Outboundary Travelcard - route validity question

[4COR]

I made a journey from Oxford on a 1-6 off peak travelcard last week - I needed to get to Wimbledon (and needed to get there as soon as possible as couldn't risk being late the other end). Travelcard needed for later in the day.

Out of habit, I looked up the quickest route using fastjp, and got an itinerary going:

Oxford -> Reading (GWR)
Reading -> Basingstoke (GWR)
Basingstoke -> Clapham J (SWR with no intermediate stops)
Clapham J -> Wimbledon

As I got on the train at Reading, I was a little in doubt over the validity of the travelcard on the inbound leg via Basingstoke (and so quickly bought a single e-ticket from Reading to (EDIT - typo!) Wimbledon) which was undoubtedly valid (though I think one to Surbiton would also have been?).

Would the travelcard have been valid on that route via Basingstoke on its own? (I presume it's not a valid OXF -> London Terminals route that way)


Cheers

 

[JonathanH]

As I got on the train at Reading, I was a little in doubt over the validity of the travelcard on the inbound leg via Basingstoke (and so quickly bought a single e-ticket from Reading to Clapham) which was undoubtedly valid (though I think one to Surbiton would also have been?).

Er, how? - Reading to Clapham Junction is not "undoubtedly valid" via Basingstoke. It is valid on map WX which allows the direct route via Hounslow / Richmond only.

While going from Reading to Clapham Junction via Basingstoke can be a quicker route than going via Staines it is not the shortest and isn't valid in the routing guide. In fact, it is more than 50% greater distance than going via Staines.

Some people will say that a travelcard from Oxford is valid via Basingstoke because you are allowed to go round the edge of London to access the station on the boundary of some 6 but on the basis of treating the ticket like an Oxford to London Terminals ticket, I don't think you would be wise to try it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Some people will say that a travelcard from Oxford is valid via Basingstoke because you are allowed to go round the edge of London to access the station on the boundary of some 6 but on the basis of treating the ticket like an Oxford to London Terminals ticket, I don't think you would be wise to try it.

I believe the principle is that you use Permitted Routes from the place you start outside the Zones to the place you're going inside the Zones, but once you cross the border you can do what you like after the first revenue stop. This obviously allows a lot of flexibility, but not a free for all to circumvent the Zones via silly routes.

I believe this is why the Bletchley Travelcards have gained "via Watford" routeings (to stop use via Bedford), which the singles and returns haven't.

 

[4COR]

Er, how? - Reading to Clapham Junction is not "undoubtedly valid" via Basingstoke. It is valid on map WX which allows the direct route via Hounslow / Richmond only.

Sorry - quite right - it was a RDG->WIM (which does give a valid journey via Basingstoke and Clapham Junction on the GWR journey planner) - muddled myself in typing it out!

I believe the principle is that you use Permitted Routes from the place you start outside the Zones to the place you're going inside the Zones, but once you cross the border you can do what you like after the first revenue stop. This obviously allows a lot of flexibility, but not a free for all to circumvent the Zones via silly routes.

Ah great thanks - so if I can find a valid route on the planner for a single (eg Oxf -> Wim), then the route should be allowed? It looks like Oxford->Wimbledon allows Reading, Basingstoke, Clapham as a valid route on an off peak single (doubleback permitted under easement 700452), so maybe it would have been valid after all - ho hum :-/

 

[PeterC]

I believe the principle is that you use Permitted Routes from the place you start outside the Zones to the place you're going inside the Zones, but once you cross the border you can do what you like after the first revenue stop. This obviously allows a lot of flexibility, but not a free for all to circumvent the Zones via silly routes.

I believe this is why the Bletchley Travelcards have gained "via Watford" routeings (to stop use via Bedford), which the singles and returns haven't.

Route to your destination or to the set of London Terminals appropriate to the starting point?

In most cases the distinction would be trivial but I can imagine some possibilities for differences south and west of London.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Route to your destination or to the set of London Terminals appropriate to the starting point?

Route to your preferred boundary point, essentially (as once inside you can do what you like). I understand there has been a push to restrict it to London Terminals but that that has not yet happened. I do however have a feeling it's not actually written down anywhere.

In most cases because of the radial nature of the SE's rail network they will be one and the same anyway, but things like the Marston Vale, St Albans and the local routes around Reading do confuse things a bit.