Boundary zone to Southend tickets

[MikeWM]

Looking at getting a BZ6 to Southend return on Saturday, and it appears all tickets to Southend Central OR Victoria have been removed - you have to pick one or the other. (BRFares shows these still being available last summer but not now).

Is this a result of the c2c fares 'simplification', and if so, how unhelpful. Usually I go out one way and back the other.

Will the Central ticket (type 'OVAL CASH OP RTN O-AWAY', whatever that is supposed to mean) be excessable to go via Victoria? Or indeed the converse.

 

[Haywain]

Will the Central ticket (type 'OVAL CASH OP RTN O-AWAY', whatever that is supposed to mean) be excessable to go via Victoria? Or indeed the converse.

That's the restriction code description, not the ticket type. However, you can't excess the ticket to change the route if there isn't an alternative route for the same origin and destination.

 

[MikeWM]

That's the restriction code description, not the ticket type.

Yes, fair point, it's an off-peak day return with that 'restriction', though it doesn't sound much like a restriction, what restrictions does it apply?

(Edit : oh never mind, I've looked it up now, it's just a weekday peak restriction that combines two other restrictions for 'away from London' and 'towards London'. Not relevant for weekends so I don't care).

However, you can't excess the ticket to change the route if there isn't an alternative route for the same origin and destination.

So is there no way of now going to Southend one way and returning the other? (other than buying two singles, of course). Has 'Southend Central or Southend Victoria' been abolished as a destination? Is this supposed to be some sort of 'improvement' for the passenger?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Has 'Southend Central or Southend Victoria' been abolished as a destination? Is this supposed to be some sort of 'improvement' for the passenger?

Day tickets seemingly still available from some origins, such as Stratford (and Romford) to Southend Central / Victoria, and also for weekly and longer season tickets?

So would buying tickets from Romford potentially work?

 

[MikeWM]

Day tickets seemingly still available from some origins, such as Stratford (and Romford) to Southend Central / Victoria, and also for weekly and longer season tickets?

So would buying tickets from Romford potentially work?

Ah, yes, I think so, (as I think all c2c stop at Upminster, so I can't see any problems here, that must be permitted) - but it looks a right mess actually.

Romford-> Southend Vic/Central looks to be the same price as the BZ6->Southend Vic, so that does seem the one to get.

Stratford-> Southend Vic/Central is a few £££ more expensive.

There also 'exists' a Barking->Southend Vic/Central 'off peak' ticket, for £999 (!), as indeed if you just want to go to Vic only that's also £999. There are lots of tickets available at normal prices for Upminster to Vic (only), so I'm not sure why that option doesn't also exist from Barking.

You've got to wonder who decided to abolish the BZ6, and why. 'Simplification', I guess

So Romford it is, I think. Thanks, nice find

 

[greatkingrat]

Would a Boundary Zone 6 - Southend East ticket be valid either way?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Boundary tickets to/from Southend Stations look to have been removed at last September's fares change, presumably as part of c2c's preparation for Project Oval.

The logic presumably being that the Southend Victoria branch isn't included in Phase 1, so Oval style pricing would undercut Greater Anglia's fares from Romford and Harold Wood.

 

[MikeWM]

Would a Boundary Zone 6 - Southend East ticket be valid either way?

NRE won't give me any itinerary via Billericay for Liverpool Street - Southend East, but given how rubbish NRE is nowadays I guess that doesn't prove anything and I'm not sure why I wasted my time trying! Force of habit, I guess.

--

Boundary tickets to/from Southend Stations look to have been removed at last September's fares change, presumably as part of c2c's preparation for Project Oval.

The logic presumably being that the Southend Victoria branch isn't included in Phase 1, so Oval style pricing would undercut Greater Anglia's fares from Romford and Harold Wood.

I suppose this shows how tweaking one thing affects lots of others. However, the upshot is that anyone travelling from central London to Southend Victoria no longer has the flexibility to return from Central instead, which previously was the case. And people wonder why I'm highly wary of all these super-duper 'improvements' to ticketing that are supposed to be more 'convenient'!

(Fortunately there is a workaround, at least for now).

 

[JBuchananGB]

For many years after nationalisation you couldn't buy tickets from ex-LNER stations between Liverpool Street and Southend to ex-LMS stations between Fenchurch Street and Southend. I think Romford was an exception because of the push-n-pull. So it seems the clock has turned full circle and it's becoming difficult again.