Gatwick to London

[IanD]

Hello

Could someone please advise which non-loophole walk up fare would be best to travel from Gatwick to Victoria on 09/07 about 3pm. I'm totally confused by all the booking engines I've looked at. RSH says there's a Southern only anytime day single at £9.20 (£6.10 railcard) but only valid on half hourly trains to London Bridge but says it's a London Terminals ticket. Southern's website offers an anytime day single Southern only at £15 (£9.90 railcard). Neither matches any fare at BRfares.com that I can see! And NRE offers tickets that are then not available when you click through to buy!

I just want something simple that my daughter can buy over the counter when she gets back from holiday - she's not that railway savvy hence no loopholes but she does get the concept of "Southern only" etc..

Tempted to get the one from RSH and send her the booking ref but don't want her to run in to trouble.

Cheers

 

[bb21]

A Southern Only Anytime Day Single is indeed £15. The £9.20 fare is specifically to London Bridge.

 

[IanD]

Thanks, I'll tell her to ask for that one. Cheers.

 

[bb21]

That is a ridiculous price however.

An Anytime Day Single to East Croydon is £5.10, and an Anytime Day Single from East Croydon to Victoria specifically is £5.80, and all trains stop at East Croydon AFAIK with the exception of Gatwick Express ones.

So she can ask for two tickets and save around 30%.

(If she has an Oyster PAYG card and is willing to change at East Croydon to touch in, the second leg is only £3.)

 

[Stats]

Unfortunately as is the case with a lot of airport stations only Anytime tickets are available for the flow in to London. It is often advantageous to look at nearby stations. In this case, if it were me, I would ask for a not Gatwick Express Super off-peak Three Bridges to Victoria priced at £12.20.

 

[globetrotter]

If your daughter plans to travel anywhere else that day (e.g. onward from Victoria, or perhaps go out that evening using public transport) then an "Off Peak Day Travelcard Gatwick to London Zones 1-6" at £13.50 is just the ticket.

It will allow use of any train that stops at East Croydon, i.e. all trains except Gatwick Express. £8.90 with a railcard.

 

[alex17595]

What about a Off peak day travelcard (5.90 w/ railcard) and a Boundary zone 6 to Gatwick airport off peak day return (£4.05 with railcard) and throwaway the outward portion for a total of £9.95. I'm not sure if this is allowed though.

With this combination you can take any train.

 

[IanD]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I want to keep it simple as she has to buy the tickets herself. Worth knowing for the future when I/she can get them with more time before she sets off.

I was supposed to pick her up but her flight got rescheduled so I can't now.

Cheers again.

That is a ridiculous price however.

An Anytime Day Single to East Croydon is £5.10, and an Anytime Day Single from East Croydon to Victoria specifically is £5.80, and all trains stop at East Croydon AFAIK with the exception of Gatwick Express ones.

So she can ask for two tickets and save around 30%.

(If she has an Oyster PAYG card and is willing to change at East Croydon to touch in, the second leg is only £3.)

Definitely a ridiculous price - the London Bridge one wasn't too bad but she didn't want the extra change on the underground with her cases.

Thanks again.

 

[John @ home]

she didn't want the extra change on the underground with her cases.

If she needs to use the Underground, please tell us the full journey and whether your daughter holds any other tickets, or season ticket, or Oyster PAYG. We may be able to make a more appropriate suggestion.

 

[Urban Gateline]

I wonder if a Super Off-Peak Horley to London Terminals ticket is valid to double back via Gatwick Airport as the routing is "NOT GATWICK EXP" so it seems to suggest you could double back and use Southern services into London!

 

[button_boxer]

If she needs to use the Underground, please tell us the full journey and whether your daughter holds any other tickets, or season ticket, or Oyster PAYG. We may be able to make a more appropriate suggestion.

For example if she's getting the Victoria line to points north then there's a £10 single (£6.60 railcard) from Gatwick to London St Pancras specifically (routed not underground) rather than to London Terminals which would let her get an FCC service through to St Pancras and pick up the Vic line from there.

 

[talldave]

If your daughter plans to travel anywhere else that day (e.g. onward from Victoria, or perhaps go out that evening using public transport) then an "Off Peak Day Travelcard Gatwick to London Zones 1-6" at £13.50 is just the ticket.

It will allow use of any train that stops at East Croydon, i.e. all trains except Gatwick Express. £8.90 with a railcard.

I thought the £13.50 ticket was FCC only and the Southern one is £15.80?

 

[bb21]

Definitely a ridiculous price - the London Bridge one wasn't too bad but she didn't want the extra change on the underground with her cases.

Thanks again.

If she buys the two tickets splitting at East Croydon, she doesn't need to change trains. All trains to Victoria stop at East Croydon (with the exception of Gatwick Express services, but I guess she wouldn't be getting them anyway with Southern Only tickets).

But as John @ Home says, if she will be travelling on the Underground too, we could make more appropriate recommendations if we know the exact journey details.

 

[yorkie]

I thought the £13.50 ticket was FCC only and the Southern one is £15.80?

The £13.50 one isrouted FCC only as far as the Zone 6 boundary, and a Travelcard from there.

The £15.80 one is Southern only as far as the Zone 6 boundary, and a Travelcard from there. So arguably valid on all trains operated on Southern (though some people disagree - but let's not go there as that's been done to death! )

In neither case does the train have to call at East Croydon though.

 

[talldave]

The £13.50 one isrouted FCC only as far as the Zone 6 boundary, and a Travelcard from there.

The £15.80 one is Southern only as far as the Zone 6 boundary, and a Travelcard from there. So arguably valid on all trains operated on Southern (though some people disagree - but let's not go there as that's been done to death! )

In neither case does the train have to call at East Croydon though.

Thanks Yorkie for the clarification. In fact, prompted by bb21's post above about splits at East Croydon - I find that the Southern only Gatwick Travelcard solution is cheaper if split at East Croydon. Interesting that I've never seen a split ticket site spot that one.

 

[IanD]

If she buys the two tickets splitting at East Croydon, she doesn't need to change trains. All trains to Victoria stop at East Croydon (with the exception of Gatwick Express services, but I guess she wouldn't be getting them anyway with Southern Only tickets).

But as John @ Home says, if she will be travelling on the Underground too, we could make more appropriate recommendations if we know the exact journey details.

She needs to end up at Blackhorse Road so I meant an extra change on the underground after she got off the train at London Bridge to get to the Victoria Line. She has a 16+ Oyster card (for a couple more months) so the undeground bit of her journy is only £1.35/£1.60 - appreciate that it would be free if she had a travelcard.

I did look at the FCC one but she wasn't keen on the trek from St Pancras to the Victoria line - if only KX Thameslink had stayed open Can't see that it's much worse than getting from some platforms at Victoria really, myself.

The reason we can't pick her up is that we have to be in the Victoria area at about the time she lands so we thought we might be able to meet her off the train at Victoria if our appointment runs to time.

It wasn't certain that she would be going away at all until late Monday due to her passport being delivered to the wrong address, the occupants of which were on holiday for 2 weeks so we had spent a good few days trying to sort out a replacement. Then when she got the passport and went back to the travel agents she found they had to move her to a flight four hours later than the original.

And after all the help and advice you guys have given it seems she may be getting a lift after all as one of her friends has also managed to get transferred to the same flight. So it looks like I may have wasted everyone's time but at least we'll know the options for any future trips! Apologies and thanks again.

 

[button_boxer]

She needs to end up at Blackhorse Road so I meant an extra change on the underground after she got off the train at London Bridge to get to the Victoria Line.

It may be an extra change but Northern (Bank branch) <--> Victoria at Euston is one of the simplest interchanges on the whole Underground network, straight off one train onto the other.

 

[Class377]

It may be an extra change but Northern (Bank branch) <--> Victoria at Euston is one of the simplest interchanges on the whole Underground network, straight off one train onto the other.

But at the same time National Rail - Northern Line at LBG is hardly the simplest change? Down the ramp, find the exit in a building site, through one set of gates, cross the alley, through more gates, down 2 sets of escalators then down a corridor?

 

[IanD]

But at the same time National Rail - Northern Line at LBG is hardly the simplest change? Down the ramp, find the exit in a building site, through one set of gates, cross the alley, through more gates, down 2 sets of escalators then down a corridor?

That's the one. I usually get lost at some point just trying to change platforms at London Bridge with the work that's going on let alone trying to find the shortest route to the underground platforms
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It may be an extra change but Northern (Bank branch) <--> Victoria at Euston is one of the simplest interchanges on the whole Underground network, straight off one train onto the other.

Also, she'd probably have changed at King's Cross which is a bit more complicated. Or taken the Jubilee to Green Park.

 

[sarahj]

The Southern only fare from Gtw to london bridge is a fare of cutting your nose to spite your face. Yes, its cheaper than the fcc/ any permited, but the direct gtw to lbg v/v Southern are slow trains with a journey time of up to 50 mins.

And dont bother with a horley ticket, they wont let you through the barrier at GTW with one.

Southern run 5 decent fast trains from Gatwick an hour with a journey time of 30-35 mins. Only tip, dont board at the bottom of the stairs on P4, move to the front or back of the platform.

Jouney time is normaly this:
Gtw-Ecr 15 mins
Ecr to Clj 10 mins
Clj to Vic 7-10 mins

 

[talldave]

Thanks Yorkie for the clarification. In fact, prompted by bb21's post above about splits at East Croydon - I find that the Southern only Gatwick Travelcard solution is cheaper if split at East Croydon. Interesting that I've never seen a split ticket site spot that one.

I've used an East Croydon split on this route today - £14.80 instead of £15.80. How come no split ticket engine ever spots this?

 

[b0b]

I've used an East Croydon split on this route today - £14.80 instead of £15.80. How come no split ticket engine ever spots this?

I imagine its to do with the fact it involves travelcards and zones

 

[talldave]

I imagine its to do with the fact it involves travelcards and zones

Yes, I think you're right. Because you don't split one Travelcard ticket into two Travelcard tickets, you end up with a Travelcard ticket and a return. So we need 2nd generation splitting algorithms that have a more detailed understanding of journeys involving Travelcards.

 

[SickyNicky]

Yes, I think you're right. Because you don't split one Travelcard ticket into two Travelcard tickets, you end up with a Travelcard ticket and a return. So we need 2nd generation splitting algorithms that have a more detailed understanding of journeys involving Travelcards.

... which are in development as we speak (although we're unable to split at boundary zone stations because of database restrictions).