"London Thameslink"/EMR

[Leisurefirst]

Hi there,
Can I have your advice please...?
Want to travel from Blackfriars to Bedford on a direct Thameslink train around 18:00 weekday but return on the 23:04 from Bedford to St. Pancras EMR service.
Is a "London Thameslink" to Bedford Off-Peak Return valid on the EMR service?
Just wondering as the EMR website does not recognize "London Thameslink" although the Thameslink website does (but gives times from STP by default).

 

[JonathanH]

Is a "London Thameslink" to Bedford Off-Peak Return valid on the EMR service?

Yes. There is no operator restriction on it.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Are there any time restrictions if using an Off Peak Return from Blackfriars to Bedford on a weekday evening? Also, would an Off Peak Day Return work better / be cheaper, if returning the same day?

 

[Leisurefirst]

Are there any time restrictions if using an Off Peak Return from Blackfriars to Bedford on a weekday evening? Also, would an Off Peak Day Return work better / be cheaper, if returning the same day?

Sorry, my bad, I meant Off-Peak Day Return

Yes. There is no operator restriction on it.

Great, thank you.
I didn't want any disputes over whether it was only valid on a Thameslink service.

 

[Hadders]

Hi there,
Can I have your advice please...?
Want to travel from Blackfriars to Bedford on a direct Thameslink train around 18:00 weekday but return on the 23:04 from Bedford to St. Pancras EMR service.
Is a "London Thameslink" to Bedford Off-Peak Return valid on the EMR service?
Just wondering as the EMR website does not recognize "London Thameslink" although the Thameslink website does (but gives times from STP by default).

This is perfectly valid.

Are there any time restrictions if using an Off Peak Return from Blackfriars to Bedford on a weekday evening? Also, would an Off Peak Day Return work better / be cheaper, if returning the same day?

An Off Peak Day Return between London Thameslink and Bedford has no evening restrictions.

 

[Leisurefirst]

This is perfectly valid.


An Off Peak Day Return between London Thameslink and Bedford has no evening restrictions.

Many thanks all.

 

[Mr Grayson]

Bumping this old thread to save starting a new one.

EMR gateline staff at St Pancras seem very inconsistent in their understanding of ticket validity.

As far as I can tell, an outward off-peak day return London Thameslink - Bedford ticket should be valid on an EMR St Pancras to Corby service leaving in the evening rush hour yet any sort of railcard discount and the barriers won't open, and gateline staff *occasionally* (but by no means always) try to send you downstairs to the Thameslink platforms - presumably seeing the word 'Thameslink' on the ticket and mistaking it for an operator restriction.

On a similar point, should a BZ6 - Bedford also be valid on EMR's trains (again, off peak day return, outward journey in the evening rush hour, restriction code B3)? I've had EMR gateline staff turn me away on the basis that 'the train doesn't stop in Zone 6'. That's wrong too, isn't it?

 

[Watershed]

Bumping this old thread to save starting a new one.

EMR gateline staff at St Pancras seem very inconsistent in their understanding of ticket validity.

As far as I can tell, an outward off-peak day return London Thameslink - Bedford ticket should be valid on an EMR St Pancras to Corby service leaving in the evening rush hour yet any sort of railcard discount and the barriers won't open, and gateline staff *occasionally* (but by no means always) try to send you downstairs to the Thameslink platforms - presumably seeing the word 'Thameslink' on the ticket and mistaking it for an operator restriction.

On a similar point, should a BZ6 - Bedford also be valid on EMR's trains (again, off peak day return, outward journey in the evening rush hour, restriction code B3)? I've had EMR gateline staff turn me away on the basis that 'the train doesn't stop in Zone 6'. That's wrong too, isn't it?

Yes, that's wrong on both counts. A Bedford to London Thameslink Off-Peak Day Return has restriction code C4, which means there are no evening restrictions departing St Pancras. And as you say, the London Thameslink fare destination merely means you can travel to any of the Thameslink core stations - it's still valid on EMR services as the ticket's routing is "Any Permitted".

The same goes for having a BZ6-Bedford ticket. The whole point of such a ticket is that it permits you to extend your journey beyond the Travelcard you hold, without needing to stop anywhere in the Zones.

I think the only way to get anywhere with these sorts of issues is to (politely) escalate and ask for a supervisor on the day, and if that doesn't result in success then either pay for whatever additional ticket they wrongly claim is necessary and claim that back. Or claim Delay Repay if you miss a train as a result. In either event complain to EMR every time it happens and ask for an assurance that barrier staff have been retrained.

If EMR do 'meet the manager' evenings, that might also be an opportunity to raise the issue.

 

[Mike395]

Bumping this old thread to save starting a new one.

EMR gateline staff at St Pancras seem very inconsistent in their understanding of ticket validity.

As far as I can tell, an outward off-peak day return London Thameslink - Bedford ticket should be valid on an EMR St Pancras to Corby service leaving in the evening rush hour yet any sort of railcard discount and the barriers won't open, and gateline staff *occasionally* (but by no means always) try to send you downstairs to the Thameslink platforms - presumably seeing the word 'Thameslink' on the ticket and mistaking it for an operator restriction.

On a similar point, should a BZ6 - Bedford also be valid on EMR's trains (again, off peak day return, outward journey in the evening rush hour, restriction code B3)? I've had EMR gateline staff turn me away on the basis that 'the train doesn't stop in Zone 6'. That's wrong too, isn't it?

I tend to find most of the EMR gateline staff at St Pancras pretty good on issues like these (as Watershed mentions, they're both perfectly valid!). It looks like some progress might have been made on the gateline logic too, I was pleasantly surprised to find my (e-ticketed) Super Off Peak Single to Bedford the other day worked the barriers during the evening peak, whereas it definitely used to be reliably rejected until relatively recently.

 

[Haywain]

On a similar point, should a BZ6 - Bedford also be valid on EMR's trains (again, off peak day return, outward journey in the evening rush hour, restriction code B3)?

That depends on what it accompanies, as Freedom Passes are not valid on EMR.