Fares from Elsenham to London

[andylikestrain]

Hi all
When I search for an off peak return from Elsenham to Liverpool Street (£35.00), I get the same fare as when I search for the same ticket, but from Elsenham to Waterloo. I’m sure that in the past there was an extra cost for the tube ‘add on’. Has this gone now?

Thank you for your help as always!

 

[47421]

All fares here

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£35 is off peak day return inc 1 journey zone 1-3 (no evening restriction)

£42.60 is off peak return & z1/3 valid to come back w/in month, with 1632/1835 evening restriction on weekdays

 

[Watershed]

Which site are you using to look up those fares and are you being offered an itinerary on the Tube?

If you're looking at the Off-Peak Return then £35 fare is only a ticket to London Terminals, which would not be valid on the Tube to Waterloo.

There is also a £35 Off-Peak Day Return which is issued to Underground Zones 1-6 and would therefore allow travel on the Underground to any Tube station in those zones. There's cheaper Off-Peak Day Returns that cover fewer zones, e.g. £31 to Zones 1-3, if you're just going to Waterloo.

Perhaps that is where the confusion has come from - the fact there are two different fares costing the same (day return and period return) which are issued to different destinations and therefore have different validity?

 

[andylikestrain]

I’m getting a different result on BRfares.com. When I enter destination as London Waterloo, I get these fares. I’m obviously missing something! It’s very confusing!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Jan 2026 ==

Also on LNER website

 

[47421]

The fares you are seeing are valid for one journey z1-6. From Elsenham there are cheaper fares to z1-3. It is one of the many unexplainable features of the fares system that different origins have different London zone combinations as destination options for fares purposes. If you go to a tic office or tic machine they should sell you a return to destination zone123

 

[andylikestrain]

The fares you are seeing are valid for one journey z1-6. From Elsenham there are cheaper fares to z1-3. It is one of the many unexplainable features of the fares system that different origins have different London zone combinations as destination options for fares purposes. If you go to a tic office or tic machine they should sell you a return to destination zone123

Is it not possible to book the ticket I need online then? Thanks

 

[yorkie]

I’m getting a different result on BRfares.com. When I enter destination as London Waterloo, I get these fares. I’m obviously missing something! It’s very confusing! View attachment 195683

BR Fares is not a journey planner.

Look at the "flow destination"; if it says 0035 London Zones 1-6, that's a Travelcard. If it says "London Terminals" then that's not valid on the tube* (* except where inter-availability applies, as appropriate) so you couldn't use that to get to Waterloo.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Jan 2026 ==

Is it not possible to book the ticket I need online then? Thanks

What do you want?

If you want a return to Waterloo tube station, and are returning a different day, travelling off-peak, then an Off Peak Return from Elsenham to London Underground Zones 1-3 is what you need. If you are travelling back the same day, then (Super) Off Peak Day return fares are available.

If you are returning the same day and might be making additional bus/tube/rail journeys, a Travelcard isn't much extra.

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets.railforums.co.uk

Return the same day​

Super Off-Peak Day Return​

Elsenham Essex -> London Underground and DLR Zones 1-3

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Restriction code D6 applies
Ticket valid for this journey under London Underground interavailability rules.

Return same day
£28.20

Off-Peak Day Return​

Elsenham Essex -> London Underground and DLR Zones 1-3

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Restriction code C4 applies
Ticket valid for this journey under London Underground interavailability rules.

Return same day
£31.00

Super Off-Peak Day Travelcard​

Elsenham Essex -> London Travelcard Zones 1-6

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Restriction code D6 applies
Travel is allowed via any permitted route.

Return same day
£32.00

Off-Peak Day Travelcard​

Elsenham Essex -> London Travelcard Zones 1-6

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Restriction code C4 applies
Travel is allowed via any permitted route.

Return same day
£36.20

Anytime Day Return​

Elsenham Essex -> London Underground and DLR Zones 1-3

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Valid at any time
Ticket valid for this journey under London Underground interavailability rules.

Return same day
£37.90

Anytime Day Travelcard​

Elsenham Essex -> London Travelcard Zones 1-6

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Valid at any time
Travel is allowed via any permitted route.

Return same day
£48.60

Return within 1 month​

Off-Peak Return​

Elsenham Essex -> London Underground and DLR Zones 1-3

This fare can only be fulfilled with a paper ticket
Restriction code 1A applies
Ticket valid for this journey under London Underground interavailability rules.

Return within 1 month
£42.60

 

[andylikestrain]

Which site are you using to look up those fares and are you being offered an itinerary on the Tube?

If you're looking at the Off-Peak Return then £35 fare is only a ticket to London Terminals, which would not be valid on the Tube to Waterloo.

There is also a £35 Off-Peak Day Return which is issued to Underground Zones 1-6 and would therefore allow travel on the Underground to any Tube station in those zones. There's cheaper Off-Peak Day Returns that cover fewer zones, e.g. £31 to Zones 1-3, if you're just going to Waterloo.

Perhaps that is where the confusion has come from - the fact there are two different fares costing the same (day return and period return) which are issued to different destinations and therefore have different validity?

Please see screenshots recently posted. It looks like there isn’t a tube itinerary on the LNER website. It just seems odd that I can enter London Waterloo as my destination on the LNER website & on BRfares and be offered/shown a fare which is only be valid as far as Liverpool Street.

 

[yorkie]

Please see screenshots recently posted. It looks like there isn’t a tube itinerary on the LNER website. It just seems odd that I can enter London Waterloo as my destination on the LNER website & on BRfares and be offered/shown a fare which is only be valid as far as Liverpool Street.

Our ticketing site works.

BR Fares is not a journey planner, nor a retailer.

I don't know why the LNER site isn't working, but there are many features that TOCs don't make available, so you're generally better off using the forum site (e.g. multiple via/avoid points, the ability to request a change of trains at a specific station, additional interchange time, etc...)

 

[CyrusWuff]

Our ticketing site works.

BR Fares is not a journey planner, nor a retailer.

Nor an official source of information, despite reflecting what's in the fares data feed.

 

[andylikestrain]

BR Fares is not a journey planner.

Look at the "flow destination"; if it says 0035 London Zones 1-6, that's a Travelcard. If it says "London Terminals" then that's not valid on the tube* (* except where inter-availability applies, as appropriate) so you couldn't use that to get to Waterloo.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Jan 2026 ==


What do you want?

If you want a return to Waterloo tube station, and are returning a different day, travelling off peak, then an Off Peak Return from Elsenham to London Underground Zones 1-3 is what you need. If you are travelling back the same day, then there (Super) Off Peak Day return fares available.

Results | RailUK Tickets

TrainSplit is a free service that makes it easy to find the cheapest train tickets for your journey.

tickets.railforums.co.uk

Return the same day​

Return within 1 month​

Thank you, everyone. That makes sense.