Interchange at Farringdon

[DJS76]

Why, when transferring between Thameslink and Elizabeth Line and Farringdon, are you required to touch in/out on the Oyster reader but not when transferring between Thameslink and Underground?

 

[JonathanH]

Why, when transferring between Thameslink and Elizabeth Line and Farringdon, are you required to touch in/out on the Oyster reader but not when transferring between Thameslink and Underground?

There is no requirement to touch in or out when you use Oyster or Contactless to arrive and depart at Farringdon regardless of the operator you use.

The reader is there solely to allow people who arrive or depart on a National Rail train using paper, smart or e-tickets which are not valid on the underground or Elizabeth Line to start or end that journey on Oyster or Contactless.

There is a reader between the Thameslink and Underground platforms for the same purpose as the one at the top of the escalators to the Elizabeth Line.

 

[redreni]

The station manager seems very attached to the misleading sign next to the reader at the top of the EL escalators (and possibly others, I don't know). It just stays there and stays there despite many people, including @MikeWh , suggesting that the signs be taken down or amended to reflect the very narrow circumstances in which passengers should tap.

The one and only time I was ever issued a penalty fare by TfL occurred many years ago due to a me following a very clear instruction on a similar sign at Woolwich Arsenal when I was transferring from National Rail to DLR, then being issued a penalty fare on board the DLR train on the basis that I had tapped out. The sign at Woolwich just said "Oyster PAYG users must tap their card on the reader", which is pretty unambiguous. The PF was overturned on appeal, but only at the second stage.

I believe since then TfL has, at least, mitigated the situation somewhat by setting the reader (at least at Farringdon, and presumably at Woolwich Arsenal too) to "continuation exit", meaning a tap by a card that was already "in the system" can be treated either as an exit or as a continuation of the journey, depending if there is a subsequent tap when the person actually ends their PAYG journey. So TfL and GTR probably think that makes the misleading sign okay.

 

[DJS76]

The difference is that the poster at the top of the Elizabeth line escalators says people changing to and from Thameslink must tap in/out. No such instruction at the tube interchange.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Apr 2024 ==

The difference is that the poster at the top of the Elizabeth line escalators says people changing to and from Thameslink must tap in/out. No such instruction at the tube interchange.

 

[Surreytraveller]

Does 'continuation exit' mean you're still in the system if you get checked by a RPI, but you don't get charged a maximum fare if you don't tap out again?

 

[MikeWh]

Does 'continuation exit' mean you're still in the system if you get checked by a RPI, but you don't get charged a maximum fare if you don't tap out again?

It should do yes. In reality the first part often causes confusion. If possible, I'd always recommend avoiding making un-necessary touches.

 

[Surreytraveller]

It should do yes. In reality the first part often causes confusion. If possible, I'd always recommend avoiding making un-necessary touches.

I suppose the issue is knowing which readers are set to continuation exit? I presume any location where there are stand-alone readers as well as a gateline, those readers are likely to be continuation exit?

 

[MikeWh]

I suppose the issue is knowing which readers are set to continuation exit? I presume any location where there are stand-alone readers as well as a gateline, those readers are likely to be continuation exit?

Likely, yes. You can check on my website: https://oysterfares.com/information-pages/same-station-and-continuation-exits-entries/