Fast itineraries with no valid single fare, which require a Travelcard

[yorkie]

I'm looking for journeys where the fastest itineraries (at any given time of day) are not valid on any through Single fare, and would therefore require a Travelcard (including out-boundary Travelcards), ignoring the possibility of "split-ticketing" or using Pay As You Go.

Here are five examples:

1. Amersham to Wembley Stadium (via Marylebone)
2. Windsor & Eton Riverside to Kew Bridge (via Putney)
3. London Bridge to Clapham Jn (via East Croydon)
4. Woking to Chessington South (via Clapham Jn or even via Waterloo at peak times)
5. Chelmsford to Forest Gate (via Stratford)

I'm sure that experts here can find others...

Edit: more (thanks to @walkingsophie for finding these; I will edit the post with any more that get posted...)

• Ascot to Kentish Town (via Reading/Farringdon)
• Ash to City Thameslink (via Redhill)
• Foxton to Hackney Wick (via Cambridge/King's Cross)

 

[walkingsophie]

Ascot to Kentish Town (via Reading and Farringdon, not the fastest possible route but often is the fastest)
Ash to City Thameslink (via Redhill or even via Clapham Jn and East Croydon)

are some I could find with about half an hour of looking around

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Apr 2026 ==

Theobalds Grove to Maryland via Cheshunt https://fastjp.com/Results/rid/cac11cbb-7ea1-4ea2-8f05-0fed1082ce6d

 

[yorkie]

Ascot to Kentish Town (via Reading and Farringdon, not the fastest possible route but often is the fastest)
Ash to City Thameslink (via Redhill or even via Clapham Jn and East Croydon)

are some I could find with about half an hour of looking around

Great, thanks.

More examples would be good! (as always, I'd just advise people to be careful and not post any loopholes, as pricing managers may change the validity!)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Apr 2026 ==

Theobalds Grove to Maryland via Cheshunt https://fastjp.com/Results/rid/cac11cbb-7ea1-4ea2-8f05-0fed1082ce6d

I believe that's valid.

Mileage 12.82 (Shortest possible 12.82)

I note the fare from Theobalds Grove is the same as from Cheshunt, so no anomaly there either.

 

[walkingsophie]

I believe that's valid.

You are right, sorry. I must have confused two different ideas I was looking at in that area.
Here is another one to compensate
Foxton to Hackney Wick via Cambridge https://fastjp.com/Results/rid/c6f4116b-980e-4ec2-89de-cd2003e0ccf8

 

[Kilopylae]

Are we including situations where the fastest route requires LU but a through ticket doesn't cover it?

If so, Sudbury Hill Harrow to Castle Bar Park - fastest via South Ruislip and Central line but needs a Travelcard.

https://fastjp.com/Results/rid/13f3aa23-0af4-4288-865a-82e956a8ae64 vs https://trainsplit.com/results?From...:00&Adults=1&OpenReturn=false&adv:MaxSplits=0

Harrow-on-the-Hill to GN destinations, tried it with New Southgate and Winchmore Hill, may be another example - faster via Farrington but this seems to require a Travelcard (the through ticket is only offered for via Moorgate).

 

[greaterangrier]

Greenford branch stations to Earley/Winnersh Triangle/Winnersh/Wokingham/Bracknell/Martins Heron - marked VIA LONDON. Fastest route not via London. No tickets found.

Brandon/Attleborough/Harling Road/Thetford/Eccles Road/Spooner Row to Barking/Dagenham Dock/Rainham all tend to be fastest via Norwich and the GEML to London. This is prohibited due to Easement 700747, which prevents this 'Circuitous Route'. This is silly as the purpose of the easement is to force you down the Romford to Upminster line/via Forest Gate/Wanstead Park which is a grand total of 3 miles longer, on a 140 mile journey via the GEML. This also requires additional changes at Colchester, Shenfield, and Romford/a walk. Oh dear. It is also arguably missing a Maltese Cross VIA NORWICH.

Multiple examples removed due to fare anomalies.

 

[bananas]

Multiple examples removed due to fare anomalies

I'm curious, how do answers to this thread reveal fare anomalies? Just roughly speaking.

Is it like: the fastest route from A to B is not valid on a ticket from A to B, and a travel card is much cheaper than a ticket from A to B? Or like: tickets from A to B are only valid by some unintuitive route via C and are cheaper than the intended ticket from C to A/B?

 

[DeparturesBeck]

If you open it up to season tickets, the only season tickets available between Upminster and West Ham/Fenchurch Street appear to be travelcard season tickets.

 

[Horizon22]

Broadly these are all examples requiring some sort of "double back" hence why there is no valid fare?

 

[walkingsophie]

Broadly these are all examples requiring some sort of "double back" hence why there is no valid fare?

Ash to City Thameslink example does not involve anything that could be considered a doubleback.

 

[Horizon22]

Ash to City Thameslink example does not involve anything that could be considered a doubleback.

Why is the single fare not valid via Redhill? Is it seen as not a "direct" route to London?

 

[walkingsophie]

Why is the single fare not valid via Redhill? Is it seen as not a "direct" route to London?

Guildford to London Group does not have any mapped routes via Redhill

 

[Kilopylae]

Broadly these are all examples requiring some sort of "double back" hence why there is no valid fare?

The Tube examples like Sudbury Hill Harrow to Castle Bar Park or routes where the single ticket forces travel via Moorgate rather than the faster route via Farringdon aren't about double-backs.

 

[Fenchurch SP]

I believe it is permitted to double back via Redhill with a Travelcard from Merstham but not with a single from Merstham to London Terminals. The fastest way to get to London Bridge or Blackfriars from Merstham early in the morning is by taking the 0513 to Redhill then the 0528 Thameslink train from Redhill.

 

[walkingsophie]

This is quite an odd one, but Vauxhall to Brixton is weird with fastjp, so it finds an itinerary via H&I and Penge

Planner - Results - FastJP

www.fastjp.com

 

[Kite159]

This is quite an odd one, but Vauxhall to Brixton is weird with fastjp, so it finds an itinerary via H&I and Penge

Planner - Results - FastJP

www.fastjp.com

Where in the real world people would just take the Victoria line, rather than forcing a journey planner to ignore London Underground services.

 

[walkingsophie]

Where in the real world people would just take the Victoria line, rather than forcing a journey planner to ignore London Underground services.

I did not force the journey planner to ignore the Victoria line services, it does that naturally by itself.

 

[SickyNicky]

Vauxhall to Brixton doesn't have an Underground fixed link defined in the data, so it'll never find it. It does its best to find a route using National Rail. Journey planners can only work with whatever data National Rail supplies.

We do have a TFL timetable module (using TFL open data) which does find the journey, but that's not enabled on the web site because it's not official National Rail data.

 

[Haywain]

Slightly surprised it didn't suggest Vauxhall - Clapham Junction - Victoria - Brixton.