Cambridge/Cambridge North easement

[TheDavibob]

Just a quick question, which might seem silly.

Tickets to Cambridge/Cambridge North are valid to the other, via easement 700714, except Advances. Does "Advance" here include "connections" Advance tickets, that aren't booked on a specific train from Cambridge/North? By the letter of the rule I imagine it does, but from a "what should the restriction mean" thought it shouldn't (in that we've sort of gone outside the "Advance" bit).

I ask as this evening I'm booked on an Advance from Cambridge to a WCML destination, via London, and thus on a WC & connections ticket - is this valid from North [noting the ticket in question doesn't actually exist from North]? My main thoughts are to see what the ticket barrier does, and if it doesn't work then just to get a nominally valued ticket between Cambridge North and Cambridge, or should I just get this ticket anyway?

Finally, how permanent is this easement expected to be? It's been in force for a year and a half, but is barely publisised - can't they just go the whole hog with a "Cambridge Stns" ticket or is that not worth the faff?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ianno87]

Never considered that nuance personally, but I've always taken the easement to apply to any "Advance" ticket; the wording does seem quite clear in my view.

To be honest, I doubt you'd get challenged if you tried anyway, and I reckon some people accidentally do it through 'ignorance' (meant politely) anyway if the barriers accept it (which they probably will).

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Just a quick question, which might seem silly.

Tickets to Cambridge/Cambridge North are valid to the other, via easement 700714, except Advances. Does "Advance" here include "connections" Advance tickets, that aren't booked on a specific train from Cambridge/North? By the letter of the rule I imagine it does, but from a "what should the restriction mean" thought it shouldn't (in that we've sort of gone outside the "Advance" bit).

I ask as this evening I'm booked on an Advance from Cambridge to a WCML destination, via London, and thus on a WC & connections ticket - is this valid from North [noting the ticket in question doesn't actually exist from North]? My main thoughts are to see what the ticket barrier does, and if it doesn't work then just to get a nominally valued ticket between Cambridge North and Cambridge, or should I just get this ticket anyway?

Finally, how permanent is this easement expected to be? It's been in force for a year and a half, but is barely publisised - can't they just go the whole hog with a "Cambridge Stns" ticket or is that not worth the faff?

Thanks in advance.

Hmm, I have to say I don't think the easement covers it. It's pretty clear on that Advances are excepted from the easement. The only service to/from Cambridge North that is reservable is the GA service to/from Liverpool Street, so almost all passengers will be travelling on non-reservable services on their way to/from Cambridge North, which will by necessity be on a '& Connections' Advance.

So I would suggest that you will require a new ticket to travel from North. Whilst there is a small possibility that the ticket barriers will be expected to accept Cambridge tickets, I certainly wouldn't expect them to.