand restrictions and think worms should remain in can!

I think you're probably right about the Thameslink travelcard - this is a real journey. I currently commute on the BML and being restricted to TL is sometimes frustrating when you have to let a 377 go at the London end, but with the frequency at the times of day I'll be doing this journey that seems unlikely to occur. Thanks for the advice!