National Rail Enquiries shanannigans!

[Stigy]

Hi chaps,

Now I don't do tube trains, and when I checked National Rail Enquiries online I was expecting the usual easy experience. Unfortunately that wasn't to be! If I didn't work for a TOC I'd have given up and paid the £4 standard single tube fare by now! Anyway, I need to go to St. Pancras Int. and no matter how many times I asked National Rail Enquiries to discount the Underground in my search criteria, they didn't, and only found the one service (FCC from Brighton? Something like that) that was listed on the site.

Here was what I was expecting to do. Travel from Waterloo East to London Bridge, then London Bridge to St. Pancras. The train I mentioned earlier, I've since discovered, are every 15-minutes, and ALL call at London Bridge. I don't mean to confuse matters here, but why would National Rail Enquiries only list the Underground as a feasable route, even though it seems that in most cases it's simpler and quicker to use National Rail services?

I played with the site a bit, even selecting East Croydon as a possible route from Clapham Junction, which was where I found out that said train at East Croydon was the same train I'd get at London Bridge. Eventually, after plotting each part of my route individually as doing so as a whole wasn't working (there's also about 40-miles of travel before reaching Waterloo!), I called National Rail Enquiries to enquire about the return fare, as the site only listed Oyster Prepay, and they handled the call with ease...I certainly seems NRE website is orientated around tube travel and Oyster Prepay!

One of the reasons I don't want to use the tube, is that I want to get a Priv Rate Ticket for the journey to save me money. I assume this is possible on this route? Any advice would be welcome!

Thanks!

 

[reb0118]

As far as I'm aware if you have a through ticket that is routed via London then you can use the tube. The "+" symbol will appear in the route section of the ticket.

You will be able to priv the though ticket. (resident ticket experts please confirm?)

However I have also used the Waterloo East - London Bridge - St Pancras route with no problems either.

What type of priv card do you have? What is your throughout journey?

 

[Stigy]

As far as I'm aware if you have a through ticket that is routed via London then you can use the tube. The "+" symbol will appear in the route section of the ticket.

You will be able to priv the though ticket. (resident ticket experts please confirm?)

However I have also used the Waterloo East - London Bridge - St Pancras route with no problems either.

What type of priv card do you have? What is your throughout journey?

Thanks for the response. I have a standard Priv TOC card (one issued to most rail staff I believe)...Not sure there are any others, unless NWR have their own...

 

[Dewedin]

Are you trying to travel when the Thameslink core is closed for engineering?

 

[yorkie]

I can't figure out your origin & destination. Is it Clapham Jn to St Pancras?

If so, buying a ticket to Finsbury Park or Kentish Town should do the trick. According to Avantix, a single is £1.25 and a return is £2.00. However someone here may advise different as there may be some sort of 'negative easement' as the rules are so complex...! (e.g. if you travel before 0900 except from certain stations on any day not in July or August a minimum fare applies, except if a blue moon occurs, Monday to Friday except Bank Holidays, on routes through certain stations with certain operators, except on trains due into certain stations after a certain time, and if the train travels on gold-plated high speed track a supplement may apply. Terms and conditions available on request from the other side of the world. Errors & omissions excepted. Subject to status. Offer may be changed without notice, even during your journey. By reading this you agree to waive all rights and have a degree in ticketing and anyone travelling off peak is damaging the economy because there is no economic case for your journey as you should be going to the theatre or buying a CD instead, and you are lucky to be allowed travel at all).

 

[bb21]

I can't figure out your origin & destination. Is it Clapham Jn to St Pancras?

If so, buying a ticket to Finsbury Park or Kentish Town should do the trick. According to Avantix, a single is £1.25 and a return is £2.00. However someone here may advise different as there may be some sort of 'negative easement' as the rules are so complex...! (e.g. if you travel before 0900 except from certain stations on any day not in July or August a minimum fare applies, except if a blue moon occurs, Monday to Friday except Bank Holidays, on routes through certain stations with certain operators, except on trains due into certain stations after a certain time, and if the train travels on gold-plated high speed track a supplement may apply. Terms and conditions available on request from the other side of the world. Errors & omissions excepted. Subject to status. Offer may be changed without notice, even during your journey. By reading this you agree to waive all rights and have a degree in ticketing and anyone travelling off peak is damaging the economy because there is no economic case for your journey as you should be going to the theatre or buying a CD instead, and you are lucky to be allowed travel at all).

Good one yorkie.

Aren't PRIV only available on Anytime tickets anyway? Can't seem to find any negative easements.

Btw what does ATO stand for as for the pricing company of this journey?

 

[yorkie]

Good one yorkie.

Aren't PRIV only available on Anytime tickets anyway? Can't seem to find any negative easements.

That's right, although I believe there are some 'neative easements' (or whatever term ATOC feel like using) like you can no longer buy a paper Travelcard on PRIV? And can't get paper LU tickets on PRIV (ie, you have to register your PRIV on Oyster

Btw what does ATO stand for as for the pricing company of this journey?

ATOC. Which is basically all of the relevant TOCs getting together (not colluding, honest! ) in a meeting deciding how much the market can bear before reaching bursting point (some might say, how much they can rip us off by )

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I don't know what journey you are doing or at what time, but from Clapham Junction I get the following journey times on Fastis using the 1313 service....

Clapham Jcn. - Vauxhall - St Pancras (LUL) 32mins
Clapham Jcn. - Waterloo - London Bridge - St Pancras (LUL) 1hr 03mins
Clapham Jcn. - Waterloo - London Bridge - St Pancras (FCC) 1hr 04mins

Fastis automatically uses the quickest journey, so I routed via London Bridge, but as you can see the underground from London Bridge is also listed as a quicker journey. I had to tell Fastis to go via London Bridge and avoid the Underground to get the FCC route to appear.

 

[Mojo]

Thanks for the response. I have a standard Priv TOC card (one issued to most rail staff I believe)...Not sure there are any others, unless NWR have their own...

There are those who started before 1 April 1996 who get Priv discount on Tube singles and Single Oyster PAYG and those after, who can only use LU on Cross London transfers.

 

[Stigy]

There are those who started before 1 April 1996 who get Priv discount on Tube singles and Single Oyster PAYG and those after, who can only use LU on Cross London transfers.

I'm classed as "new entrant"

Thanks guys! The route was or would have been (didn't need to go after all that!) London Waterloo East to St. Pancras Int.

 

[yorkie]

I'm classed as "new entrant"

Thanks guys! The route was or would have been (didn't need to go after all that!) London Waterloo East to St. Pancras Int.

No problem! But if you do ever have to make such a journey, buy a ticket to the first stop beyond London, e.g. Finsbury Park.