Break of journey on advance

[zero]

I have a journey which involves two trains. If I buy an advance ticket from a TOC site it would offer the shortest interchange time of around 15 minutes.

I would not have thought of doing this before, but as Trainsplit offers the option, I am able to obtain an itinerary with a 2 hour 15 minute interchange time, all on one advance ticket.

During the 2 hours I would like to leave the interchange station, which is barriered. Am I likely to have a problem as BOJ is not allowed on advances (and I won't be using the station facilities).

The advance is the same price for only the second train as the total journey, while buying a single for the first train will increase the total price by 1.5x.

 

[Gaelan]

I'll happily defer to people who know better, but my recollection from other answers on this forum is that it isn't officially allowed, but staff are likely to let you.

 

[JonathanH]

During the 2 hours I would like to leave the interchange station, which is barriered. Am I likely to have a problem as BOJ is not allowed on advances (and I won't be using the station facilities).

Different stations have barriers set up in different ways, and by staff who have different attitudes towards break of journey. It is impossible to tell in advance whether you would have an issue or not.

In most cases, if you show the itinerary, I don't think they will stop you leaving the station. In some cases, the advance ticket may even work a barrier at an intermediate station.

Clearly, if you had someone applying the rules to the letter, and the barriers refuse the ticket, they could require you to stay within the station for the full period of the connection.

 

[Starmill]

It's very unlikely that you'll be forced to wait within the gateline, as long as you're evidencing that you're keeping to the booked trains. You can simply go out to buy a drink or snack and say that you'd like to do that if you're asked why you're going out and back in.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Apr 2023 ==

I'll happily defer to people who know better, but my recollection from other answers on this forum is that it isn't officially allowed, but staff are likely to let you.

Breaking a journey isn't clearly defined so it's not possible to say with much certainty. However, very few people would describe visiting a café which is inside the station but outside the ticket gates as breaking a journey.

 

[Hadders]

I've never had a problem being let through barriers.

Just say something like 'is it ok if I pop out for a smoke', or 'can I nip out for some supplies'. Don't specifically mention 'break of journey' and you should be fine.

 

[185143]

I did it at Newport on an advance from either Teignmouth or Taunton to Warrington last year. Gave myself 1hr 20mins to change, in order to tick the 'Spoons. Plus it was lunchtime and it's a long journey. Said I was going out for lunch when my ticket rejected and it wasn't an issue at all.

The retail offering within Newport Station is very poor, and neither my GWR or TfW services had any catering whatsoever, so I'd have been rather annoyed if they had refused to let me out!

 

[gray1404]

Which station is it?

 

[zero]

Which station is it?

A GWR medium sized station

 

[yorkie]

I have a journey which involves two trains. If I buy an advance ticket from a TOC site it would offer the shortest interchange time of around 15 minutes.

I would not have thought of doing this before, but as Trainsplit offers the option, I am able to obtain an itinerary with a 2 hour 15 minute interchange time, all on one advance ticket.

During the 2 hours I would like to leave the interchange station, which is barriered. Am I likely to have a problem as BOJ is not allowed on advances (and I won't be using the station facilities).

The advance is the same price for only the second train as the total journey, while buying a single for the first train will increase the total price by 1.5x.

You are not allowed to break your journey on an Advance ticket.

However you are allowed to spend time at the station using facilities; this could for example include having a meal at a pub/restaurant without the station. This may involve using barriers and your ticket may not work the barriers, but staff should let you through for the purpose of using station facilities.

I wouldn't do this at a station where there is no need to change trains and if you push it too far it could have negative concequenses.

Note that if you break your journey when not permitted to do so, the rules allow for you to be charged the difference between the price paid and the appropriate walk-up fare which would have enabled you to do the journey that was actually made.

 

[fandroid]

It might be irrelevant to the tickets you actually have but if you have split ticketing, and the split is at that interchange station, then there should be no objection at all to leaving the station there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It might be irrelevant to the tickets you actually have but if you have split ticketing, and the split is at that interchange station, then there should be no objection at all to leaving the station there.

There's absolutely no way to prevent someone leaving the station at a split point. You have purchased two tickets, and are choosing to use them to make two journeys.

 

[ChewChewTrain]

If you don’t make it back in time for the next train you’ve booked, can you theoretically be prosecuted even if you buy a valid ticket to the same destination for a subsequent service?

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you don’t make it back in time for the next train you’ve booked, can you theoretically be prosecuted even if you buy a valid ticket to the same destination for a subsequent service?

No. The penalty for breaking your journey when not permitted is to be excessed to the cheapest ticket which would have allowed that break to be made (usually an Off Peak but in some cases an Anytime depending on restrictions and timing). Though if you never returned to the station there's nothing that realistically could or would be done.

I wouldn't put it past the likes of TIL to try it on, but presenting the relevant section of the NRCoT in Court should really result in the case being dismissed.

 

[danm14]

I've never had any problem being let through the gateline in such circumstances - and in most cases I was doing so at either Crewe or Chester with a ticket to Dublin, one of the tickets you might expect the break of journey restriction to actually be enforced on given how cheap they are compared to tickets to destinations en route.

Although in saying that, my considerable amount of luggage and Irish accent might have been a hint that I probably was going to come back to get the Holyhead train!

 

[Haywain]

No. The penalty for breaking your journey when not permitted is to be excessed to the cheapest ticket which would have allowed that break to be made (usually an Off Peak but in some cases an Anytime depending on restrictions and timing)

Although if the booked train has been missed then it will be time to buy a new ticket rather than pay an excess.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Although if the booked train has been missed then it will be time to buy a new ticket rather than pay an excess.

Theoretically some sort of excess* would be due for having ended the journey early, plus a new ticket if wishing to continue it, in the scenario the OP described. Not likely to happen though, it'd just be the latter.

* I guess the difference between the full Advance fare and the cheapest fare permitting BoJ for the part of the journey actually made.

 

[317 forever]

A few years ago I looked on the National Rail website at itineraries from Stockport to Darlington, changing at Doncaster but with an extra hour for interchange.

I then went via that itinerary to the LNER website and booked it. While admittedly there are no gates at Doncaster, it did give me time to look for somewhere of my choice for coffee in town.

So I did break the journey at the interchange station but used the specific trains booked on my through Advance ticket.