East Coast lifting all restrictions tomorrow?

[tannedfrog]

What does this mean?

We're lifting all ticket restrictions tonight and on all of our services on Tuesday 24 December, when we expect to run the full timetable. Customers can travel on any of our services tonight and tomorrow.

• Booked train restrictions on advance tickets?
• Peak restrictions on walk-up tickets?
• Route restrictions?
• Operator restrictions?

 

[Darandio]

Isn't it basically that if you have a valid ticket to travel, regardless of whether you would be tied to a specific service, peak or off-peak, just jump on any train and get where you need to go?

 

[Searle]

Booked train restrictions on advance tickets? Yes, you can take any train you want
Peak restrictions on walk-up tickets? Yep, any train you want, even if it's a super off peak
Route restrictions? I would imagine so
Operator restrictions? Not so sure about this one, but probably if you're going London to Grantham EC vs HT etc.

 

[yorkie]

All of the above, I assume?

 

[causton]

I assume they don't care about stuff like that in circumstances like these; they just want to get you to where you're going as quickly as possible!

 

[Darandio]

And at this time of year, with people struggling to get where they are going today, it's PR that money cannot buy.

 

[Ebore]

Looking at the East Coast twitter feed tonight I wouldn't be so sure on operator restrictions being lifted:
https://twitter.com/eastcoastuk/status/415221422903271424
https://twitter.com/eastcoastuk/status/415222142981382144
and from earlier on today:
https://twitter.com/eastcoastuk/status/415131755600150528
https://twitter.com/eastcoastuk/status/415155669478936578

 

[tannedfrog]

Hmm from those links, they don't seem to have communicated to their guards that "all ticket restrictions" have been lifted.

You would think that they would know better than to make blanket statements like this if they actually only mean bullet points one and two.

 

[Darandio]

OK, but what does their Twitter feed say now?

Those replies were posted long before what it says now.

I'm guessing you are the one giving them hell on there?

 

[tannedfrog]

I'm guessing you are the one giving them hell on there?

Not me! But I would like to travel with them tomorrow using a ticket which wouldn't normally be valid!

 

[BillyBoy]

Does this mean I can get an off-peak day return to Leeds on the 06:55 Skipton to Kings Cross I wonder?!

 

[djjawuk]

I appreciate they're busy, but surely the Twitter team should check what they're posting - look at this:

https://twitter.com/eastcoastuk/statuses/415423709735047169

 

[Darandio]

But they haven't ever said that they are accepting tickets from other operators, have they?

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/travel-information/festivetips/#tickets

 

[MikeWh]

But they haven't ever said that they are accepting tickets from other operators, have they?

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/travel-information/festivetips/#tickets

But the question was the other way round. Would Hull Trains accept East Coast tickets?

 

[djjawuk]

No, but the passenger has an East Coast ticket and wants to travel on Hull Trains; East Coast have told her she can't travel on East Coast with a Hull Trains ticket. So they're answering a completely different question to the one she's asked.

 

[yorkie]

But they haven't ever said that they are accepting tickets from other operators, have they?

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/travel-information/festivetips/#tickets

That link is to the pre-planned restriction changes.

If severe disruptions occur it can be a very different matter.

 

[Darandio]

That link is to the pre-planned restriction changes.

If severe disruptions occur it can be a very different matter.

Of course, but as nothing has currently changed since that guidance, it must surely still stand?

But then 'djjawuk' was right, they were giving an answer to a different question entirely!

 

[bunnahabhain]

All of the above, I assume?

Would that include Manchester to Grantham on an EMT service with an EC&Connections Advanced Purchase ticket?

 

[bb21]

Does this mean I can get an off-peak day return to Leeds on the 06:55 Skipton to Kings Cross I wonder?!

Do you mean the one that goes via Hambleton?

If so, then yes if the fare exists for your intended journey. This service only runs on a Saturday.

 

[34D]

Do you mean the one that goes via Hambleton?

If so, then yes if the fare exists for your intended journey. This service only runs on a Saturday.

And presumably this morning on the service that goes via Wakefield W?

 

[BillyBoy]

Do you mean the one that goes via Hambleton?

If so, then yes if the fare exists for your intended journey. This service only runs on a Saturday.

On a "normal" weekday you have to get an Anytime Day Return to Leeds for £10.50 if you travel before 09:30 and then it's £9 for an Off Peak Day Return.

The trains before 09:30 are all Northern except the 06:55 East Coast service to Kings Cross which stops at Leeds.

So I was wondering if I could have bought an Off Peak ticket and traveled to Leeds on the normally peak time 06:55?

PS I wasn't brave enough to try in the end!

 

[sheff1]

The trains before 09:30 are all Northern except the 06:55 East Coast service to Kings Cross which stops at Leeds.

So I was wondering if I could have bought an Off Peak ticket and traveled to Leeds on the normally peak time 06:55?

I don't see why not. The EC message is clear that all restrictions are lifted on all their trains.

 

[tannedfrog]

The EC guard that I encountered told me that the lifting of restrictions only applies to "our customers", whatever that means. He didn't charge me extra though

 

[bb21]

Surely if you travel on the 0655 from Skipton then you are an East Coast customer. I would be surprised if EC say otherwise.

On a "normal" weekday you have to get an Anytime Day Return to Leeds for £10.50 if you travel before 09:30 and then it's £9 for an Off Peak Day Return.

The trains before 09:30 are all Northern except the 06:55 East Coast service to Kings Cross which stops at Leeds.

So I was wondering if I could have bought an Off Peak ticket and traveled to Leeds on the normally peak time 06:55?

PS I wasn't brave enough to try in the end!

I have absolutely no idea why I mentioned Hambleton. I suspect that someone else mentioned Hambleton on another thread and I saw your mention of the 0655 and simply got confused.

Normally you have to obey the 0930 restriction regardless of which operator you used, however I think you could have got away with it today for the reason I gave above. That said, it's only £1.50 so not gonna break your bank.