Basingstoke to Brighton

[Chris999999]

I am looking to travel from Basingstoke to Brighton on Saturday 16th January 2016 at around 10:00am.

The journey planner recommends:
09:57 from Basingstoke to Clapham Junction 10:36
10:43 Clapham Junction to Three Bridges 11:24
11:32 Three Bridges by BUS to Brighton 12:17

I prefer not to go by bus.

I have found an alternative route:
10:00 Basingstoke to Fratton 11:07
11:20 Fratton to Brighton 12:35

The journey planner doesn't seem able to sell me a ticket via Fratton, so would my ticket via Clapham Junction and the Bus be valid via Fratton?

 

[MikeWh]

I am looking to travel from Basingstoke to Brighton on Saturday 16th January 2016 at around 10:00am.

The journey planner recommends:
09:57 from Basingstoke to Clapham Junction 10:36
10:43 Clapham Junction to Three Bridges 11:24
11:32 Three Bridges by BUS to Brighton 12:17

I prefer not to go by bus.

I have found an alternative route:
10:00 Basingstoke to Fratton 11:07
11:20 Fratton to Brighton 12:35

The journey planner doesn't seem able to sell me a ticket via Fratton, so would my ticket via Clapham Junction and the Bus be valid via Fratton?

Sadly not, it appears. The only map combinations are LONDON and LB+LE and the only useful intersection between those two is Clapham Junction. Unless anyone else can see something I'm missing.

 

[dzug2]

The (National Rail) journey planner thinks not - it's saying two tickets are needed for that trip at a total a few ££ more than the ticket via Clapham Junction

It's not actually showing the part bus itinerary at all

 

[Paul Kelly]

Is this a single journey? You can split tickets at Eastleigh (using a "VIA BARNHAM" ticket from there to Brighton) and it costs less than the through Basingstoke to Brighton fare.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

There's engineering works on that day:

http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/plan-your-journey/improvement-works/

Amended services in the Southampton Central area on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January


Engineering work is taking place in the Southampton Central area with various lines closed.�

CrossCountry

All weekend, train services will�be diverted not calling at Winchester or Southampton Airport Parkway with journey times�extended by approximately 40 minutes. Replacement buses, provided by South West Trains will operate between Basingstoke and Southampton Central, calling at�the affected stations.

Great Western Railway

On Sunday, services between Cardiff Central and Brighton / Portsmouth & Southsea�will be diverted via and call additionally at Chandlers Ford and Eastleigh. These services will not call at Southampton Central. Some trains will run between Cardiff Central / Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury only.

South West Trains

On Saturday, some trains between London Waterloo and Weymouth will run between Southampton Central and Weymouth. Passengers from Basingstoke and Winchester should use alternative services to Eastleigh where buses will be provided to Southampton Central.

Other trains between London Waterloo and Weymouth will be diverted via Guildford, Havant and Fareham. Trains from London Waterloo will depart earlier than the normal timetable.

Trains between London Waterloo and Poole will run between Southampton Central and Poole.

A train service will run between Salisbury and Southampton Central via Romsey and Redbridge. Replacement bus services will run between Southampton Central and Romsey via Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford.
Trains between London Waterloo and Portsmouth & Southsea will run between London Waterloo and Guildford.�

Trains from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo(via Guildford) will depart earlier than the normal timetable.

Buses will run between Southampton Central and Eastleigh.

On Sunday, buses replace trains between Eastleigh and Brockenhurst.

Until 14:54, trains between Eastleigh and Portsmouth Harbour will run between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke.

Trains between Southampton Central and Portsmouth & Southsea will run between Woolston and Portsmouth & Southsea.

Trains between Romsey and Sailsbury via Chandlers Ford will run between Romsey and Salisbury via Dean.

Buses will run between Eastleigh and Southampton Central, Eastleigh and Bournemouth, Southampton Central and Romsey and also between Woolston and Southampton Central.

Passengers travelling to and from Beaulieu Road should use the Help Point.

Southern

Buses will replace trains between Woolston and Southampton Central.

Planning your Journey

For full details of the changes and the impact on your journey, please use the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner

Amended service between Gatwick Airport and Brighton / Lewes on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January


Engineering work is taking place between Three Bridges and Brighton / Lewes, closing the line.

Buses are replacing trains between Three Bridges and Brighton / Lewes

Gatwick Express

On Saturday and Sunday Gatwick Express are operating a half hourly service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. On Sunday a bus will replace trains from 00:30 until 06:20.

Southern

Train services are running at a reduced frequency between London and Gatwick Airport / Brighton via Crawley.

Thameslink

A reduced service will operate between London St Pancras International and Three Bridges. London Bridge to Brighton direct services will not run. A revised service will operate at West Hampstead with trains departing at different times than normal.

St Albans to Sutton via Mitcham services will not run between London Blackfriars and Sutton. Passengers are advised to use other Thameslink services between these stations.

Planning Your Journey

For full details of these changes and the impact on your journey, please use the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner

 

[Chris999999]

Thanks for the replies. It is a return journey, coming back from Brighton on Monday 18th, again around 10:00.

It looks like that the Southampton engineering works won't affect me if I go via Eastleigh and Fareham.

I have a senior railcard so it looks like I need a single each way Basingstoke to Eastleigh at 2 x £7.90 and Off-Peak return Eastleigh to Brighton £16.25. Total £32.05

This compares with an Off-Peak return via Clapham Junction of £26.75

So it costs me £5.30 to avoid the bus

 

[Paul Kelly]

I have come up with a better option, if you're willing to go out via Fratton and return via Clapham Junction: an Off-Peak Return from Basingstoke to Portslade, route NOT VIA LONDON, price £27.60 with railcard discount. Basingstoke to Portslade is valid via Fratton as it's within 3 miles of the shortest route, and also valid via Clapham Junction and Brighton as it's a mapped route. So you can travel from Basingstoke to Portslade on the Saturday and be covered by the 3 mile rule, then stay on the same train and immediately start using the return portion of your ticket for the two stops further towards Brighton, then break your return journey in Brighton for two days (your return portion is valid for one month), and on the Monday continue on your return journey from Portslade to Basingstoke via Brighton and Clapham Junction.

 

[paul1609]

If you prefer to go via Clapham junction then start short on a Southampton Airport Parkway to Brighton Off peak return, route Not via London £20.65 with a senior railcard. there will be direct trains to Brighton from Clapham Junction that day but as they will go via the Arun Valley line and Littlehampton they will take longer than the direct non stop bus from Three Bridges to Brighton and so will not be shown by the journey planner.

 

[Paul Kelly]

If you prefer to go via Clapham junction then start short on a Southampton Airport Parkway to Brighton Off peak return, route Not via London £20.65 with a senior railcard. there will be direct trains to Brighton from Clapham Junction that day but as they will go via the Arun Valley line and Littlehampton they will take longer than the direct non stop bus from Three Bridges to Brighton and so will not be shown by the journey planner.

Good spot. I think the main reason journey planners won't show this option is that it isn't a permitted route - but OK when travelling from Clapham Junction or Victoria as then the through train rule applies.

 

[Chris999999]

Thanks once again.

The Portslade route looks to be ideal on this occasion, though I do wonder if ticket inspectors will understand the validity of the tickets.

More than this though I find it quite surprising that buying a return from Southampton Airport to Brighton via Clapham Junction is over £6 cheaper than buying from Basingstoke, even though the trains all go via Basingstoke. I travel the route several times a year so will try this next time there are no buses and will see if I get any problems starting and ending short

 

[JonathanH]

Thanks once again.

The Portslade route looks to be ideal on this occasion, though I do wonder if ticket inspectors will understand the validity of the tickets.

More than this though I find it quite surprising that buying a return from Southampton Airport to Brighton via Clapham Junction is over £6 cheaper than buying from Basingstoke, even though the trains all go via Basingstoke. I travel the route several times a year so will try this next time there are no buses and will see if I get any problems starting and ending short

I was aboard a Southern train this morning where I was advised that the return portion of an off-peak return is only valid for break of journey on the day the journey is commenced, ie not overnight, so there may be a change of policy from the people who train staff.

The ticket had previously had a mark made by pen and I could not have commenced my journey that morning as I was travelling before the first train from the ticket's origin had arrived. I made the explicit point that I had broken my journey.

I was asked to buy a new ticket for the part of they journey I was making this morning, the guard wrote the date I had said that the ticket was previously used on the ticket and crossed out the expiry date.

Following up the advice by Indigo2 and my experience this morning, overnight break of journey appears to be explicitly forbidden by Southern

Break of Journey

When travelling with Southern a Break of journey is allowed on the outward portion of Off-Peak tickets unless otherwise indicated by a restriction shown against the ticket's validity code and in all cases on the return portion of Off-Peak return tickets.

A ‘Break of Journey’ means exiting and re-entering an intermediate station to continue your journey on the same day after a break. Break of journey may not be permitted when travelling with other Train Operators.

 

[paul1609]

Thanks once again.

The Portslade route looks to be ideal on this occasion, though I do wonder if ticket inspectors will understand the validity of the tickets.

More than this though I find it quite surprising that buying a return from Southampton Airport to Brighton via Clapham Junction is over £6 cheaper than buying from Basingstoke, even though the trains all go via Basingstoke. I travel the route several times a year so will try this next time there are no buses and will see if I get any problems starting and ending short

If you are going on a Portslade ticket, consider the Plusbus option Brighton city centre is around 20 ish mins by bus, the plusbus area is pretty generous Brighton has good claims to be the birth place of the plus bus principle.

 

[jkdd77]

I was aboard a Southern train this morning where I was advised that the return portion of an off-peak return is only valid for break of journey on the day the journey is commenced, ie not overnight, so there may be a change of policy from the people who train staff.

The ticket had previously had a mark made by pen and I could not have commenced my journey that morning as I was travelling before the first train from the ticket's origin had arrived. I made the explicit point that I had broken my journey.

I was asked to buy a new ticket for the part of they journey I was making this morning, the guard wrote the date I had said that the ticket was previously used on the ticket and crossed out the expiry date.

Following up the advice by Indigo2 and my experience this morning, overnight break of journey appears to be explicitly forbidden by Southern

Southern are talking out of their backside as usual- BoJ is defined by the NRCoC, not the Southern website, and return portions of (Super) Off-Peak tickets permit mutiple overnight BoJs throughout the validity of the ticket.

You should complain and seek a full refund.

 

[yorkie]

I was aboard a Southern train this morning where I was advised that the return portion of an off-peak return is only valid for break of journey on the day the journey is commenced, ie not overnight, so there may be a change of policy from the people who train staff.

Write to the Company asking them to provide appropriate training to their staff, as that is not correct.

I was asked to buy a new ticket for the part of they journey I was making this morning, the guard wrote the date I had said that the ticket was previously used on the ticket and crossed out the expiry date.

Ask them for a refund, and I'd charge a £10 admin fee too.

If you are dissatisfied with their response (which should include an aplogy, assurances, a refund and compensation, IMO) then refer them to Transport Focus and ORR.

Following up the advice by Indigo2 and my experience this morning, overnight break of journey appears to be explicitly forbidden by Southern

If that is what Govia Thameslink Railway (Southern) are officially claiming then that needs to go to the ORR as a breach of consumer law, and also the DfT as a breach of franchise commitments. Write to them first to clarify if that is their official position.

 

[gray1404]

Write to the Company asking them to provide appropriate training to their staff, as that is not correct.

Ask them for a refund, and I'd charge a £10 admin fee too.

If you are dissatisfied with their response (which should include an aplogy, assurances, a refund and compensation, IMO) then refer them to Transport Focus and ORR.

If that is what Govia Thameslink Railway (Southern) are officially claiming then that needs to go to the ORR as a breach of consumer law, and also the DfT as a breach of franchise commitments. Write to them first to clarify if that is their official position.

Please please please do write and comaplin to Southern (or email them) please! I cannot stress this enough! It is so important that passenger are aforded their rights and not deprived of them. It is also important that certain staff are not allowed to go around making up the rules and then demanding money (in the form of new tickets) from customers who actually hold valid tickets.

Such behaviour just creates conflict for customers and this is wrong.

Please PM me if you would like any help in taking this matter up with Southern and getting your refund.

 

[sarahj]

Sorry on behalf on Southern conductors. This is not a southern rule, or any rule and the reason it happened is something I cannot discuss here on an open forum. Please do complain. Its grinding on me when someone who works for the same place gets it so wrong, and now we all get tarred with the same brush.