Circuititious Routeing

[_toommm_]

So I’ve missed the last train from point a to point b (these points are with direct trains only every hour). I look on the Northern app and it gives me an itemarary with the normal fare, but routes me a stupidly round way, including going to the opposite terminus to where I want to go. This is clearly an error, but as long as I have an itenaray, can I still travel over that route?

Note: this is not a ‘what if?’ Question, but I’ve redacted the cost of the fare plus calling points on the public forum as it’s an interesting route which would get fixed extremely quickly.

 

[robbeech]

If you have an itinerary then the ticket is valid. It is for the TOC to deal with with the retailer if there are issues.

 

[mallard]

A number of years ago, I found a journey from the West Midlands to the East Midlands that had a valid (according to the RG) route via South Wales. A bit of playing around with the "via" option online booking engines and I was able to get an itinerary with seat reservations. To avoid issue, I carried a printout of the itinerary with me while travelling and showed it along with my ticket. While staff were obviously surprised, I had no difficulty getting it accepted.

Unfortunately, that was about a decade ago and the RG has been "corrected" (in a rather heavy-handed way that means that shorter journeys now have more routing options than longer ones) since.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I know of a number of tickets with circuitous validity, for example one ticket for a relatively short journey that can be completed in a few hours, which also (theoretically) allows you to travel halfway across the country! There aren't enough via points in any TIS to get an itinerary for it though! Most of it is simply a consequence of Yellow Pages maps and combinations staying static but the maps themselves changing, or of pricing managers and ATOC/RDG not realising the surprising validity of some maps and combinations.

 

[_toommm_]

I know of a number of tickets with circuitous validity, for example one ticket for a relatively short journey that can be completed in a few hours, which also (theoretically) allows you to travel halfway across the country! There aren't enough via points in any TIS to get an itinerary for it though! Most of it is simply a consequence of Yellow Pages maps and combinations staying static but the maps themselves changing, or of pricing managers and ATOC/RDG not realising the surprising validity of some maps and combinations.

Care to share any via PM? Understandable if not of course.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Care to share any via PM? Understandable if not of course.

I'm afraid it's so ridiculous that you can just about forget using it! It also requires significant travel on operators like XC who don't take kindly to what even I'll admit is a p***take of permitted routes!

I'll be happy to post it publicly once it's been fixed!

 

[_toommm_]

I'm afraid it's so ridiculous that you can just about forget using it! It also requires significant travel on operators like XC who don't take kindly to what even I'll admit is a p***take of permitted routes!

I'll be happy to post it publicly once it's been fixed!

Fair enough - significant travel on Voyagers is something I would choose to avoid

 

[yorkie]

Care to share any via PM? Understandable if not of course.

Until recently, Hatton to Droitwich was valid in a huge loop via Reading, Southampton, Bristol.

That was an example we gave at Fares Workshops.

 

[bigfoote]

Was once offered Portsmouth Harbour --> Derby, via Bristol TM with NRE itinerary. Was sorely tempted as the advance offered was much cheaper than the single change at Winchester I went for.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Was once offered Portsmouth Harbour --> Derby, via Bristol TM with NRE itinerary. Was sorely tempted as the advance offered was much cheaper than the single change at Winchester I went for.

That's not an insane route though. It's definitely circuitous, but there are worse examples for sure!

 

[swt_passenger]

Was once offered Portsmouth Harbour --> Derby, via Bristol TM with NRE itinerary. Was sorely tempted as the advance offered was much cheaper than the single change at Winchester I went for.

I think it has been suggested before that an Advance fare can depart from the normal routeing guide restrictions. I suspect either XC (more likely) or even GW could offer that as an Advance + connections.

 

[RJ]

There used to be a few good ones -

• London to Hackney Downs valid from Kings Cross via Cambridge - and London to Finsbury Park valid via WAML and Stansted Airport
• Gravesend to Ebbsfleet valid via Dartford, London Bridge, St Pancras and HS1 - via Herne Hill during London Bridge works
• Rugeley to Town Green and other dinkily named Merseyrail stations valid via Euston, St Pancras, Sheffield and Liverpool. Stacked very well with LM's half price Saver promo until they got wise to what people were doing.
• South London Zone 2 only priced rovers like Peckham Rye to Tulse Hill which were valid on fast trains between London Bridge/Victoria and East Croydon and as far south as Horsham and back via Epsom/Sutton

I used all of them at some point and reactions varied wildly between staff. But there are still a few similarly interesting ones floating about in the Routeing Guide.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Until recently, Hatton to Droitwich was valid in a huge loop via Reading, Southampton, Bristol.

That was an example we gave at Fares Workshops.

I'm confident that this was, by far, the most circuitous route ever permitted (by any sensible metric)

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I'm confident that this was, by far, the most circuitous route ever permitted (by any sensible metric)

I know of some tickets that are considerably more circuitous!

 

[Adsy125]

I know of some tickets that are considerably more circuitous!

Could you share or are they all still valid?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Could you share or are they all still valid?

These are ones I'm aware of that are still valid - until they get invalidated I'll stay schtum! Of course, there are ones like the 'MixingDeck specials' a few years back where ridiculous routes were allowed up and down Scotland.

 

[Wallsendmag]

These are ones I'm aware of that are still valid - until they get invalidated I'll stay schtum! Of course, there are ones like the 'MixingDeck specials' a few years back where ridiculous routes were allowed up and down Scotland.

We saw some of those and complained quite loudly to our Webtis supplier at the time

 

[Hadders]

Wasn't the best one Baldock to North Sheen via Inverness