Arun Valley / Brighton Main Line Valid Route Confusion

[Malderon]

Sorry for so many queries in a short time, but I have found your guys advice in the past really useful and have come up with another one!

I travel regularly for work from Chichester - Kingswood using a Chichester - Tattenham Corner season ticket. (Route Chichester - E Croydon via Horsham, E Croydon to Kingswood via Tattenham Corner branch).

In a few weeks time I am going to be travelling to a family event in Eastbourne and will go straight from work. I had planned to (as long as my understanding of splitting tickets is correct) get on an Eastbourne bound train at East Croydon, using my season ticket for the ECR-Three Bridges Section, as my normal ECR-Chichester train calls at Three Bridges and purchasing in advance a Three Bridges to Eastbourne ticket (cost £13.10 and I can get a discount through easit memebership)

However after staying late from work for drinks the other day, I searched for train times and because I was getting close to last trains, the National Rail tool suggested some routes Via Brighton (ie, Kingswood - ECR, ECR-Brighton, Brighton - Chichester).

So for a trial I tried manually putting "via Brighton" in various searches for Kingswood - Chichester and I get no message of "You must buy more than one ticket for this journey" (which is the only way I can work out of checking valid routes. Is there a better way?)

This made me think I could legitimately buy a ticket from Haywards Heath - Eastbourne (cost ~£10), OK its a small saving but I was more interested in the possibility that my season ticket is valid on West Coastway east of Barnham (Chichester - Brighton and interim stations).

I was also concerned that it might look strange to be travelling ECR-Haywards Heath on a Chichester - Tattenham Corner season ticket, and some advice on what I should say if challenged.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[bangor-toad]

Hi there,
You can avoid all of the problems by getting a Southern Daysave ticket. These cost £10. They cover you for travel on all Southern trains. There are some restrictions about using them in the evening peak but since you have a season that covers you to Three Bridges then it won't be a problem.

I've used these tickets often and they're great. Oh, if you are going to need to get a bus in/around Eastbourne, get the Southern Downlander ticket instead - this covers you for quite a lot of buses along the coast.

Here are the links:
DaySave. £10 (Buy 7 days in advance) http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/daysave/

Downlaoder. £12.50 (Buy 2 days in advance)
http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/downlander/

Cheers,
Jason

 

[swt_passenger]

This made me think I could legitimately buy a ticket from Haywards Heath - Eastbourne (cost ~£10), OK its a small saving but I was more interested in the possibility that my season ticket is valid on West Coastway east of Barnham (Chichester - Brighton and interim stations).

Thanks in anticipation.

West Coastway to/from London is valid via Horsham and via Hove. Before the tickets I use (from Cosham or Havant) were changed to 'route Southern', I'm fairly sure they actually read 'route Hassocks/Horsham'. It isn't that long ago (2 or 3 years maybe) that most through trains actually did run via Hove.

Never been sure about travelling via Brighton itself though, hopefully someone else will chip in.

 

[John @ home]

DaySave. £10 (Buy 7 days in advance) http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/daysave/

Downlaoder. £12.50 (Buy 2 days in advance)
http://www.southernrailway.com/tickets-and-fares/downlander/

These are very good products, which I buy on my occasional visits to the south coast, but they're not the the cheapest option for a visit to Eastbourne in conjunction with a Chichester - Tattenham Corner season ticket.

I tried manually putting "via Brighton" in various searches for Kingswood - Chichester and I get no message of "You must buy more than one ticket for this journey" (which is the only way I can work out of checking valid routes. Is there a better way?)

Yes. Learn how to use the National Routeing Guide. This is complex, but from your posts I think you would enjoy it. Start by reading the Instructions, and come back here with your queries.

One of the maps showing Permitted Routes for the Ford Group - Croydon Group part of a Chichester - Tattenham Corner journey is map LB. This shows that (Chichester) - Ford Group - Worthing - Brighton - Lewes - Three Bridges - Gatwick Airport - Redhill Group - Croydon Group - (Tattenham Corner) is a Permitted Route.

This allows you to use your season ticket to and from Lewes and you need buy only a CDR Lewes - Eastbourne at £6.30, £4.15 with a Railcard, or £5.00 if your easit membership allows a 21% discount on this route.

I was also concerned that it might look strange to be travelling ECR-Haywards Heath on a Chichester - Tattenham Corner season ticket, and some advice on what I should say if challenged.

Sometimes we do advise forum members to carry documentation with them when travelling by an unusual, but permitted, route. But it shouldn't be necessary in this instance. The validity of Chichester - London via Brighton and Lewes is well known, and should be familiar to all staff inspecting tickets on the route. If it makes you feel more confident, print map LB and carry it with you on the journey. I would not expect you to be asked for it.

Buy Havant - Tattenham Corner instead of Chichester - Tattenham Corner
When calculating the Permitted Routes for Chichester - Tattenham Corner, I noticed that Havant - Tattenham Corner route Barnham is the same price, has the same route availability east of Chichester, and would also allow you travel between Chichester and Havant. You may wish to consider renewing your Chichester - Tattenham Corner season with a Havant - Tattenham Corner route Barnham ticket.

Note that this applies to Havant - Tattenham Corner route Barnham. There is a more expensive Havant - Tattenham Corner route Not London ticket, also valid via Guildford.

 

[paul1609]

I wouldnt worry about being challenged about the route Southern seem to be quite relaxed about routings on their network and even have helpful easements which allow you to travel from stations west of west worthing to east coastway stations via Haywards Heath.

By the way should you want a downlander ticket described above get a southcoast downlander its only £10 and valid for stations south of Gatwick Airport. it is valid from 09,30 rather than the 10.00 on the all network downlander and is valid on nearly buses in the eastbourne area and its hinterland.

 

[Malderon]

Thanks for your responses especially John, really great information. I'll definitely have a look at the national routeing guide.

I had already lengthened my Chichester - Kingswood ticket to Chichester - Tattenham Corner for the same logic as you proposed for Havant. I'll definitely look into it but I will need to email Easit I think as Havant is a SWT station. Even though it is almost completley Southern trains between Chichester and Havant these days since the Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading SWT service finished I wouldnt be entirely sure the discount would be valid for a season ticket including Havant.

Lewes-Eastbourne with my Easit discount sounds great though!

 

[John @ home]

I will need to email Easit I think as Havant is a SWT station.

Both Havant - Tattenham Corner route Barnham and, more surprisingly, Havant - Tattenham Corner route Not London fares are set by Southern. However, Havant is managed by South West Trains so you could not purchase the season ticket there.

You may be able to purchase a Havant - Tattenham Corner season ticket with an easit discount at a different Southern station - the web page is not at all clear.

The site suggests, but does not explicitly state, that the easit discount may be intended to apply on Southern services only. To clarify this, can you please tell us what is printed below the word "Route" on your current ticket?

EDIT I now realise from the easit site that the discount does not apply to Off-Peak or Off-Peak Day tickets. The Lewes - Eastbourne £6.30 Off-Peak Day Return (CDR) is cheaper that the Anytime Day Return (SDR), £9.40 discounted to £7.40.

 

[yorkie]

...using my season ticket for the ECR-Three Bridges Section, as my normal ECR-Chichester train calls at Three Bridges and purchasing in advance a Three Bridges to Eastbourne ticket...

The train does not need to call at Three Bridges! You are combining tickets (see condition 19 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage) for one journey, and only one of (a), (b), or (c) needs to apply, one of which is that "(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not" this applies in this case (one season ticket + one or more non-season tickets). There is no need to additionally comply with" (b)the train you are in calls at a station where you change from oneticket to another"

 

[Malderon]

I bought my first ticket before I had my Easit photocard, and the ticket did not change at all. The Route is described as "Any Permitted"

As far as the Easit discount goes I dont think it affects the ticket at all, as long as I can convince the sales person to actually apply the discount to the purchase (which took some doing last time!)

The whole Easit thing is a bit unclear, I think previously your end destination had to be in the East Surrey area but now basically once you are an Easit member it is supposed to be a discount on any Southern train service excluding Zone 1-3 and providing you are purchasing one of the following:

Annual Season Ticket, Monthy Season Ticket, Weekly Season Ticket, ‘Anytime Day’ Single ‘Anytime Day’ Return.

As far as I can tell, if I asked to buy a ticket to a station that wasnt served by a Southern train, for instance if I asked to go Chichester - Bournemouth, then I would be told I couldnt use my discount at all, in which case I could buy Chichester - Southampton discounted, and Southampton - Bournemouth at full price.

It is very unclear though, the whole programme. The first time I used my discount I had to wait about 10 minutes at East Croydon ticket office while the staff discussed if it was valid, however many times I showed them the email I had from easit, and the printout saying "any Southern service". And that was an office that sees quite alot of the Easit cards from various companies (they just werent sure I could use it as far as Chichester). I didn't even try to buy my ticket at Chichester because I imagined it would be even harder to convince there - but the person from easit told me to contact them if I have any problems and hopefully a renewal should be more straightforward than the first season ticket!