North Kent - Flexible Routing

[itfcfan]

Hi,

My parents (both with Senior Railcards) currently live in Harlington (Beds) but are originally from Kent. They'd like to visit several towns along the Kent coast (Herne Bay, Broadstairs, Canterbury) as part of one trip and my father would like to try out the trains on HS1. They may stay over night. Specifically, they'd like to travel via Ashford/Canterbury in one direction and via Herne Bay/Faversham in the other direction.

I've advised them to purchase an off-peak return between Harlington (Beds) and Margate, plus HS1 which is £31.30 with a Senior Railcard discount. Do the restrictions on this ticket allow a break of journey in both directions, just the return or neither direction? From the journey planner, it seems both directions. As I can plot a journey to Margate from St Pancras via Ashford or Faversham, it seems the journey planner is validating both routes. Does anyone disagree with this assertion? The last thing I want to do is get my retired parents in trouble!

Lastly, can anyone think of a way to split tickets to avoid the Thameslink evening peak restriction that I believe applies to this ticket (preventing travel between 16:30 and 19:00 back from London).

Thanks in advance for any assistance,

John

 

[John @ home]

Do the restrictions on this ticket allow a break of journey in both directions?

Yes. Restriction 4A does not limit break(s) of journey.

I can plot a journey to Margate from St Pancras via Ashford or Faversham

I agree that both are Permitted Routes for a Harlington (Beds) - Margate (or a London - Margate) journey.

 

[itfcfan]

Thanks for your help. The PDF you linked to (restriction 4A) seems to refer to trips out of Paddington though.

 

[John @ home]

The PDF you linked to (restriction 4A) seems to refer to trips out of Paddington though.

Agreed, but it is also the correct Restriction for a Harlington Beds - Margate route + Any Permitted Off-Peak Return (SVR).

To see this, go to National Rail Enquiries' Journey planner. Enter Harlington Beds to Margate leaving at noon tomorrow, returning at noon the next day, with 1 Senior Railcard. When train times are displayed, the £31.30 Off-Peak Return is shown in the box with a blue background. Click on the Off-Peak Return hyperlink to see the Off-Peak Return Ticket terms & conditions. Towards the bottom of that page, click on view the specific 'Validity Code' applicable to the journey plan that you have selected to see the pdf for Restriction 4A.