Kings Cross to Cambridge South off-peak ticket changes

[ILikeMangoes]

Hi everyone,

Hoping someone here who understands how rail fares work can explain something I noticed recently.

I usually travel from London Kings Cross to Cambridge South in the mornings. Up until last week, I was always able to buy an Off-Peak Day Return and catch the 08:54 train, because the ticket had a "B4" restriction code on it (which basically allowed travel after 08:45).

Starting this week, every booking app is forcing me onto a "B1" ticket instead, which says I can't travel until 09:30 or later. It means I can't get that 08:54 train on an off-peak ticket anymore.

1. Did GTR / Great Northern just decide to change the off-peak times for this route because it's a new station, or is this part of some bigger ticket update?
2. Oddly, if I search for a ticket starting from "London Underground Zone 1" to Cambridge South instead, it still lets me buy the B4 ticket and get the 08:54 train. Is that just a delay in their systems updating, or do underground-linked tickets follow different rules?

 

[CyrusWuff]

For reasons best known to GTR there are both Kings Cross - Cambridge South and London Terminals - Cambridge South fares.

It looks like the Kings Cross - Cambridge South Off-Peak Day Return was initially created with a B4 restriction but the London Terminals one was created as B1.

They've now deleted the Kings Cross ticket, meaning you can only get the London Terminals one.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Was the Kings Cross one inter-TOC competition perhaps? You could also go on Greater Anglia from Liverpool St. Both of course are now DfT TOCs.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Was the Kings Cross one inter-TOC competition perhaps? You could also go on Greater Anglia from Liverpool St. Both of course are now DfT TOCs.

Possibly. Though GA also price their own walk-up tickets.

That said, given you can get services to Cambridge from St Pancras as well, there's no real reason for the Kings Cross tickets to exist.

 

[redreni]

Is this another of those increases that the asterisk on the 'Fares Frozen' posters - if it existed - would make clear doesn't count for some reason?

 

[Farigiraf]

Is this another of those increases that the asterisk on the 'Fares Frozen' posters - if it existed - would make clear doesn't count for some reason?

Cambridge South is completely littered with these posters so replacing one of them with a poster detailing the fares increases to/from KGX (the busiest destination from all Cambridge stations by far) would be the right thing to do. Which means that what's more likely going to happen is the withdrawal of GA-only fares and the installation of a few more useless posters!

 

[Haywain]

Is this another of those increases that the asterisk on the 'Fares Frozen' posters - if it existed - would make clear doesn't count for some reason?

A change of validity isn't an increase. The OP hasn't said anything about the price.

 

[Farigiraf]

A change of validity isn't an increase. The OP hasn't said anything about the price.

It's a backdoor increase, though I suppose you're well aware of that. The OP's statement:

It means I can't get that 08:54 train on an off-peak ticket anymore.

does mean that if they want to take this specific train they'll have to buy an anytime ticket, which can be nearly double the price, more if you have a time-restricted railcard. Thankfully the LU Zone 1 search still allows them to find the ticket, but it doesn't appear on BRFares anymore so presumably its time is numbered.

Advance fare increases and LNER's whole fares trial are one thing (and heavily discussed elsewhere) as there are advocates and critics of these schemes. But stealth fare increases and backdoor workarounds to increase fares while maintaining the 'Fares are frozen' agenda, is incredibly dishonest and should be condemned, regardless of if you support nationalisation or not. 'Fares are frozen' is ambiguous enough that the average passenger can interpret it as 'All fares won't increase for the time being' while GBR can maintain plausible deniability, essentially getting positive publicity for GBR without actually implementing what they're advertising all over the place.

 

[redreni]

A change of validity isn't an increase.

Is that supposed to be of comfort for somebody who needs to travel at a certain time and could previously do so on an Off-Peak ticket, but now needs an Anytime? Don't worry, it's not an increase, it's a change in validity? Please reorganise your life accordingly or find the money to pay the higher fare, all while safe in the knowledge that that higher fare has been frozen to help with the cost of living?

The OP hasn't said anything about the price.

No, and I can't seem to find the ticket with the B4 restriction on BRFares. Presumably it was deleted during the current fares period, and of course there were no fares set for Cambridge South in any previous fares periods because it hadn't opened.

Nor can I find a fare from Zone 1 or Zones 1-2 with restriction code B4. Perhaps it just took a bit longer for those to be deleted. Or perhaps the OP has sped that process up by posting about it.

Perhaps the OP could confirm by how much the fare has increased for a return journey Kings Cross to Cambridge South, departing at 08:54?

Is there a particular problem of overcrowding on Northbound trains from Kings Cross towards Cambridge on weekdays between 08:45 and 09:29, do we know, that might justify this change?