London bashing

[Bayum]

I’m back in London next week, but not for surgery, just a clinical follow up. This time, I’m hoping not to be too cooped up and focussed on healing, so I’m wondering if its at all possible to do some bashing on the 800s and a nice semi-fast on a 700. I know that things like acceleration and braking are down to driver preference, but if there were an opportunity to experience the fast acceleration on either train please let me know! I’m leaving Kings Cross at 1930-2000 on the Wednesday evening, but should be finished in clinic on the Tuesday for 1500.

What I want you to let me know is:
Approximate costings for each, is it available on a travel card or extra payment above and betond Oyster (I don’t have a contactless card!),
Which services in particular,
Days and times, aside from rush hour’ to avoid.

 

[Hadders]

Consider a fast run on a 700 from St Pancras to Stevenage and back. Should be frequent and take about 25 minutes each way, if they're running. Do check due to the GTR timetable debacle. Off Peak Day Return £17.40 (or £11.50 if you have a railcard.

For an 800 you'll need to go to Reading and back from Paddington. Takes around 30 minutes each way. Off Peak Day Return £20.30 (or £13.40 with railcard). Note there are some evening restrictions with this ticket.

An alternative could be to purchase a London Zones 1-6 paper travelcard costing £12.80 (or £8.30 with railcard) and then get tickets from Boundary Zone 6 to Stevenge and Reading. These cost £11.40 (£7.55) for Stevenage and £12.20 (£8.05) for Reading.

 

[class387]

I'd say a run from London Bridge to East Croydon (zone 6) should be enough to sample a 700. That way you only need a Z1-6 Travelcard and the BZ6 - Reading to ride both trains.

 

[cactustwirly]

A BZ6 return to Slough would be cheaper than Reading

 

[Royston Vasey]

Consider a fast run on a 700 from St Pancras to Stevenage and back. Should be frequent and take about 25 minutes each way, if they're running. Do check due to the GTR timetable debacle. Off Peak Day Return £17.40 (or £11.50 if you have a railcard.

For an 800 you'll need to go to Reading and back from Paddington. Takes around 30 minutes each way. Off Peak Day Return £20.30 (or £13.40 with railcard). Note there are some evening restrictions with this ticket.

An alternative could be to purchase a London Zones 1-6 paper travelcard costing £12.80 (or £8.30 with railcard) and then get tickets from Boundary Zone 6 to Stevenge and Reading. These cost £11.40 (£7.55) for Stevenage and £12.20 (£8.05) for Reading.

Very few services from the GN side are currently making it to/from St Pancras, plenty 700s from Kings Cross on the majority of semi fast and semi slow runs to Peterborough/Cambridge/Cambridge North now though. I think they're now calling it a "phased introduction"

 

[AM9]

I’m back in London next week, but not for surgery, just a clinical follow up. This time, I’m hoping not to be too cooped up and focussed on healing, so I’m wondering if its at all possible to do some bashing on the 800s and a nice semi-fast on a 700. I know that things like acceleration and braking are down to driver preference, but if there were an opportunity to experience the fast acceleration on either train please let me know! I’m leaving Kings Cross at 1930-2000 on the Wednesday evening, but should be finished in clinic on the Tuesday for 1500.

What I want you to let me know is:
Approximate costings for each, is it available on a travel card or extra payment above and betond Oyster (I don’t have a contactless card!),
Which services in particular,
Days and times, aside from rush hour’ to avoid.

A couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Reading (to sample the class 800s and for him the class 700s) with LDECR. If you have a Zone 1-6 Travelcard, and can keep within the time restrictions, this Boundary Zone 6* to Reading ticket for £12.20 is what you need to buy (from a ticket office):
http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?...pert=on&flow=0&multi=2&fare=5&rte=801&tkt=CDR
Similarly, so that LDECR could try the class 700 at speed, he bought this Boundary Zone 6* to St Albans City ticket:
http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?...ert=on&flow=0&multi=0&fare=3&rte=1000&tkt=CDR
The original Thameslink services running on the Midland Main Line have a more frequent (and currently more reliable) service and the fast trains normally accelerate to 100mph soon after the West Hampstead tunnel portal. If you ensure that you are on a non-stop train from St Pancras to St Albans City, it will almost certainly take the fast lines to at least Radlett, and 100mph is normally reached by Cricklewood using their full power rating under OLE - They need to to keep to their tight paths! Make sure that you board at the back of the train (if possible, arrange to board at Blackfriars or City Thameslink) to travel in the rear First Class section which is always declassified on MML services.
It is important to get BZ6 tickets as it ensures that you have the same authority as a direct ticket (PAD-RDG or STP-SAC). Buying a direct Paddington to Reading return ticket is about £8 more expensive and unnecessary.

 

[Bayum]

Thanks for all your help so far!

A couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Reading (to sample the class 800s and for him the class 700s) with LDECR. If you have a Zone 1-6 Travelcard, and can keep within the time restrictions, this Boundary Zone 6* to Reading ticket for £12.20 is what you need to buy (from a ticket office):
http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?...pert=on&flow=0&multi=2&fare=5&rte=801&tkt=CDR
Similarly, so that LDECR could try the class 700 at speed, he bought this Boundary Zone 6* to St Albans City ticket:
http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?...ert=on&flow=0&multi=0&fare=3&rte=1000&tkt=CDR
The original Thameslink services running on the Midland Main Line have a more frequent (and currently more reliable) service and the fast trains normally accelerate to 100mph soon after the West Hampstead tunnel portal. If you ensure that you are on a non-stop train from St Pancras to St Albans City, it will almost certainly take the fast lines to at least Radlett, and 100mph is normally reached by Cricklewood using their full power rating under OLE - They need to to keep to their tight paths! Make sure that you board at the back of the train (if possible, arrange to board at Blackfriars or City Thameslink) to travel in the rear First Class section which is always declassified on MML services.
It is important to get BZ6 tickets as it ensures that you have the same authority as a direct ticket (PAD-RDG or STP-SAC). Buying a direct Paddington to Reading return ticket is about £8 more expensive and unnecessary.

So I need to have a zone 1-6 travelcard and then buy a boundary 6 ticket in addition to the 1-6 travelcard?

 

[AM9]

Thanks for all your help so far!



So I need to have a zone 1-6 travelcard and then buy a boundary 6 ticket in addition to the 1-6 travelcard?

Yes, that's right. Your journey from outside London (Leeds?) it seems can't be bought with a Travelcard. So if you get a zones 1-6 TC, on your lines of interest this will allow travel on Thameslink north as far a Elstree and Borehamwood (which is the limit of Zone 6). By purchasing a BZ6 to St Albans ticket you can use any train from the TL core stations to St Albans and back. Similarly, West Drayton is the Zone 6 limit on the GWML, so the BZ6 to Reading ticket (ensure it is the ticket i have linlked because there is a cheaper ticket from the SWR boundary of zone 6 at Feltham to Reading but that won't be valid for GWML travel) - so no class 800s.
If you can do all of that travel after 09:30, the total costs should be:

off-peak travelcard £12.70
BZ6 to Reading CDR £12.20
BZ6 to St Albans CDR £8.20
total £33.10​

If you had any railcard (except a Network Railcard*) the total would be about £22