Oyster developments

[mattdickinson]

According to the latest Ticketing & Revenue Update, Oyster PAYG should be extended to Hertford North and Epsom next January. (Welwyn Garden City is not mentioned).

Stations between Iver and Reading will be placed in the non published zone 15 (F).
Oyster at present can only cope with zones up to 15, so any further zones will require modifications.

 

[Hadders]

It will be interesting to see what happens to the weekend Super Off Peak Fares from Hertford and Cuffley, especially as these can be discounted with a Network Railcard.

This could be a huge weekend fares increase via the back door although everyone always assumes Oyster is always cheaper.

 

[higthomas]

It will be interesting to see what happens to the weekend Super Off Peak Fares from Hertford and Cuffley, especially as these can be discounted with a Network Railcard.

This could be a huge weekend fares increase via the back door although everyone always assumes Oyster is always cheaper.

One would presume these will continue to be available in paper form. The only question being whether people will actually buy them.

Also, fascinating document. Thanks

 

[James H]

Fascinating document but eye-wateringly poor design!

 

[londonbridge]

I trust the OP will forgive me but, given the numerous reports and claims over the years of Oyster being accepted at Epsom, I'll believe it when I see it, as they say.

 

[MikeWh]

According to the latest Ticketing & Revenue Update, Oyster PAYG should be extended to Hertford North and Epsom next January. (Welwyn Garden City is not mentioned).

Stations between Iver and Reading will be placed in the non published zone 15 (F).
Oyster at present can only cope with zones up to 15, so any further zones will require modifications.

Do we think therefore that the Hertford extension will utilise zones 7, 8 and maybe 9 with the final bit treated as zone 11 (like the Hertford East bit)? Epsom is clearly going to be one of 7, 8 or 9 and that may strengthen the case to have some of the Redhill stations included in a similar zone.

 

[JonathanH]

Why can't Epsom simply be put in the same zone as Merstham? It doesn't have to be in zone 7, 8 or 9 particularly if the DfT are concerned about revenue loss.

GTR / DfT's position on fares from Redhill line stations was made very clear by the changes to capping in May 2016 - they observed a revenue loss in the first few weeks of Oyster / Contactless being accepted at Redhill line stations. If you include Merstham, Redhill etc in the zones you simply move the TfL / DfT cliff edge to Reigate and Nutfield.

 

[londonbridge]

Afterthought.....I have an appointment at Epsom hospital in January so if Oyster acceptance does finally happen it will be very useful.

 

[plcd1]

According to the latest Ticketing & Revenue Update, Oyster PAYG should be extended to Hertford North and Epsom next January. (Welwyn Garden City is not mentioned).

Stations between Iver and Reading will be placed in the non published zone 15 (F).
Oyster at present can only cope with zones up to 15, so any further zones will require modifications.

I may be reading something more into the TfL document but I don't interpret it as meaning "zone 15" will be *the* zone for Iver to Langley. In theory there is nothing to stop "zones 7-12" being used for the stretch beyond West Drayton with "zone 15" used for the extremity of Twyford and Reading. If TfL can create a Crossrail farescale (NR3?) or utilise NR1 or NR2 then they may give sufficient flexibility to cope with fares to Reading? This assumes there is system capacity to add a new farescale. It would be a reasonably elegant solution given the zonal structure limit is, I believe, coded into Oyster cards so is not easily fixed given TfL have seemingly adandoned a compulsory card swap out process. Farescales just have to be handled by the fares creation database, the contactless charging "black box" and device tables (assuming there's adequate memory - shouldn't be the constraint these days that it once was). I'm ignoring the implications for websites and apps etc.

I'm speculating as I don't have a detailed system knowledge these days.

 

[plcd1]

Grant Shapps MP has tweeted today (29/11) that Oyster PAYG will be extended to Welwyn Garden City but no date given. That sits alongside the other announcements re Hertford North and Epsom. Apparently there is to be some sort of announcement on 30 November - I'm guessing this is the annual fares revision announcement but some "baubles" of extending Oyster might detract from the overall bad news that's always in such announcements. Obviously Travelcards and caps will increase even if most other TfL fares won't change.

I assume that hesitancy around dates is centred around the necessary equipment, software and comms links being in place at the stations beyond the zones. I've no idea if Epsom and the GN stns need to have ticket gates modified / installed (or validators).

 

[mattdickinson]

Grant Shapps MP has tweeted today (29/11) that Oyster PAYG will be extended to Welwyn Garden City but no date given. That sits alongside the other announcements re Hertford North and Epsom. Apparently there is to be some sort of announcement on 30 November - I'm guessing this is the annual fares revision announcement but some "baubles" of extending Oyster might detract from the overall bad news that's always in such announcements. Obviously Travelcards and caps will increase even if most other TfL fares won't change.

I assume that hesitancy around dates is centred around the necessary equipment, software and comms links being in place at the stations beyond the zones. I've no idea if Epsom and the GN stns need to have ticket gates modified / installed (or validators).

All the stations have either ITSO gates or validators as they are all covered by GTRs Keygo PAYG scheme.