Advance ticket - allowed services

[multilevel]

My daughter has an Advance single ticket Southampton Airport Parkway to Biggleswade which says "SWR service and required connecting services" (or very similar). Accompanying it is a second ticket-style card which details the SWR service from Southampton Airport Parkway to Waterloo and also a particular Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade.

Q1: Clearly she has to use the specific SWR service detailed on the second ticket-style card but does she also have to use the specific Thameslink train listed? The ticket proper only mentions SWR and connecting services so could another Thameslink train count as a "connecting service" even if it is not the one on the second ticket-style card?

Q2: Her intention is to go from Waterloo to Waterloo (East) to London Bridge and pick up the Thameslink train there. If she does have to get the specific Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade listed on the second ticket-style card, we are assuming it is OK for her to get on that same train at London Bridge and use the London Bridge to St Pancras part as the cross-London connecting service. Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

Many thanks for your thoughts. The very fact that I am having to ask these questions rather shows that the system is more confusing than it should be!

Neil

 

[Hadders]

Officially your daughter has to travel on the specific trains.

Until a few weeks ago reservations on Thameslink trains weren't possible, which mean any suitable train could be taken, but for some inexplicable reason they have recently been introduced and this is one of the consequences. It not as if you'll even have a defined seat to sit on either!

It's perfectly ok travel via London Bridge for the cross London connection.

 

[Starmill]

You must travel on the reserved trains.

If there's only a Southampton Central to London Waterloo train reserved, there would be no issues in asking at London Waterloo East if the ticket can be used to go to London Bridge and then Biggleswade. This request is very likely to be agreed. If you're sure that there's no further reservation then just going to London Bridge anyway will almost certainly be fine.

 

[miklcct]

My daughter has an Advance single ticket Southampton Airport Parkway to Biggleswade which says "SWR service and required connecting services" (or very similar). Accompanying it is a second ticket-style card which details the SWR service from Southampton Airport Parkway to Waterloo and also a particular Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade.

Q1: Clearly she has to use the specific SWR service detailed on the second ticket-style card but does she also have to use the specific Thameslink train listed? The ticket proper only mentions SWR and connecting services so could another Thameslink train count as a "connecting service" even if it is not the one on the second ticket-style card?

Q2: Her intention is to go from Waterloo to Waterloo (East) to London Bridge and pick up the Thameslink train there. If she does have to get the specific Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade listed on the second ticket-style card, we are assuming it is OK for her to get on that same train at London Bridge and use the London Bridge to St Pancras part as the cross-London connecting service. Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

Many thanks for your thoughts. The very fact that I am having to ask these questions rather shows that the system is more confusing than it should be!

Neil

Your daughter must travel on the specified trains printed on the coupon, including that particular SWR service and Thameslink service on the section specified.

And as there is no train listed on the reservation coupon between Waterloo and St Prancas, she is entitled to use any reasonable connecting service between the two points, including going from Waterloo East - London Bridge - St Prancas, and on such segment there is no limitation on the service or the train operating company. Make sure she adheres to the minimum connecting time at St Prancas (or London Bridge if she intends to join the reserved train there) when she makes the connecting journey.

So for Q1, the Thameslink service counts as a "connecting service", but as it is listed on the reservation coupon she must travel on that train on the segment involved, and for Q2, there is nothing wrong for that as long as she gets onto the correct train at London Bridge.

 

[yorkie]

My daughter has an Advance single ticket Southampton Airport Parkway to Biggleswade which says "SWR service and required connecting services" (or very similar). Accompanying it is a second ticket-style card which details the SWR service from Southampton Airport Parkway to Waterloo and also a particular Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade.

Q1: Clearly she has to use the specific SWR service detailed on the second ticket-style card but does she also have to use the specific Thameslink train listed? The ticket proper only mentions SWR and connecting services so could another Thameslink train count as a "connecting service" even if it is not the one on the second ticket-style card?

If there is no reservation for the onward train, then it should be fine to take an earlier train if she crosses London a bit quicker than the itinerary suggests she might.

Q2: Her intention is to go from Waterloo to Waterloo (East) to London Bridge and pick up the Thameslink train there. If she does have to get the specific Thameslink train from St Pancras to Biggleswade listed on the second ticket-style card, we are assuming it is OK for her to get on that same train at London Bridge and use the London Bridge to St Pancras part as the cross-London connecting service. Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

No, but next time I'd formalise this by specifying via London Bridge when booking the ticket.

I'd always aim to get an itinerary that reflects the intended journey; failure to do so could cause complications, such as in the event of delays occurring.

If you have complex requirements, e.g. more than one via point and/or more than one avoid point and/or you wish to specify extra interchange time etc, Trainsplit can handle this.