Boundary Zone ticket

[Shempz]

Hi all,

I think I know the answer to this already (i.e. NO), but thought I'd ask the experts on here.

I have quite a lot of e-vouchers with Southern on my account to be used, due to various delays/cancellations this year. The thing is, I need to get a Boundary Zone 6 ticket to Cambridge, but can't find anyway online to use these vouchers to buy a Boundary Zone ticket - as there is obviously no option for a Boundary Zone ticket online.

Does anyone have any idea how I can use them to purchase this ticket?

 

[maniacmartin]

You can't buy the Boundary Zone 6 ticket online.
Your best bet may be to see if the eVouchers can be accessed by Southern's online bookings support team. Call 03451 27 29 20, option 1 then option 2.

 

[Shempz]

Thanks Martin, I'll give it a go.

How hard is it to put a BZ option online? Not really difficult is it, if the BR Fares website can list them.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Thanks Martin, I'll give it a go.

How hard is it to put a BZ option online? Not really difficult is it, if the BR Fares website can list them.

Online journey planners tend to need a journey plan to find a valid ticket. Journey planners can't find a journey for a ticket that doesn't end at a station.

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks Martin, I'll give it a go.

How hard is it to put a BZ option online? Not really difficult is it, if the BR Fares website can list them.

How easy is it for a website to ensure that you already have a valid ticket to extend?

 

[Bletchleyite]

How easy is it for a website to ensure that you already have a valid ticket to extend?

Not very, as there isn't a single online database of tickets issued. But how much of an issue is this really, provided you do have a valid pair of tickets at the point you are gripped?

It's no worse than you being able to buy a single from MKC to Bletchley and a single from South Hampstead to Euston online then use that as a means of dodging the MKC-EUS fare.

Neil

 

[Shempz]

How easy is it for a website to ensure that you already have a valid ticket to extend?

Why should it have to? Surely a ticket machine is not a ticket inspector/revenue protection officer/ticket barrier - it is merely a means of purchasing a train ticket, irrespective of whether that train ticket is valid for the journey the person actually plans to make.


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Ok folks. Would I be able to do this journey, which would enable me to use my e-vouchers by booking online. I have an Ashurst + London Z1-6 annual season ticket

Travel from London Kings Cross - Cambridge on the 11.44am train by buying the following ticket:

Hadley Wood - Cambridge Off Peak Return

Hadley Wood being in Zone 6, and I think the 11.44am train passes through Hadley Wood without stopping.

 

[maniacmartin]

That is fine because exactly one of the tickets you are using is a season ticket, which means that the train does not need to call at the station where you switch tickets - it merely has to pass through.

This is mentioned in section 19(c) of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage

 

[hounddog]

How easy is it for a website to ensure that you already have a valid ticket to extend?

As easy as ensuring that you have a valid railcard.

 

[Bungle73]

Online journey planners tend to need a journey plan to find a valid ticket. Journey planners can't find a journey for a ticket that doesn't end at a station.

Yes they can. You can put in a journey that ends at "London All Zone Travelcard", which isn't a station, or any of the Tube Zones, none of which are specific stations.

The "it can't check you have the other ticket" excuse doesn't cut it either, as, as has already been pointed out, it's perfectly able to dispense Railcard discount tickets.

I can see no reason for not being able to buy bounday-zone tickets online.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The tickets could be sold online but they're not, so complaining about what should happen doesn't really help the OP. Rail rovers are not sold online either.

The OP will be fine with a Hadley Wood to Cambridge return, although the disadvantage of that is that they will be restricted to Great Northern trains. The OP also needs to make sure that the train does go through Hadley Wood- at weekends diversions via Gordon Hill are common.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Yes they can. You can put in a journey that ends at "London All Zone Travelcard", which isn't a station, or any of the Tube Zones, none of which are specific stations.

The "it can't check you have the other ticket" excuse doesn't cut it either, as, as has already been pointed out, it's perfectly able to dispense Railcard discount tickets.

I can see no reason for not being able to buy bounday-zone tickets online.

Just done a quick test, National Rail and Virgin Trains don't seem to recogonise anything starting:

• London a...
• London z....
• London t....
• Zone...
• Travelcard....

Care to specify what I need to put in to get it to work?

 

[Bletchleyite]

The tickets could be sold online but they're not, so complaining about what should happen doesn't really help the OP. Rail rovers are not sold online either.

Indeed they're not, though IMO *all* tickets should be sold online, and *all* walk-up tickets from automatic ticket machines. Revenue protection should take place at the point of use, as it mostly does anyway.

It wasn't so long ago that people were telling me that a TVM selling all walk-up point to point tickets was non-viable, or one selling tickets from remote origins. Well, Southern seem to have managed both of these.

Let's follow the Dutch (before OV-Chipkaart mucked it up) and get the machines and websites selling *everything*. Not much left to cover now.

Neil

 

[yorkie]

...The OP also needs to make sure that the train does go through Hadley Wood- at weekends diversions via Gordon Hill are common.

I'd argue RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide - Section 3 - Routeing: 3.11 Engineering work applies in that case.

A group of us once asked a friendly FGW Guard for BZ6 to Reading. He issued the tickets as West Drayton to Reading, despite the train going out of Waterloo via Ascot.

We returned on SWT but, of course, there is more chance of seeing a flying pig than having a ticket check on those trains, so there was no discussion on the return journey about the validity!

 

[Tetchytyke]

I'd argue RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide - Section 3 - Routeing: 3.11 Engineering work applies in that case.

Ha. Fair enough.

I wonder if a Hadley Wood-Cambridge return would work on Abellio?

 

[Mojo]

Just done a quick test, National Rail and Virgin Trains don't seem to recogonise anything starting:

• London a...
• London z....
• London t....
• Zone...
• Travelcard....

Care to specify what I need to put in to get it to work?

As far as I'm aware on theTrainline sites you need to buy a ticket to London, and then select to buy a Travelcard when prompted. On WebTIS simply type London Zone U for the option of Underground zones, or London Zones 1-6 for a Day Travelcard.

 

[bb21]

In addition there is no Railcard discount if you buy a Travelcard from thetrainline powered sites.

 

[Bungle73]

Just done a quick test, National Rail and Virgin Trains don't seem to recogonise anything starting:

• London a...
• London z....
• London t....
• Zone...
• Travelcard....

Care to specify what I need to put in to get it to work?

Yes, type in what I specified, "London All Zones Travelcard", into any WebTIS booking engine. I do it frequently.

In addition there is no Railcard discount if you buy a Travelcard from thetrainline powered sites.

Are you sure about that? I just went onto thetrainline and asked for a Sittingbourne to "London Underground Zone 1-6" ticket for tomorrow, with a DSB Railcard discount, and it came up with a Travelcard for the correct discounted price of £16.15.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Yes, type in what I specified, "London All Zones Travelcard", into any WebTIS booking engine. I do it frequently....

Interesting, though it does still give a journey plan to a specific station within the central zone (the one I was looking at was given to "City Thameslink"), not something it could do for a boundary zone fare, as there are no stations within "boundary zone" destinations (though there may be a station on the boundary of some zones).

 

[maniacmartin]

WebTis et al creates an itinerary to London Terminals behind the scenes when you opt for a travelcard. This is why it won't sell a travelcard if the origin is entered as a London Terminal station as it can't produce an itinerary.

 

[bb21]

Are you sure about that? I just went onto thetrainline and asked for a Sittingbourne to "London Underground Zone 1-6" ticket for tomorrow, with a DSB Railcard discount, and it came up with a Travelcard for the correct discounted price of £16.15.

I am, but I probably should have been more specific.

I was replying specifically to Mojo's point, so I don't mean the outboundary Travelcards you can get through the home screen, but the ones that pop up after a ticket to London Terminals is selected, so for example, if I bought a Leicester - London Terminals return, somewhere down the booking process, I would be prompted if I wanted a London Travelcard with my ticket, but the prices advertised would not be inclusive of any Railcard discount, regardless of whether the original ticket was bought with any Railcard discount.