Advance ticket - changing trains and leaving the station

[DMN42]

I have purchased an advance ticket from Virgin Trains for travel from Woking to Tame Bridge Parkway (near Walsall in the West Midlands), with my journey being:
a) Woking->Waterloo using SWR
b) Underground to Euston
c) Euston -> Birmingham New Street using Virgin Trains
d) Birmingham New Street -> Tame Bridge Parkway (approx 20 mins)

As I plan to arrive 2 hours earlier than necessary, I would like to leave Birmingham New Street and find a pub for lunch, then resume my journey the short distance to Tame Bridge.

I believe having an advance ticket, I am not allowed to break my journey, so cannot leave Birmingham New Street to get lunch?

If this is so, is there any legal way round this? For example, could I purchase a return ticket from Tame Bridge to New Street which I could use to let me exit the station?

Many thanks!

 

[bb21]

Just explain you would like to get out of the gateline to get something to eat. No one is going to bat an eyelid. It isn't the industry's intention to go out of their way to catch people out in situations like this.

If you are worried about being let back in after a while, just buy a walk-on ticket to Tame Bridge Parkway and discard your original ticket. It doesn't cost the earth.

 

[mmh]

Just explain you would like to get out of the gateline to get something to eat. No one is going to bat an eyelid. It isn't the industry's intention to go out of their way to catch people out in situations like this.

If you are worried about being let back in after a while, just buy a walk-on ticket to Tame Bridge Parkway and discard your original ticket. It doesn't cost the earth.

I'm not sure I'd agree with "no one is going to bat an eyelid" - we live in a world of jobsworths, as this poor fellow discovered: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11420790

I'd buy a Tame Bridge Parkway to New Street return (in that direction) on-line and pick it up ahead of the journey. Use it to exit New Street and re-enter and do the last leg of the journey and nobody is any the wiser. 3.80 for peace of mind and not having to explain yourself to anyone.

 

[ashworth]

I have never had any problems when I have asked barrier staff if I could just go out for a short while to get something to eat. Don’t try to put your ticket through the barrier. Just politely ask the staff at the barrier if you can go out to get something to eat and drink.

 

[Essan]

Aye, I have never had any problem leaving a station on an Advance to have a smoke - though took me a few times to realise why my ticket wouldn't work the barriers!

 

[Hadders]

At New Street it's often necessary to exit the barriers and re-enter when changing trains. I agree with @bb21 that you are highly unlikely to have a problem.

 

[infobleep]

I'm not sure I'd agree with "no one is going to bat an eyelid" - we live in a world of jobsworths, as this poor fellow discovered: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11420790

I'd buy a Tame Bridge Parkway to New Street return (in that direction) on-line and pick it up ahead of the journey. Use it to exit New Street and re-enter and do the last leg of the journey and nobody is any the wiser. 3.80 for peace of mind and not having to explain yourself to anyone.

After that incident occurred, train companies changed their guidance, in case where no financial gain was to be had.

 

[SickyNicky]

I agree. Ask the gateline staff. I always do and have never been refused - even on fairly contrived itineraries with deliberate long change times. Yesterday I was somewhat astounded to find that my Gatwick Airport to Ledbury advance actually worked the barriers at Reading, so that might even be worth trying.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You won't have a problem getting out (might even find that the ticket works the barriers, almost any destination in the West Midlands does to allow interchange at the A end). You may have a problem getting back in as leaving for 2 hours is a "genuine" BoJ which may bother some RPIs, it's a bit more than a quick pop out to the shops between trains, and unlike an Off Peak Return or similar even where BoJ is barred your ticket contains details of the trains used so it is fairly obvious that you have broken your journey for a not insignificant period.

No decent pubs near Tame Bridge Parkway? I don't know the area.

With a "no BoJ" walk-up I'd be certain of getting away with it (same day break of journey is de facto possible on all walk-ups, if only because the trains you used are often not easily readably marked on it, the most you'll get is a headcode, more likely you'll just get a biro scribble or nothing). With an Advance I think I'd buy a new single (£3.40) for the last bit.

 

[DMN42]

Thanks all for the advice - I will politely ask the gateline staff if I may leave - hopefully having a 9 year old with me will help.

We are going up for the football at Walsall and as I have my young son with me, its probably easier to find a pub in Birmingham - there are a selection of Wetherspoons there is food he (and me) will happily eat and I know they let kids in. My ticket is to Bescot Stadium, but the Tame Bridge->Bescot bit is on a replacement bus and fancy a walk. Going on a Pendalino is part of the day out for him, and the return trip has cost less then a tenner - who says trains are expensive!

The only train marked on my ticket is the Euston->New Street one, and "required connecting services" for the rest, which I assume covers me for the rest.

Obviously want to be 100% legal and not be posting on the "Disputes and Prosecutions" board next week! I'll let you know how it went!

 

[mmh]

Aye, I have never had any problem leaving a station on an Advance to have a smoke - though took me a few times to realise why my ticket wouldn't work the barriers!

Me neither, most often at Chester where the barrier staff seem very used to it (and some of the station facilities are only accessible from the non-paid side). I have noticed that since Crewe has been (sadly) barriered, the staff seem to ask "are you just popping outside?" or "have you just been outside", and that's on a non-advance ticket allowing break-of-journey.

I would worry that you could come across a jobsworth who decides for themselves what's acceptable or not - 10 minutes to go to the shop or have a cigarette fine, 2 hours to go into town and go to the pub not, for example. It's not how it should be perhaps, but I'd pay 3.80 just for having no doubt.

 

[DMN42]

Had no problems in the end. Train from Euston arrived on time, and I simply showed my ticket at the ticket barriers and was waved through.

Spend 2 hours in the Wetherspoons and then showed my ticket when I re-entered the station.

I think I would have needed to go out through the ticket gates anyway to change train anyway.