How to issue Underground tickets?

[RJ]

I'm working in the ticket office today.

A customer came a bit earlier on and asked me for a single from Dagenham Heathway to Becontree, then another ticket from Becontree to Elm Park (or similar.) I tried several options, playing about with the U zone 4/5 options but could not locate any fares at all. I looked in The Manual which showed that each ticket should have been priced at £4.50. I then issued an £8.90 Travelcard instead. It suggested that inboundary tickets to U Zones are only available if one of the stations on the ticket was served by NR trains.

I would like to know if it is possible for those Underground singles to be issued at National Rail ticket offices? With this particular example it was possible to use Barking in place of a Zone 4 Underground station, but there are many parts of the Underground for which such workarounds are not available. Plus, can anyone advise as to how I might be able to identify a Harrow on the Hill to Preston Road fare?

 

[Paul Kelly]

Maybe there is some reason to do with sharing of revenue or commission why tickets solely for use on Underground journeys can't be issued from National Rail ticket offices?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

All NR tickets to or from a London Underground station must begin or end at an NR station. I do not believe there is a single NR station that can issue a ticket to start and end at an Underground only station (though I'm sure someone will correct me with an exception).

Officially the NR tickets to/from Underground stations are add-ons for NR tickets to a suitable interchange station, for onward travel on the Underground. There are, of course, exceptions, London Victoria to Zone U1 for example could be used without ever setting foot on an NR train.

 

[sarahj]

Same with the advantix. Underground stations come up, but no fares are available. So you end up doing say a gtw to 0786 (u1-6) or so on. Farringdon is the pain in the backside one, as its farringdon und, with no fares. or comes out london terminals. :-x

Somewhere in there of course you can do a TC that misses out the central zones. I've done the odd one or two. Took an age to find the right one, so told the punter the code so that the next time they will have no issues.

 

[bb21]

Fares to Farringdon will need to be explicitly issued to Zone U1 (0785).

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Indeed, Farringdon is Zone U1...except when it is London Thameslink of course....

 

[swt_passenger]

Indeed, Farringdon is Zone U1...except when it is London Thameslink of course....

Things will only get worse when you can get there by Crossrail as well.

Although I see the TSGN ITT has asked bidders to try and sort out the 'London Thameslink' north/south differences, so I guess that'll be a start:

The Department requires a franchisee who will simplify the rules for ‘London Thameslink’ destinations from
the North, and South (where currently passengers from the South must disembark by City Thameslink but
passengers from the North may travel to Elephant & Castle) so that the core ‘London Thameslink’ stations
are the same for journeys from the North and the South, to apply as soon as practicable to the new franchise.

 

[CyrusWuff]

I fail to see a problem with "London Thameslink", given that it's only available from stations between Kentish Town and Bedford (inclusive).

If they'd have said London Terminals, on the other hand, I'd agree that the Farringdon "anomaly" causes confusion.

 

[Deerfold]

I fail to see a problem with "London Thameslink", given that it's only available from stations between Kentish Town and Bedford (inclusive).

If they'd have said London Terminals, on the other hand, I'd agree that the Farringdon "anomaly" causes confusion.

Isn't that the point - you can't get "London Thameslink" tickets from the south so it can add more to the price to get to St Pancras from the South than it does to get to London Blackfriars from the North?

 

[Mojo]

Although you could argue that it's just fortunate that they have a through train service as everywhere else only has through trains to a terminal station (the only possible exception being the East London line but that's only for local journeys anyway), as everyone else coming for the south would have to pay for the Underground anyway to get on to the other side of central London.

 

[tractakid]

Those from Milton Keynes have through trains to Croydon, via the West London Line, which is nice. Avoids zone one, which usually means it's cheaper too!

 

[RJ]

Thank you all for the replies. I was hoping someone might have come up with something from the BRFares website. If it really isn't possible for a NR station to issue Underground only tickets then I don't have to feel bad for not being able to sell one

 

[Greeby]

Thank you all for the replies. I was hoping someone might have come up with something from the BRFares website. If it really isn't possible for a NR station to issue Underground only tickets then I don't have to feel bad for not being able to sell one

Well, not Underground-only station to Underground-only station. You can do it if it's from a station that has National Rail and Underground to a Zone U destination, and vice versa. Route is Via Underground/DLR (00998)

 

[PermitToTravel]

Well, not Underground-only station to Underground-only station. You can do it if it's from a station that has National Rail and Underground to a Zone U destination, and vice versa. Route is Via Underground/DLR (00998)

There do appear to be some NR tickets between pairs of LU stations with no NR service between them, eg this £9 SDR between South Ruislip Und and Greenford Und, route 00998 VIA UNDERGRD/DLR
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
or Watford Met Und to Rickmanswrth Und