Advice please

[SheikhYerboote]

Hi, I booked a train ticket on TrainPal a few days ago for Luton airport parkway to Worcester shrub hill with changes at Kettering, Leicester and Birmingham new street for Friday 9th October. Have completed this routing many times with no issues.
Just printed the tickets at the station on my way home from work tonight and the ticket shows Luton airport parkway to Worcester foregate street/ shrub hill via Oxford Parkway Only and has the correct booking ref and ticket number to what I booked online. The routing for my booking on the app still shows via Kettering and Leicester etc.

No one to speak too at nearly midnight at any stations, no one to call at train pal only email which I doubt will be read in time and I’m concerned I will be refused travel or fined on my EMR/Cross Country/West midlands trains routing. The restriction on the ticket is a W4 if that’s relevant info.

Any advice please?

 

[tumbledown]

Looking at

Purchase flexible walk-up fares for any British train journey

Purchase flexible single/return tickets & Travelcards – in 3 clicks, at face value with no fees. Every British rail fare shown, railcard discounts included.

www.brfares.com

it looks like only the cheaper Via Oxford Pkwy fares have restriction W4, so that is probably what you have been sold. Comparing the undiscounted price of the ticket in your hand with those tables may help too.
Of course if you have a record of the itinerary output at the time of purchase you officially can follow it.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Not for the first time I question how TrainPal has passed accreditation with a basic failure like that, given the route doesn't go anywhere near Oxford Parkway.

 

[SheikhYerboote]

Thanks to those who commented, I went to the ticket office this evening, was told I would need to pay an upgrade of £40 to £50 depending on whether I chose the route I originally paid for (cross country then cancelled the Leicester to new street train) or went with GWR via Paddington. With no guarantee I would be refunded the difference from train pal I ended up taking the long winded route via Marleybone annd Oxford parkway then GWR to shrub hill which the paper ticket was showing as my only option.

Last time I use train pal.

 

[D1511]

Last time I use train pal.

With pals like that, you don't need enemies.
Best use the forum's site (powered by trainsplit) in future.
Great username BTW

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi, I booked a train ticket on TrainPal a few days ago for Luton airport parkway to Worcester shrub hill with changes at Kettering, Leicester and Birmingham new street for Friday 9th October. Have completed this routing many times with no issues.
Just printed the tickets at the station on my way home from work tonight and the ticket shows Luton airport parkway to Worcester foregate street/ shrub hill via Oxford Parkway Only and has the correct booking ref and ticket number to what I booked online. The routing for my booking on the app still shows via Kettering and Leicester etc.

No one to speak too at nearly midnight at any stations, no one to call at train pal only email which I doubt will be read in time and I’m concerned I will be refused travel or fined on my EMR/Cross Country/West midlands trains routing. The restriction on the ticket is a W4 if that’s relevant info.

Any advice please?

It would be good to see the booking confirmation and the tickets so see what's happened. That sounds like a very unusual sequence of events. (Do block out the booking reference and your name etc)

 

[SheikhYerboote]

It would be good to see the booking confirmation and the tickets so see what's happened. That sounds like a very unusual sequence of events. (Do block out the booking reference and your name etc)

As requested, I’ve never come across this before…

 

[AlterEgo]

How much did you pay Trainpal for the ticket? That is a bizarre routing for that ticket!

 

[SheikhYerboote]

How much did you pay Trainpal for the ticket? That is a bizarre routing for that ticket!

£38.64, a few pennies less than the price on the ticket.

 

[Crithylum]

As this ticket lacks a Maltese Cross, it is not intended to be valid via London. The only other valid route is MM + BP + CB, which goes nowhere near Oxford. Therefore, a journey planner must split at Oxford Parkway.* However, LTN to OXP is only valid via London. As this ticket does not have a Maltese Cross, it lacks underground availability. However, it may have availability via Farringdon on the Elizabeth line.

*assuming no London validity

My personal thoughts are that this is intended to be valid via East West rail, which was meant to open close to 2 years ago, but the fare was added by accident.

 

[SheikhYerboote]

As this ticket lacks a Maltese Cross, it is not intended to be valid via London. The only other valid route is MM + BP + CB, which goes nowhere near Oxford. Therefore, a journey planner must split at Oxford Parkway.* However, LTN to OXP is only valid via London. As this ticket does not have a Maltese Cross, it lacks underground availability. However, it may have availability via Farringdon on the Elizabeth line.

*assuming no London validity

My personal thoughts are that this is intended to be valid via East West rail, which was meant to open close to 2 years ago, but the fare was added by accident.

Thanks very much for your reply, I can confirm I was stopped at every ticket barrier in St Pancras, Baker Street and Marleybone. Currently sat on the last leg of this journey GWR from Oxford to Worcester with a bemused train manager when I showed him my ticket and routing. I reckon your hypothesis could be right, never even crossed my mind that it could be a fare for that routing. I can’t wait for Bedford to Oxford to come into play would save my commute serious amount of time and money.