Break of Journey

[bse35]

Hi,

What I was wondering was that if I buy an Off-Peak return from Bury St Edmunds to Sheringham:

1. Is it valid via Lowestoft?

2. Can I break my journey there?

The east coast website shows it as a valid routing but I was wondering how to explain it to a guard!

TIA

 

[bnm]

Break of journey is permitted out and return on the Off Peak and Off Peak Day Returns so problems there.

As to the routeing, then if a booking engine is allowing it then it is valid. Maybe worth printing an itinerary or getting seat reservations (if possible) if there is some doubt to the routeing. Not able to check the Routeing Guide at the mo myself, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to do so!

 

[yorkie]

1. Check the Routeing Guide, to be sure. This does involve the fares check to determine appropriate RPs. If you get stuck, let us know which bit you are stuck on and we'll help. However, if the EC site says it's valid, then obtain seat reservations and that should be sufficient. Without checking, I can say that the EC site is saying it's a valid route. So it probably is.

2. You can break your journey on the outward or return portion of any off peak ticket, except where the restriction code prevents it. Very few restriction codes prevent it, and of those it is nearly always only applicable to the outward portion of a (Super) Off Peak ticket. The only ones that restrict BOJ on the return leg, as far as I know, are some Super Off Peak Returns (code: OPR) tickets priced by London Midland.

Break of journey restrictions, where they do exist, are not easy to enforce, and almost impossible to enforce at major stations or at stations with out of station interchanges (OSIs).

 

[lemonic]

Why not buy an Anglia Plus One Day Rover? It is £14.80 for an Off Peak Day Return from Bury St Edmunds to Sheringham and £15 for the rover. The rover definitely allows you to travel via Lowestoft so no worries about routeing. You can buy it from a station on the day but it isn't available online. See this page for more info http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr7a1a85c35ce741018bbf333fb1a59f/details.html

 

[First class]

Why not buy an Anglia Plus One Day Rover? It is £14.80 for an Off Peak Day Return from Bury St Edmunds to Sheringham and £15 for the rover. The rover definitely allows you to travel via Lowestoft so no worries about routeing. You can buy it from a station on the day but it isn't available online. See this page for more info http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pr7a1a85c35ce741018bbf333fb1a59f/details.html

If he is buying an "Off Peak Return" as indicated in the original post, it costs £23.50 and allows the OP to return within 1 month. The One Day Ranger, obviously is only valid on the one single day specified.

Incidentally, the £23.50 ticket permits break of journey in both directions. (Restriction CZ, not valid pre 09:00 M-F)

 

[lemonic]

If he is buying an "Off Peak Return" as indicated in the original post, it costs £23.50 and allows the OP to return within 1 month. The One Day Ranger, obviously is only valid on the one single day specified.

Incidentally, the £23.50 ticket permits break of journey in both directions. (Restriction CZ, not valid pre 09:00 M-F)

You are, of course, right. I overlooked that point.

 

[Bakerbloke]

I was recently told that no one can break a journey on the outward portion of an off peak return.

I was travelling from Chinley to Manchester with off-peak return ticket and needed to do a quick stop off at Stockport. I was told that I couldn't stop off unless I then bought a ticket from Stockport to Manchester.

 

[bb21]

I was recently told that no one can break a journey on the outward portion of an off peak return.

This sweeping statement is definitely incorrect.

I was travelling from Chinley to Manchester with off-peak return ticket and needed to do a quick stop off at Stockport. I was told that I couldn't stop off unless I then bought a ticket from Stockport to Manchester.

What was your ticket? There is no Off-Peak Return for the Chinley - Manchester Stations flow.

 

[ainsworth74]

I was recently told that no one can break a journey on the outward portion of an off peak return.

That is incorrect advice, all off-peak returns allow a break of journey on both the outward portion and the return portion unless the restriction code applying to that ticket states otherwise.

In your case a Chinley to Manchester Stations off-peak day return (I assume this was your ticket as there is no off-peak return) has restriction B6 which does not restrict break of journey. Therefore you could have left the station at Stockport and resumed your journey later without having to purchase any other tickets.

 

[Bakerbloke]

Sorry - yes it was an off peak day return.

 

[clagmonster]

Hi,

What I was wondering was that if I buy an Off-Peak return from Bury St Edmunds to Sheringham:

1. Is it valid via Lowestoft?

Valid routes are determined by the National Routeing Guide, available here: http://www.atoc.org/about-atoc/rail-settlement-plan/routeing-guide

Bury St. Edmunds is a related station to Cambridge, Ely and Stowmarket.
http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/routeing_point_identifier.pdf page 11

Sheringham is a related station to Norwich.
http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/routeing_point_identifier.pdf page 54

To determine which (if any) routeing points are appropriate for Bury, we need to carry out a fare check.

Bury-Sheringham fares are:
SDS £13.40

There is no Cambridge-Sheringham SDS, only a CDS and SOS, so Cambridge can't even take the fare check test, so can't pass it.

Similarly, there is no Ely-Sheringham SDS, only a CDS an SVS and an SOS, so Cambridge can't even take the fare check test, so can't pass it.

For Stowmarket-Sheringham, we have:
SDS £13.10
This is less than the fare from Bury, so Stowmarket is an appropriate routeing point.

The only Routeing permission for Stowmarket-Norwich is EA.
http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/permitted_route_identifier.pdf page 949

This allows:
Stowmarket-Diss-Norwich
http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/Maps.pdf page 30

The Bury-Stowmarket and Norwich-Sheringham legs should be made by the shortest route.

Therefore, I believe that the East Coast website is being over generous here. If you were to book the ticket online and produce a copy of the booking confirmation, then I believe, but can't confirm, that the correct procedure if a guard/TTI was unhappy with the routeing, which (s)he would have every right to be, that they should confiscate the ticket (and maybe a the booking confirmation), issue a free replacement and complete a TIR, which if it were to be found to be a railway mistake, the issuing company would presumably be charged for the excess fare.

 

[island]

I was recently told that no one can break a journey on the outward portion of an off peak return.

That has never been the case in general. It did apply to many "saver returns" back in the day.

 

[Mojo]

I am not sure on how many CDRs before tickets were renamed had break of journey restrictions, but for example I know a CDR from London to Milton Keynes route London Midland Only has a break of journey restriction.

In reply to Bakerbloke, it is wrong for someone to say that break of journey is banned on all Off-peak tickets, this depends on the individual ticket as common nationwide restrictions for time and break of journey do not exist.

 

[Scotty]

I've broken a Cheap Day Return from Nottingham-Manchester at Chesterfield on the outward leg before (unplanned due to football postponement), and asking the lovely female guard if it was OK and she said yes

 

[Daimler]

Apologies for digging up a slightly old thread, but I didn't think it was worth starting a new one for my query. I am travelling from Banbury to Hemel Hempstead on the return portion of an off-peak return, and would like to break my journey at Oxford until Friday.

I'm pretty confident this is OK, but thought I'd check with staff at Banbury Station just in case. A member of booking office staff then told me - quite explicitly - that break of journey on both the outward and return portions of Off Peak Returns had to be resumed within the day.

This surely isn't the case?

 

[causton]

AFAICS from reading the ticket restrictions - you can break your journey any time as long as it is not after 02:30 on the day AFTER the last day of validity - after then you cannot break your journey and you must complete your journey by 12:00.

BREAK OF JOURNEY

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.

Off-Peak Singles and the outward portion of Off-Peak Returns are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket. Where a passenger wishes to stop overnight or the journey cannot be completed within one day, break of journey for an overnight stay is allowed. Where a journey does continue into the next day, travel must resume before 1200 and any relevant time restrictions apply. No further break of journey is allowed except for the purpose of changing trains. Please note that break of_journey is not permitted on some journeys, as detailed_in the ticket restrictions.

Return portions of Off-Peak Return tickets are valid for travel until 0230 on the day following the last day of validity (i.e. one calendar month from outward journey). If a passenger is_still travelling at 0230, they may stay on the train to complete that part of the journey but no further break of journey is allowed and all travel must be completed by 1200.