Deliberately catching slower trains

[jonny5532]

I often travel from Clapham Junction to Petersfield, breaking my journey for a few hours at New Malden, using a normal off-peak ticket (at off-peak time).

I figured that this is valid since:
a) New Malden is on the same tracks as the Clapham Junction to Petersfield line
b) Both CLJ -> PTR, and CLJ -> NEM -> SUR -> WOK -> PTR, are the Shortest Route (51 miles, according to the Timetable)
c) Map PD is appropriate for the journey (RPs are CLJ and Guildford). Whilst New Malden doesn't feature on the map, Surbiton and Wimbledon (stations either side served by the New Malden train) do, so I am presumably entitled to break my journey between (anywhere the train stops I believe?).

In essence, I'm deliberately catching much slower trains than necessary, to break my journey. I'm asking because the guard at the security gates in New Malden was adamant that my ticket was not valid (when I was trying to get back on).

I've emailed ATOC in the hope of receiving something printable and waveable if it happens again.

Your expert opinions would be appreciated!

 

[clagmonster]

As you say, New Malden is on the shortest route, so is therefore on a valid route according to both the routeing guide and the conditions of carriage. The remaining question, therefore, is whether break of journey is permitted. This depends on what type of ticket you hold. If you have an advance ticket, then break of journey is not permitted. If you have an anytime, off peak day or the return portion of an off peak return, then you are valid for break of journey. If you have the outward portion of an off peak return, then validity of break of journey is determined by the restriction code, which is not available in the public domain, so you would have to either enquire over the telephone or at a booking office.

 

[jonny5532]

it is the return portion off an Off-peak Return so presumably i'm fine then!

Many thanks.

 

[yorkie]

I'm asking because the guard at the security gates in New Malden was adamant that my ticket was not valid (when I was trying to get back on).

That's not a real guard. That's someone with a low standard of education who has been given very poor training and who thinks they can boss people about. You can apply for such a job providing you have a single GCSE and at least 20 functional brain cells. (No offence to the good people who do such jobs - I know they're not all jobsworths! Just some are!)

CLJ-PTR

Off Peak Day

Break of Journey:
Out/Rtn - YES
BREAK OF JOURNEY
Break of journey is permitted
on both outward and return
portions of Off-Peak Day
tickets unless otherwise
indicated by a restriction
shown against the ticket's
validity code.

Off Peak

Break of Jrny: (OUT) YES
(RTN) YES
BREAK OF JOURNEY
Break of journey is allowed on
Off-Peak tickets unless
otherwise indicated by a
restriction shown against
the ticket's validity code.

A rude guard once told a ticket clerk at Aylesbury to not let me break my journey there (to buy food), claiming break of journey was not allowed. The clerk agreed with him. I asked him to look it up. He did, it said "Break of Jrny: YES" and he said "they've changed that". I said "no they haven't" as I walked through (I was tempted to say rather more than that, but remained calm).

This guard also claimed that 16 year olds were invalid on FAM railcards when the railcard was bought when they were 15. I made him look that up too, much to his displeasure. I don't think he works there any more.

The majority of staff on the railways are good, but there is a significant minority who give the others a bad name and give the rail industry a bad press. Not enough is done about them by the TOCs.

 

[SqUaShIe P]

I think alot of the time, it comes down to a lack of training.
When i was training to be a guard, we spent atleast 2 weeks learning ticket, revenue and avantix training, and after that, i can still say i didnt know everything. I learnt alot from other guards, and often i pick things up from passengers, or from on here, that i wouldnt have know otherwise... Anyway, my point is, im not sure about other train companies, but within nxea, alot of a barriar staff are subcontracted from agencies. Ive spoken to alot of our agency staff and their ticket training ranges from no training at all, up to 2 days. Also, I think the people from some of the agencies are hired as security guards as opposed to being ticket examoning assistants.