How do you purchase a ticket

[sk688]

Apologies if i sound stupid in this post ( im only 15) , but I have never bought a train ticket and I think I might need to

So I need some help with journeys I have to make in the next two

The Next two Wednesdays , I will need to travel from Hemel Hampstead station , to Hatch End Station . It will be at around 630-7PM

So I have a few questions :

Can I use my oyster card ? I dont know if Hemel Hampstead is in the London/ SE Oyster area , so i dont know if i could use my oyster

If I do buy a ticket , will I need to use peak or off peak tickets ?

Can I just use a ticket from Hemel Hampstead to Watford , get off there , and then use LO and tap out at Hatch End ? ( It is cheaper , but I do not know if it counts as fare evasion or not )

And lastly , and this sounds so embarassing , do you just tap the ticket on the reader , for the gate to open , or do you have to push it through the slot ?

I would really appreciate your help

Thanks

 

[lightbulb]

Apologies if i sound stupid in this post ( im only 15) , but I have never bought a train ticket and I think I might need to

So I need some help with journeys I have to make in the next two

The Next two Wednesdays , I will need to travel from Hemel Hampstead station , to Hatch End Station . It will be at around 630-7PM

So I have a few questions :

Can I use my oyster card ? I dont know if Hemel Hampstead is in the London/ SE Oyster area , so i dont know if i could use my oyster

If I do buy a ticket , will I need to use peak or off peak tickets ?

Can I just use a ticket from Hemel Hampstead to Watford , get off there , and then use LO and tap out at Hatch End ? ( It is cheaper , but I do not know if it counts as fare evasion or not )

And lastly , and this sounds so embarassing , do you just tap the ticket on the reader , for the gate to open , or do you have to push it through the slot ?

I would really appreciate your help

Thanks

Assuming you're returning the same day, then you'll need an off-peak day return. From Hemel Hempstead to Hatch End, this will be £3.60.

A ticket to Watford Junction will cost £2.65, and yes, you could get off there and use LO to Hatch End. You'll need to touch in at Watford Junction and out at Hatch End: it's not fare evasion unless you fail to touch in at Watford Junction and out at Hatch End.

You insert your ticket (Hemel Hempstead to Watford Junction / Hatch End) into the slot at Hemel Hempstead, and tap your Oyster on the reader at Watford Junction to open the gates.

 

[Hadders]

Assuming you are returning the same day then a child Off Peak Day Return at £3.60 is the most straightforward way. You can purchase this on the day of travel from the ticket office at Hemel Hempstead or from the ticket machine at the station. You can also purchase online and collect the ticket from the ticket vending machine although there is little point in doing this for such a low value ticket. Hemel Hempstead is outside the Oyster area and is not valid for travel from there.

If you purchase a return the ticket will be printed on two coupons - one for the outward journey, the other for the return. There are ticket barriers at Hemel Hempstead so when you start your journey you'll need to insert the outward portion of your ticket into the slot on the front of the barrier. The ticket is read by the barrier and will be ejected on top of the barrier pillar. Take the ticket, the barrier opens for you and walk through. If the barrier gates are open you can simply walk straight through. Retain your ticket throughout your journey in case you are required to produce it during a ticket check.

At Watford Junction you need to change trains - you can simply get off one train and get on the other. There is no need to put your ticket through a barrier to get access to the overground train.

I don't think there are barriers at Hatch End so you can simply leave the station, sometimes there might be a member of staff checking tickets so be ready to show it. If there are barriers then insert your ticket into the barrier, the gates will open and you walk through. This time the barrier will retain your ticket as you've reached your destination.

You mention splitting at Watford Junction and using Oyster between Watford Junction and Hatch End. You would need to buy a Hemel Hempstead to Watford Junction Off Peak Day Return which is £2.65 for a child. At Watford Junction you'll need to tap in. You can do this by leaving the station using your paper ticket and immediately re-entering using your Oyster Card. To operate the barrier with an Oyster Card simply tap it on the yellow reader and the barriers will open. I think there are platform validators adjacent to the Overground platforms at Watford Junction. If this is the case you can use these to tap in with your Oyster Card, rather than leaving and re-entering the station. Simply tap your card on the yellow reader and the validators should beep to aknowledge the tap. Upon leaving Hatch End you'll need to tap out on the validator near to the station exit. If there are barriers then you use these to tap out.

I'm not sure what the fare is when using Oyster between Watford Junction and Hatch End. I think it's 75p each way which if it is will work out more expensive than buying a paper ticket for the entire journey. Unless you travel free using Oyster between Watford Junction and Hatch End I'd just buy a ticket from Hemel Hempstead and Hatch End.

 

[causton]

I think there are platform validators adjacent to the Overground platforms at Watford Junction. If this is the case you can use these to tap in with your Oyster Card, rather than leaving and re-entering the station.

Correct, there are validators in the subway and adjacent to platforms 1-4 for the Overground. If switching from paper to Oyster ticket, simply tap ONE (and only one!) of these.

However...

I would join the thoughts above and also say that simply buying a paper single or return ticket the whole way would be the cheapest and easiest way!

 

[sk688]

Ok , thanks a lot
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Would there be validators at Bushey as well ?