Esher Station and note about Oyster not being valid

[bb21]

You've obviously thought out sensible proposals to extend the Oyster system but Govia might not agree!

Not Govia. It would be the DfT who would have something to say about the shortfall in revenue.

 

[JonathanH]

Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner are far better for accessing the racecourse, and are already fully integrated within the London Zones and Oyster system. Indeed, I would suggest this may have been part of the incentive for the Oyster rollout to the Tattenham Corner branch, which is very much on the boundary of Greater London. Epsom Downs is somewhat more understandable in these terms, as it is only a short distance from Sutton, which is part of a conurbation closely connected with the South London rail infrastructure.

The real issue with Epsom itself is that both Ewell East and Ewell West are within the Zones on the lines into the station, but somewhat illogically the Oyster system has not been extended one station further to link up the lines and provide a convenient boundary for many passengers. I am sure Oyster would be much better used - and used more frequently in the correct manner - if Epsom was included, and I understand it will be. I don't see that there is any real need to extend it much further, if at all - certainly no further than Dorking, which is the local boundary of TfL-branded buses.

If only the boundaries for zones could be:
Epsom - Zone 6/7
Ashtead/Leatherhead - Zone 7
Box Hill/Dorking Stations - Zone 8
Betchworth - Zone 9 (to allow travel on Oyster via Redhill or Dorking)
Reigate/Salfords - Zone 7/8
Redhill/Merstham/Earlswood/Nutfield - Zone 7
Horley/Gatwick Airport - Zone 8
Three Bridges/Godstone/Edenbridge Stations - Zone 9
Hurst Green/Oxted - Zone 8
Woldingham - Zone 7

Such would seem to be fairly clear-cut and well-defined.

Realistically, I would expect the extension fares to Redhill etc to be more closely aligned with the ones in these tables for Shenfield / Cheshunt etc.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/national-rail-adult-fares.pdf

Redhill in TfL Zone 7 is just nonsense given the amount that the railway in that area is currently able to extract from its users. It would need to be in its own outer zone (although I am aware that there are a limited number of those available in the Oyster set up).

If anyone really wants to save money and lives in Redhill, they can catch the 405 bus as far as Coulsdon South (for so long as Mayor of London is prepared to continue subsidising ten mile journeys on it for £1.50). My experience is that only a limited number of people do that.

My take on the extension of Zone 6 to Tattenham Corner / Epsom Downs / Caterham was that Southern felt that it was basically empty capacity as it was already possible to travel to Woodmansterne / Belmont / Kenley. It creates an anomaly for other stations in the borough of Reigate and Banstead but Redhill isn't at the end of a long branch line.