Durham to Meopham (Kent) Super Off Peak Restrictions

[cuccir]

Hello all,

A friend of mine is heading down from Durham for a job interview in London next Tuesday morning. The interview is in Holborn at 9am. She can get her travel reimbursed but:
* money is tight so she can't really afford to be without the £175.55 that a Durham to London Anytime Return ticket costs (w 16-25 railcard), even for a few days
* she's not keen on getting the 04:34 out of Durham, which is the first train of the day, especially as it only gets her in to King's Cross at 08:15 anyway.

However, her family live in Meopham so her current plan is to get a Super Off-Peak return to Meopham (£75) and travel down the evening before, then head into London the next morning from Meopham. I was wondering if the Super Off-Peak is valid for travel from Meopham to King's Cross in the morning, to arrive at King's Cross for about 8am? Obviously it won't be valid for travel out of King's Cross at that time, but she'll be breaking her journey at King's Cross - she can walk from there to the interview in Holborn.

 

[paul1609]

Technically its only valid to connect with a train thats valid from London and that is how the web sites interpret it. Others on here will tell you that it is valid at any time. The reality is that there is a chance that your friend will be either stung for a large excess or a penalty fare, her ticket will almost certainly not work the barriers at London Terminals in the morning peak.
In my opinion given that meopham to London U1 is £14 its not worth the risk.

 

[cuccir]

Technically its only valid to connect with a train thats valid from London

That is, then, that Break of Journey is not permitted? What the web sites interpret isn't especially relevant - they're not programmed with an 'I want to break my journey' button.

 

[t0ffeeman]

Considering its valid at KX at 0929 at what time would it not be valid from Meopham? Leaving there at 0700 seems perfectly fine to me...

 

[paul1609]

Webtis says its valid on the 07.51 and after from Meopham.
Id guess they interpret the break of journey to be valid from that train onwards.

 

[John @ home]

A £75.00 Durham - Meopham Railcard Super Off-Peak return (SSR) route + Any Permitted takes Restriction Code 1L and that is here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/pdfs/SSR_1L.pdf

In addition, the introductory page to the list of SSR Restrictions in The Manual contains the following information:

Network Area

Super Off-Peak tickets issued for journeys commencing outside the Network Area for travel via London, take the restrictions from the origin station to London and return. Unless shown otherwise on the following pages, they are unrestricted between London and the destination station and return.

I've not yet found a link to that particular page in the public domain, but I'm still looking.

It is evident from the words of Restriction 1L that it does not "show otherwise".

Hopefully that will set paul1609's mind at rest.

 

[cuccir]

OK, thanks. Once again something with little info in public. If it was me travelling I'd take this information and travel but I think my friend will probably buy a separate ticket in the morning anyway (she's travelling to a job interview and the main worry is to get there on time: any disputes would cause delays). The only reference to this in the public domain I can find is a little different: that's the ATOC fare simplification document from 2008 which states that "Off-Peak tickets for journeys starting within the Network Area to destinations outside the Network Area with travel via London are valid by any train to London, to connect with trains from London". The 'to connect' suggests that travel in the peak period wouldn't be allowed with break of journey (ie it is in theory only allowed for you to make the first off-peak train out of London), which is presumably why the journey planners allow the 07:51 above. How enforceable this distinction would be, particularly where the east coast timetable is all askew due to snow & ice, is another matter.

For what it's worth she's going to get the ticket to Ebbsfleet International instead because of the tube strike, and with the view that the overhead wires are less disrupted by snow! The cost is the same so I imagine the validity is also similar.

 

[John @ home]

she's going to get the ticket to Ebbsfleet International instead because of the tube strike, and with the view that the overhead wires are less disrupted by snow! The cost is the same so I imagine the validity is also similar.

A £75.00 Durham - Ebbsfleet Int SE Railcard Super Off-Peak return (SSR) route + Any Permitted also takes Restriction Code 1L.