Castle Cary to Chester - Valid from St Pancras?

[tom3107]

Hi,

I hold a Chester to Castle Cary off-peak return for a few weeks time, would the return portion allow me to travel from St Pancras to Flitwick so I can break my journey for a few days there and continue my journey via Bedford?

Also, if I break my journey in Flitwick and then find out that I am able to get a lift to Milton Keynes, would I be able to continue my journey from there on the same ticket?

Thank you for any help!

 

[John @ home]

I hold a Chester to Castle Cary off-peak return for a few weeks time, would the return portion allow me to travel from St Pancras to Flitwick

Sorry, No. Assuming you mean the Chester - Castle Cary route + London Off-Peak Return (SVR) (there is also a route Not London SVR), I can't find any Permitted Route allowing travel from St Pancras for the London - Chester part of this journey.

Not that I can see in the routing guide, only seems to be valid from Euston - Chester.

I don't agree.

In my opinion, Permitted Routes are:

• the shortest route (Euston - Weedon - Tamworth - Crewe - Chester)
• any route not more than 3 miles longer than the shortest route (e.g. Euston - Northampton - Tamworth - Crewe - Chester)
• mapped routes:
  • GC+CC from Paddington or Marylebone
  • LC from Euston
  • LC+CL from Euston
  • TV+BC from Euston
  • TV+BC+CH from Euston
  • WS from Marylebone.

If travel via Flitwick is important to you, consider obtaining an appropriate excess fare. For example, at 2011 prices a Preston - Castle Cary route + London SVR cost £104.30 compared with a Chester to Castle Cary route + London SVR at £96.60. Preston - Castle Cary is Permitted via Chester, Flitwick and London (maps MM+PS).

 

[tom3107]

Thanks for the help so far!

However, when I search on the National Rail website and specify "Flitwick" as a via point, on the outward journey it allows me to go via Flitwick on one ticket - Off Peak single but for the return journey it will not let me go via Flitwick as a through journey, but I understand why this is happening now. But I was just wondering why it would let me book a ticket for that route on the outward journey if it is not valid!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
So just to clarify, a one way excess to Preston to add to the Chester to Castle Cary SVR return portion would be £5.30 (with a 16-25 railcard - sorry, forgot to mention earlier!)? And just being in possession of the excess ticket and the regular ticket will make the ticket valid via Flitwick and Chester?
Thanks

 

[John @ home]

just to clarify, a one way excess to Preston to add to the Chester to Castle Cary SVR return portion would be £5.30 (with a 16-25 railcard - sorry, forgot to mention earlier!)?

I think it may not be "a one way excess". My understanding is that

• over-distance excess fares used to be available for one leg of a return journey
• the rules changed not long ago to allow excess of the whole return ticket only
• it is possible that not all ticketing systems have yet been updated with the new rules.

In addition, the excess calculation may have to use 2012 fares instead of the 2011 ones I quoted. As a result, I don't know how much you'll be charged but £5.30 is a good estimate.

And just being in possession of the excess ticket and the regular ticket will make the ticket valid via Flitwick and Chester?

The excess fare ticket is likely to say, e.g. "Valid only with ticket 12345" and it converts the Chester - Castle Cary SVR into a Preston - Castle Cary SVR. That ticket is Permitted via Chester, Flitwick and London using maps MM+PS.