Excess fares between Chester and Liverpool

[NormalPerson7]

With tonight's disruption between Hooton and Chester resulting in severe delays on the Chester line, and with Merseyrail seemingly not arranging ticket acceptance with TfW, I thought I would try getting the ticket office at Lime Street to excess my anytime return from Chester to Liverpool route via Birkenhead to be valid via Runcorn.

According to brfares the prices (since 2/3/2025) are
via Birkenhead £9.45
via Runcorn £9.50.

The ticket office refused, and just said I should ask the TfW guard before boarding, which is normally reasonable advice. But am I right in thinking the ticket office at Lime Street should be able to issue this as a 1-direction excess for the princely sum of three pence?

Would a TfW guard be able to issue this? In the end I decided to travel via Hooton (not that it was any quicker) as I didn't fancy testing this without being certain I know what I'm doing.

 

[Watershed]

The ticket office should be perfectly capable of issuing the excess. However there is no penalty for paying the excess onboard, so next time I would just do that.

 

[NormalPerson7]

I just wanted to make sure this isn't one of those weird situations where a change of route excess isn't possible. Thanks

 

[Haywain]

should be able to issue this as a 1-direction excess for the princely sum of three pence?

Five pence - it would be rounded up.

 

[WirralLine]

Would a TfW guard be able to issue this? In the end I decided to travel via Hooton (not that it was any quicker) as I didn't fancy testing this without being certain I know what I'm doing.

Yes TfW guards can and do excess on request, presuming that specific one knows how. I do it fairly often.

 

[Kite159]

Although for the sake of 5p, most guards probably wouldn't be that bothered about it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I just wanted to make sure this isn't one of those weird situations where a change of route excess isn't possible. Thanks

You couldn't if you had a Merseyrail day ticket, but these are normal non TOC specific tickets and follow the normal rules.

 

[yorkie]

Would a TfW guard be able to issue this? In the end I decided to travel via Hooton (not that it was any quicker) as I didn't fancy testing this without being certain I know what I'm doing.

There is no penalty for doing this on board (notwithstanding that there is no penalty for any type of excess where the ticket office refuse to do it and instruct you to speak to on board staff!).

I agree with others that for the sake of a few pence, they probably wouldn't bother to issue the excess.

 

[gray1404]

The ticket office at Liverpool Lime Street was wrong and Northern need to train them to do their job properly.

 

[M28361M]

Merseyrail seemingly not arranging ticket acceptance with TfW

Might have come too late for you, but for the record there was ticket acceptance in place by 17:52, as Merseyrail tweeted at that time:

️ Ticket Acceptance is now in place on Transport for Wales services. @tfwrail

https://x.com/merseyrail/status/1899156422929039743

 

[NormalPerson7]

Might have come too late for you, but for the record there was ticket acceptance in place by 17:52, as Merseyrail tweeted at that time:

https://x.com/merseyrail/status/1899156422929039743

Yes as is typical they tweeted this five minutes after the 1747 TfW service departed Lime Street.

Thanks all for the responses. I shall trust in relying on my right to a change of route excess on board next time.