London Zones as a destination on advances

[bigfoote]

Looking for clarification/advice mainly, but interested in the wider picture also.

Will be travelling from the North (Newcastle area, usually Hartlepool for train purpose) to the South Coast in August and looking at advance pricing in general to prep for when the booking horizon comes closer. I usually come into Kings Cross KGX on a cheap Grand Central advance, but I've noticed they offer a destination of Zones 1-2. Would this be legal to use for travel to Clapham Junction CLJ?

My usual ticketing is HPL to KGX, contactless to Victoria or Waterloo (depending on what has best advances) and then a separate advance on to my destination. Rather than having to wait after crossing London, due to the generous transfer time I have to leave between advances, I'd much prefer being able to jump on the first train I get to.

 

[alistairlees]

I usually come into Kings Cross KGX on a cheap Grand Central advance, but I've noticed they offer a destination of Zones 1-2. Would this be legal to use for travel to Clapham Junction CLJ?

No, zones 1-2 is only valid on London Underground and DLR.

 

[adamskiodp]

No, zones 1-2 is only valid on London Underground and DLR.

Just to clarify, would it not be valid on London Overground services?

 

[alistairlees]

Just to clarify, would it not be valid on London Overground services?

No they are national rail services. It’s not valid on those.

 

[adamskiodp]

No they are national rail services. It’s not valid on those.

Ok, thanks.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Though an LU zonal ticket is valid on both the North London Line and the Watford-Euston DC line (both now part of LO).

I'm unclear about potential validity of LU zonal tickets on the East London Line, at least as far south as the New Crosses.

 

[yorkie]

Though an LU zonal ticket is valid on both the North London Line and the Watford-Euston DC line (both now part of LO).

I'm unclear about potential validity of LU zonal tickets on the East London Line, at least as far south as the New Crosses.

Inter-available routes are detailed here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ection-7-integrated-fares.70022/#post-1315636

In general LO staff seem to be instructed that LO services are to be treated as de-facto equivalent to LU services for the purposes of these tickets, even though that is not actually publicly documented as being the case.

I've tested this and been sold U Zone tickets from stations served exclusively by LO services, with no inter-availability, simply by asking for a ticket to my destination from an LO ticket office, and at a higher cost than the point to point would have been.

So LO staff would probably be actually be happy to accept a Hartlepool to Zone U12 ticket to be used to Clapham Junction (though the route to get there on LO would be rather convoluted, to say the least!) but the gateline is staffed by SWR, so I would expect a Hartlepool to Zone U12 ticket to be (correctly!) rejected there.