FGW and Route Honiton

[starrymarkb]

Just a quick is my ticket valid query.

I've bought tickets from Exeter St Davids to Lille on March 12th from Eurostar.com and have just been down to pick them up and have noticed an anomaly.

Going I've been issued with a EURO HIGH SVR S route Honiton, but my reservation is on an FGW HST (the 8:26) to Padington, checking National Rail's site shows the HST is going via Yeovil.

How likely am I to get gripper issues as Route Honiton usually applies to SWT to Waterloo?

 

[mrcheek]

Engineering works between Taunton and Tiverton that weekend.
Same weekend every year I think.

So, there are very few through services from the west country to London, with those that are going through being diverted via the LSWR route (no idea what they call it now, so Ill use the old name!)
. So you will be fine. But the train will be packed. Just as well youve reserved some seats!

 

[starrymarkb]

Hopefully it won't be too bad. I'd noticed the journey was longer then normal when I made the booking and had assumed that the train was going via Bristol

 

[yorkie]

Are you telling me you are booked on a train going via Honiton, on a ticket routed Honiton and asking if it's valid? Unless I'm missing something (?), the question answers itself!

Even if the ticket was not valid, ie if you were issued with a route Honiton ticket on a train that is not booked via Honiton, it's not your error, it's an issuing error, so the correct action by the guard in such a case would be to re-issue your ticket free of charge, and retain the original, complete a form, and send it off for FGW to persue the issuing company for compensation. That's not your problem!

 

[starrymarkb]

Are you telling me you are booked on a train going via Honiton, on a ticket routed Honiton and asking if it's valid? Unless I'm missing something (?), the question answers itself!

Even if the ticket was not valid, ie if you were issued with a route Honiton ticket on a train that is not booked via Honiton, it's not your error, it's an issuing error, so the correct action by the guard in such a case would be to re-issue your ticket free of charge, and retain the original, complete a form, and send it off for FGW to persue the issuing company for compensation. That's not your problem!

My query was more that it is unusual, as usually Route Honiton and Route Taunton are used to seperate FGW and SWT services (There is no Any Permitted as a hangover from Network South East times)

As the train usually runs via Taunton I was expecting route Taunton tickets to still be issued (even though the train is Diverting)

 

[yorkie]

Route Taunton would still be valid as it's diverted. The cheapest ticket should be offered.

I don't know which is cheaper as I am unsure where to check these fares (they're not in Avantix, as far as I can tell) but I would expect Rte Honiton to be cheaper, and if so it is correct that this is offered rather than the more expensive routeing.

 

[barrykas]

Route Taunton would still be valid as it's diverted. The cheapest ticket should be offered.

I don't know which is cheaper as I am unsure where to check these fares (they're not in Avantix, as far as I can tell) but I would expect Rte Honiton to be cheaper, and if so it is correct that this is offered rather than the more expensive routeing.

They should be in Avantix, with a destination of London International (CRS Code: LNE, NLC: 5470).

Anyway, the relevant fares are £89.00 for route Taunton and £62.80 for route Honiton.

HTH,

Barry

 

[embers25]

Both routes are valid although as mentioned in another thread many fGW guards refuse to accept this and tell route Honiton passengers they must change to SWT Waterloo services at Yeovil. Obviously this is wrong but they make that announcement repeatedly before Yeovil. Personally I know they are wrong and so just ignore it but they should be corrected by fGW management.

 

[Paul Kelly]

I think the destination is 9934 LNDON ESTAR CIV (CRS code LOE) for the very cheap "add-on" domestic fares that are included in the price of the Eurostar ticket. I bought a ticket from Brussels Midi to Southampton Central last November and the UK domestic part of the ticket (which I picked up from one of the ToD machines at King's Cross - couldn't find any at the front end of St Pancras) was one of these Euro High Saver Singles with the fare shown on the ticket only £7.00.

 

[barrykas]

I think the destination is 9934 LNDON ESTAR CIV (CRS code LOE) for the very cheap "add-on" domestic fares that are included in the price of the Eurostar ticket. I bought a ticket from Brussels Midi to Southampton Central last November and the UK domestic part of the ticket (which I picked up from one of the ToD machines at King's Cross - couldn't find any at the front end of St Pancras) was one of these Euro High Saver Singles with the fare shown on the ticket only £7.00.

Tickets to London Eurostar are only available as part of a through booking made with Eurostar. Everyone else has to use London International, though I believe the fares should be the same regardless.

As for (domestic) ticket machines at St Pancras, they're mostly at the EMT end of the station, with a few in the subway link to the Underground Northern Ticket Hall.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[richw]

as above says, FGW are diverting via Honiton, yeovil and so on on several weekends through March, engineering works around taunton i believe

 

[Paul Kelly]

Just checked and lots of the fares to/from LNDON ESTAR CIV have disappeared in NFM 08 (including my Southampton example). They are there in NFM 07 though. Must be done differently now.

 

[wibble]

Tickets to London Eurostar are only available as part of a through booking made with Eurostar. Everyone else has to use London International, though I believe the fares should be the same regardless.

The through fares available from Eurostar are cheaper than buying separate tickets to London International at the ticket office.

Eurostar through fare (Single Peak fare):
via Taunton: £32.50
via Honiton: £19.00

Ticket to London International (Single Peak fare):
via Taunton: £107.50
via Honiton: £61.90