Advance Ticket Vaid Services - Headcorn to Ipswich

[gcmozart]

I have just collected advance tickets for this journey. The email notification lists all legs of the journey, but the printed ticket only lists the 1st leg below the statement

"Valid only on the booked services below and required connecting services
Headcorn -> London Bridge 06:15"

Can I travel on any service from London to Ipswich? The emailed itinarary gives the 08:00 Liverpool Street service, but there is a fast 07:55 that I would prefer to catch.

The connection they have given is 45 minutes, but I reckon on walking it in 20-25 mins so plenty of time to make the 07:55.

 

[AlterEgo]

Do you have a reservation for the Ipswich train?

 

[telstarbox]

That's strange as (according to BRFares) all the Headcorn-Ipswich fares are priced by Greater Anglia.

 

[gcmozart]

Do you have a reservation for the Ipswich train?

No Reservation - just "Reservation not possible" on the email. I booked through Greater Anglia

 

[Romilly]

The Forum's fares & ticketing guide says that the answer to your question depends on whether it is possible to reserve seats on the 0755. If it is possible, the guide says that you cannot use the 0755 unless you have a reservation for it. And so far as I can see, reservations are possible on the 0755 but not the 0800. So I think the best advice is that for London-Ipswich you can use any train on which reservations are not possible (provided it doesn't involve too long a gap in London). However, some members of the Forum have doubts about whether this hidden restriction is enforceable. The best person to ask would be the guard on the 0755 if you get to Liverpool Street in time to ask before the departure of the 0755.

 

[a_c_skinner]

How can I tell if reservations are possible on specific trains. My usual ineffectual internet searches have failed and I have exactly the same question about an advance ticket Arnside-Shoreham by Sea. I've got an itinerary via London Bridge but no reservation other than Lancaster to Euston so I'm wondering if I can use other trains. Specifically the itinerary says Northern Line from EUS to LBG but I'd prefer Thameslink, perhaps to Haywards Heath.

 

[Romilly]

One way is by using the BRTimes website. If there is a hollow diamond as part of the information for a train, reservations are available. If there is a (rare in the UK) blocked-out diamond, reservations are compulsory. The same information can be found if booking a train using the mixing deck on a WEBTIS based journey planner: the diamonds (if any) will be part of the information available by clicking on the "i" information button for a particular train.

 

[yorkie]

You can travel on the 0755 'InterCity' service if - and only if - the Guard on that train grants you permission. The Guard will realise that you are supposed to take a stopping train and may therefore decide not to grant the request, but I really couldn't speculate on the probability of being waved on as it's not a route I have much experience of.

I can certainly think of Guards on VTEC who would take a very dim view of any such request and flat out refuse (including one who rejects valid tickets), as they have every right to.

The 0800 service is not reserveable and is a local stopping service without a Guard or catering.

That's strange as (according to BRFares) all the Headcorn-Ipswich fares are priced by Greater Anglia.

That doesn't change anything.

 

[Starmill]

This happens all the time. If you just stick Ipswich to Guildford in most of the journey opportunities only give you a reservation on SW. Completely normal - normal rules apply. Travel on the reserved trains and any appropriate connecting trains.

I've got an itinerary via London Bridge but no reservation other than Lancaster to Euston so I'm wondering if I can use other trains. Specifically the itinerary says Northern Line from EUS to LBG but I'd prefer Thameslink, perhaps to Haywards Heath.

You may use appropriate connecting trains. Walking from Euston to St Pancras and taking a Thameslink train from there sounds like perfectly appropriate use of connecting trains to me. If you weren't sure you could always ask staff at St Pancras.

 

[gcmozart]

This happens all the time. If you just stick Ipswich to Guildford in most of the journey opportunities only give you a reservation on SW. Completely normal - normal rules apply. Travel on the reserved trains and any appropriate connecting trains.


You may use appropriate connecting trains. Walking from Euston to St Pancras and taking a Thameslink train from there sounds like perfectly appropriate use of connecting trains to me. If you weren't sure you could always ask staff at St Pancras.

How would one know what the "normal" rules are? And how would one know what an "appropriate" connecting train is?

 

[Starmill]

How would one know what the "normal" rules are?

By reading the Advance Ticket Terms & Conditions

• If the ‘Route’ also states ‘and Connections’, travel is allowed on appropriate connecting trains where shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.

And how would one know what an "appropriate" connecting train is?

There is no guidance on this, except that it should form part of a valid travel itinerary. So your guess is as good as mine!

 

[a_c_skinner]

There is no guidance on this, except that it should form part of a valid travel itinerary. So your guess is as good as mine!

Presumably on a permitted route and without a long break or delay in the journey.

 

[Starmill]

Presumably on a permitted route and without a long break or delay in the journey.

Any valid travel itinerary on a permitted route would be fine. The railway recently retired its definition of break of journey though, so that's undefined too.

 

[yorkie]

How can I tell if reservations are possible on specific trains. My usual ineffectual internet searches have failed and I have exactly the same question about an advance ticket Arnside-Shoreham by Sea. I've got an itinerary via London Bridge but no reservation other than Lancaster to Euston so I'm wondering if I can use other trains. Specifically the itinerary says Northern Line from EUS to LBG but I'd prefer Thameslink, perhaps to Haywards Heath.

In this case it is pretty obvious that the Lancaster to Euston train is your compulsory service, and that any appropriate connecting train will do (the interpretation of appropriate may differ from person to person but in practice anything that a reasonable person thinks is reasonable will be accepted!).

However gcmozart has to consider that he has a much shorter journey than yours, and that the history of the routes and train companies operating in this area, combined with the various way each company is setting their trains reservation status, is causing the lines to be rather blurred. I would suggest caution in pushing for these blurred lines to be more clearly defined; if the train companies are forced to make changes, it may not be in the customers favour.

 

[a_c_skinner]

Thanks. I find this puzzling and stressful in equal measure! After a bit of thought I'll probably use this to look around the new LBG. Does anyone have any ideas how to explain this to Mrs S?

 

[swt_passenger]

...I'll probably use this to look around the new LBG. Does anyone have any ideas how to explain this to Mrs S?

{Airplane mode} "It's a big building with trains."