ALR Morning peak restrictions

[OliverH68]

Hi all,

As I know there are a few restrictions with using an ALR and not being able to board/alight at certain locations on certain TOCs before 1000 Mon-Fridays.

My specific question relates to this. I wish to travel on an Avanti service before this time which calls at Birmingham. Of course, this is not permitted to board at New St at 0815.

Instead, is it permitted to travel to another station e.g. Sandwell & Dudley or Wolverhampton, and be able to board the train there without issue?

 

[221129]

Instead, is it permitted to travel to another station e.g. Sandwell & Dudley or Wolverhampton, and be able to board the train there without issue?

Yes.

 

[RJ]

Hi all,

As I know there are a few restrictions with using an ALR and not being able to board/alight at certain locations on certain TOCs before 1000 Mon-Fridays.

My specific question relates to this. I wish to travel on an Avanti service before this time which calls at Birmingham. Of course, this is not permitted to board at New St at 0815.

Instead, is it permitted to travel to another station e.g. Sandwell & Dudley or Wolverhampton, and be able to board the train there without issue?

It depends on where you are alighting. If you are heading north you’ll be ok to board at a station that’s not restricted.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So, the OP could get the 0658 Mon-Fri Avanti service from Lancaster to Euston (calls 0845 at Wolverhampton and 0855 at Sandwell / Dudley) provided that they don't then alight/board at Birmingham New Street.

 

[yorkie]

Yes boarding or alighting at a station such as Sandwell & Dudley does indeed avoid this issue; the intention appears to be to discourage its use by business travellers. The people who created it probably know that leisure users will be able to easily work around it.

 

[RJ]

So, the OP could get the 0658 Mon-Fri Avanti service from Lancaster to Euston (calls 0845 at Wolverhampton and 0855 at Sandwell / Dudley) provided that they don't then alight/board at Birmingham New Street.

It would be ok to go to Euston but not Milton Keynes on that particular service. The 0815 Avanti service from New Street goes to Edinburgh so presume the OP is heading north.

In practice, I'm not sure how strictly the rule is enforced but to be covered the options are to board at another stop or buy a ticket from New Street to the next stop and travel without changing.

 

[OliverH68]

It would be ok to go to Euston but not Milton Keynes on that particular service. The 0815 Avanti service from New Street goes to Edinburgh so presume the OP is heading north.

In practice, I'm not sure how strictly the rule is enforced but to be covered the options are to board at another stop or buy a ticket from New Street to the next stop and travel without changing.

Correct - heading for Carlisle on that train. Fortunately there is a LNWR service just 10 minutes before to Sandwell & Dudley, where it's a nice same platform change!

 

[andythebrave]

.....

 

[Haywain]

This is the one thing that stops me from buying one. Living where I do (betwixt Bedford and Milton Keynes) pretty much stymies any early departure without messing around on LNWR around Milton Keynes and completely rules out any journey north from Bedford. Not sure why the Bedford/Milton Keynes restriction is not for southbound departures only and I have no idea why northbound departures from London are restricted at all.

I would guess that it was brought in because of fears about the ALR being used by business travellers rather than commuters. At least on the East Coast and West Coast main lines there are alternative operators to use who don't bar the ALR, while on the MML it's a complete block on travel between Bedford and Wellingborough.