Letchworth GC-Matlock

[philjo]

I am looking at the options for Letchworth GC - Matlock.

I am travelling out on Friday 2 October, returning on the Sunday (probably starting return journey at Derby)

The off-peak not London fares on my NFM03 CD says validity code 9D (i.e. use trains from 0939 onwards from Stevenage)
The fares on the NXEC & National rail site have gone up 50p (to £46.40). However, they do not show against the train I was intending to use.
I was going to get 0929 (or 09:54 but then connection is tight) from LET to Stevenage then 10:09 HT servce to Grantham & change (& again at Nottingham).

I'm sure this showed up OK a couple of weeks ago - has the validity been changed with the september fares revision?
I have just tried Stevenage-Matlock & the same fare shows up as being valid on the 10:09 service !! (& presumbaly on the 0954 NXEC SVG to Gratham as well)

my season ticket to Potters Bar covers LET-SVG section so will probably use that anyway & get the ticket from SVG (or HIT but all 3 stations are the same price). but curious as to why the difference in validity?

Coming back on the Sunday, I probably have to come back via Leicester & Peterborough due to connections.

it looks marginally cheaper to split at PBO (but not much) : (SSR SVG-PBO & SVR PBO-MAT)
Or I may get a £27.50 Weekend Return SVG-PBO (which allows travel from SVG earlier) & then SVR from PBO

Many thanks
Jeremy

 

[glynn80]

The off-peak not London fares on my NFM03 CD says validity code 9D (i.e. use trains from 0939 onwards from Stevenage)
The fares on the NXEC & National rail site have gone up 50p (to £46.40). However, they do not show against the train I was intending to use.
I was going to get 0929 (or 09:54 but then connection is tight) from LET to Stevenage then 10:09 HT servce to Grantham & change (& again at Nottingham).

I'm sure this showed up OK a couple of weeks ago - has the validity been changed with the september fares revision?

The validity code for the ticket in NFM04 is listed as CG:

Validity Code CG

EMT

Outward Travel

By any train except those timed to depart Mondays-Fridays before 0900.

For travel from/to/via Stevenage, restriction 1L or 9D applies as appropriate to direction of travel.


Return Travel

By any train except those timed to depart Mondays-Fridays before 0900.

For travel from/to/via Stevenage, restriction 1L or 9D applies as appropriate to direction of travel


These restrictions are lifted from 1200 Thursday 24 December 2009 and all day there after until Friday 1 January 2010 inclusive.

Obviously because you are travelling via Stevenage we must consult Validity Code 9D:

Validity Code: 9D

XEC

Code used to stations in England except Berwick upon Tweed

OFF PEAK JOURNEYS FROM/VIA LONDON (including Stevenage, Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Bedford & Luton).

Available as listed below MONDAYS-FRIDAYS (By any train on Bank Holidays and other days)

For journeys to/via Birmingham on Cross Country, use restriction code 2V

Outward travel NORTHBOUND – by any train scheduled to DEPART:

• Stevenage:

Between 0939 and 1507 inclusive & at or after 1909. Also allowed at or after 1835 on Fridays only.

Return travel – by any train scheduled to ARRIVE at or after:

• Stevenage:

Between 0939 and 1507 inclusive & at or after 1909. Also allowed at or after 1835 on Fridays only.

The validity code seems identical to the one currently in Avantix NFM03 (from what you have said), so I am unsure why the 10:09 HT service is not appearing.

 

[philjo]

The only thing I can think of is that to get to Stevenage to allow proper connection time, I need to use the 0929 service which arrives there at 0938 (though this is an off-peak train for all local journeys). The official train planner says to use the 09:54 service which only allows 6 minutes at Stevenage.
I thought at first that it was because I was trying to use a HT service which sometimes the NXEC booking engine doesn't like!! But I get the same results on the nationalrail & EMT sites.
I can use my season to Stevenage anyway & get round this, so can get the ticket from Stevenage.

If I try the journey to start at Stevenage, the HT service does appear as an option.