Ad hoc Thameslink extensions

[Barn]

I have an Abbey Wood to London Terminals season ticket, which I understand is valid on Thameslink services as far as City Thameslink.

Today I needed to travel to St Pancras so, being the honest sort, I asked at Abbey Wood for some sort of ticket that would cover me for the final two stations. Apparently no such ticket exists and the only option is to get out and tap in an Oyster or contactless card. Can this really be correct?

 

[Hadders]

A City Thameslink - London St Pancras ticket is available.

 

[Barn]

A City Thameslink - London St Pancras ticket is available.

Thanks. It wasn't available from the ticket machine or from the ticket office at Abbey Wood. I ended up using contactless the whole way as I was traveling with a baby and a toddler so the quick dash to the oyster machine wasn't an option.

 

[MikeWh]

Thanks. It wasn't available from the ticket machine or from the ticket office at Abbey Wood. I ended up using contactless the whole way as I was traveling with a baby and a toddler so the quick dash to the oyster machine wasn't an option.

Please complain to TfL about that. It absolutely should have been available from the ticket office.

 

[Haywain]

They probably failed to find it because it is route Not Underground. A surprising number of clerks will have their machines set up with a default route of Any Permitted, which is very unhelpful.

 

[Barn]

Please complain to TfL about that. It absolutely should have been available from the ticket office.

Thanks, I will. I will ensure it is not a complaint against the man himself as he was trying his best to be helpful but just couldn't find the option on his machine. It strikes me as something that will be ever more relevant now that Thameslink serves the line.

 

[talldave]

Thanks, I will. I will ensure it is not a compliant against the man himself as he was trying his best to be helpful but just couldn't find the option on his machine. It strikes me as something that will be ever more relevant now that Thameslink serves the line.

The other option would to have been to buy online with your 'phone and collect (almost) immediately from a TVM. However, as an owner of a toddler myself I can appreciate that that might have given your youngster sufficient time to destroy the station or wander off into the distance .

 

[zoneking]

With the current Thameslink chaos, they should change the ticket availability so that London Terminals includes St Pancreas.

 

[Barn]

It strikes me that, even had this ticket been available, it would probably have been much more expensive than using the "get out and touch back in method".

Given how counterintuitive the London Terminals rules are on Thameslink (for non-enthusasts), the least the industry could do is facilitate as much as possible those seeking to comply with them.

 

[Paul Kelly]

It strikes me that, even had this ticket been available, it would probably have been much more expensive than using the "get out and touch back in method".

Depends on the time of day and/or any discount you're entitled to. If you're travelling in the Oyster peak and using any railcard other than Disabled, the paper ticket is actually cheaper than Oyster (£2.05 cf. £2.40).

 

[Barn]

Depends on the time of day and/or any discount you're entitled to. If you're travelling in the Oyster peak and using any railcard other than Disabled, the paper ticket is actually cheaper than Oyster (£2.05 cf. £2.40).

Thanks. I do have an Annual Gold Card. Perhaps I am unfairly defaming TfL, but I have a nagging suspicion that there would have been a techincal / training difficulty caused by the fact that my train left Abbey Wood before 09:30 but would have hit City Thameslink after 09:30.

The trouble with this sort of situation is that it sounds very niche and pedantic, but it was actually a completely normal journey on a direct train.

 

[Haywain]

With the current Thameslink chaos, they should change the ticket availability so that London Terminals includes St Pancreas.

It's St Pancras (no letter e), and I'm not sure why you think they should make such a change - it would just serve to confuse the issue in the longer term.