Boundary Zone 6 to Norwich Return

[BingBong50]

I have just tried to purchase an off peak ticket from Boundary Zone 6 to Norwich with Disabled Railcard discount. Outbound today and back Wednesday.

The GTR ticket office have told me there is no such ticket available and all that could be offered was London Terminals to Norwich. I have a Freedom Pass so why do I still have to pay for some of the journey that my pass already covers.

Much appreciate any advice.

 

[Watershed]

I have just tried to purchase an off peak ticket from Boundary Zone 6 to Norwich with Disabled Railcard discount. Outbound today and back Wednesday.

The GTR ticket office have told me there is no such ticket available and all that could be offered was London Terminals to Norwich. I have a Freedom Pass so why do I still have to pay for some of the journey that my pass already covers.

Much appreciate any advice.

Boundary Zone tickets are generally only defined for journeys within the former Network SouthEast area. Norwich is beyond that, and (as one would expect) therefore doesn't have such fares.

You should, instead, have been offered a point to point ticket from Harold Wood, which is the last station within Zones 1-6 on the route towards Norwich.

 

[spag23]

You should, instead, have been offered a point to point ticket from Harold Wood, which is the last station within Zones 1-6 on the route towards Norwich.

Does the booked train have to actually stop at Harold Wood for this combination to be valid?

 

[yorkie]

Does the booked train have to actually stop at Harold Wood for this combination to be valid?

No it doesn't.

 

[spag23]

No it doesn't.

That's good! Does this also apply to Zone 1-6 Travelcards? eg with such a card (starting in Southend) can you catch a non-stop St Pancras to St Albans, by topping up with an Elstree>SAC single?

 

[BingBong50]

I did ask her for the actual Boundary Zone station name and she refused to sell that ticket stating the train doesn't stop there. I was fairly certain she was wrong but didn't want an argument so accepted the London Terminals start point. As it turns out my routing has had to be via Cambridge as no services today from Liverpool Street to Norwich.

 

[yorkie]

I did ask her for the actual Boundary Zone station name and she refused to sell that ticket stating the train doesn't stop there. I was fairly certain she was wrong but didn't want an argument so accepted the London Terminals start point. As it turns out my routing has had to be via Cambridge as no services today from Liverpool Street to Norwich.

In that case it wouldn't be Harold Wood, but the train doesn't need to call at the station where you change from your Freedom Pass to the point to point ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Apr 2023 ==

Condition 14.3 of the NRCoT states:

...if you are using a Season Ticket, daily Zonal Ticket, or another area based Ticket such as a concessionary pass, ranger, or rover, in conjunction with another Ticket and the last station at which one Ticket is valid and the first station that the other Ticket is valid are the same, then the train does not need to Call at that station for your combination to be valid.

 

[Haywain]

That's good! Does this also apply to Zone 1-6 Travelcards? eg with such a card (starting in Southend) can you catch a non-stop St Pancras to St Albans, by topping up with an Elstree>SAC single?

For St Albans you would buy a ticket from Boundary Zone 6.

 

[spag23]

I did ask her for the actual Boundary Zone station name and she refused to sell that ticket stating the train doesn't stop there.

In that case it wouldn't be Harold Wood, but the train doesn't need to call at the station where you change from your Freedom Pass to the point to point ticket.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Apr 2023 ==

Condition 14.3 of the NRCoT states:

So it seems like the staff in posts' #1&6 ticket office* need re-training.
And the OP is entitled to a refund.
*and elsewhere?

 

[Class800]

So it seems like the staff in posts' #1&6 ticket office* need re-training.
And the OP is entitled to a refund.
*and elsewhere?

And reminded not to be rude

 

[BingBong50]

Thank you for all your help. I will be seeking a refund.

 

[Haywain]

So it seems like the staff in posts' #1&6 ticket office* need re-training.
And the OP is entitled to a refund.
*and elsewhere?

The OP didn't travel via Harold Wood so I am not sure any refund is due.

 

[spag23]

Thank you for all your help. I will be seeking a refund.

Be prepared for this to be hard work. Good luck nonetheless.
If it's not out of your way (or the trip there would cost you more than the refund), perhaps return to the ticket office and get them to put their refusal in writing. Better still, record them refusing (either to sell, or to put it in writing). All good evidence!
Bear in mind that if this misinformation is endemic amongst ticket staff, your "crusade" could be doing a lot of passengers a good turn.

The OP didn't travel via Harold Wood so I am not sure any refund is due.

I'm assuming the OP was still bamboozled into buying a ticket starting from a different London terminus, ie still ignoring his entitlement to free travel to the Zone 6 boundary on that route.

 

[Haywain]

I'm assuming the OP was still bamboozled into buying a ticket starting from a different London terminus, ie still ignoring his entitlement to free travel to the Zone 6

The OP travelled via Cambridge and is, presumably, returning on a direct train, so in this case a ticket from London Terminals (in the absence of a Boundary Zone 6 fare) would appear to have been appropriate, even if sold for the wrong reasons.

 

[Class800]

I would have thought Hadley Wood if going via Cambridge given non stop splits are permitted on seasons, rovers and passes (such as freedom passes). The challenges would have been if wanting to go out via Cambridge and back via Liverpool St

 

[kieron]

The OP travelled via Cambridge and is, presumably, returning on a direct train, so in this case a ticket from London Terminals (in the absence of a Boundary Zone 6 fare) would appear to have been appropriate, even if sold for the wrong reasons.

No. Harold Wood-Norwich tickets come in two flavours; "not via London" and "+Stratford/London". An excess for the outward leg to "+Stratford/London" would be an appropriate way of regularising the situation once BingBong50 decided to travel via Cambridge rather than Colchester. A ticket from London Terminals would not be, and a refund is due.

 

[Haywain]

No. Harold Wood-Norwich tickets come in two flavours; "not via London" and "+Stratford/London". An excess for the outward leg to "+Stratford/London" would be an appropriate way of regularising the situation once BingBong50 decided to travel via Cambridge rather than Colchester. A ticket from London Terminals would not be, and a refund is due.

The ticket routed "+Stratford/London" has a higher price than a London Terminals ticket, so no refund is due.

Edit: Arguably, the appropriate fare would be the Harold Wood to Norwich route "not via London" ticket with a change of route excess for the outward leg to route "+Stratford/London" but I would not expect such a combination to be offered, and even if requested they can be difficult to obtain. I am afraid that in the OP's case this shows the benefit of doing your research on fares before you start.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

For another time, if the trip to Norwich is a day out, then it maybe cheaper to get a Boundary Zone 6 to Manningtree Off Peak Day Return, and a separate Manningtree to Norwich Off Peak Day Return, provided that the train stops at Manningtree. (In the case, the train has to call at the stations where one swaps tickets...).