Oyster readers at Clapham Junction

[Jetlagged]

I am a very infrequent Oyster user so your help would be appreciated.

I will be travelling from East Croydon to Surbiton via Clapham Junction platforms 12 (arr) and 9 (dep) using a PAYG Oyster.

If I've read correctly, I need to touch in at Clapham Junction but cannot find out where the readers are.

Can someone advise me please?

 

[yorkie]

Welcome to the forum

I am a very infrequent Oyster user so your help would be appreciated.

I will be travelling from East Croydon to Surbiton via Clapham Junction platforms 12 (arr) and 9 (dep) using a PAYG Oyster.

If I've read correctly, I need to touch in at Clapham Junction but cannot find out where the readers are.

There appears to be some missing information from your post; I am guessing you're a Season ticket holder between East Croydon and Clapham Jn (or beyond) and you're using your Season part way for this journey, and you intend to use Oyster for the remainder of the journey from Clapham Junction to Surbiton. Is that correct?

If you can give details of exactly which ticket(s) you already hold that would enable us to give the best possible advice.

There was a thread with someone else asking for assistance in this situation (Oyster readers at Clapham Junction ) but the situation may have changed since then. At some stations you need to exit with your paper ticket and re-enter with Oyster, though I don't believe that is necessary at Clapham Junction.

 

[Muzer]

I believe the current situation is that platforms 16 and 17 still have readers, as do the gatelines. If you're changing between an Oyster ticket and a paper ticket at Clapham, I would recommend using the plat 17 readers, as it avoids the possibility of having to waste time explaining yourself to the gateline staff (not sure how likely this is in practice, having said that, but I have had to do things like that before). Plat 17 rather than 16 because 17 is really quiet (whereas 16 is on an island with 15), so fewer people to get in the way

 

[yorkie]

I've looked into this further, and it appears there are now pink readers at Clapham Jn (sources: MikeWh's Oyster & National Rail site and the TfL site), so I'd expect these to be located on Platforms 1/2.

Obviously there would be no need to use these for a journey made entirely on contactless/Oyster from East Croydon to Surbiton but a pink reader will tap you in, if you're not already tapped in, so can be used to avoid having to exit and re-enter if switching from a paper ticket to contactless/Oyster.

I'm not sure, if arriving on 12 and departing on 9, if it's quicker to use the aforementioned readers on platform 17 or 1/2, but my guess would be that platform 17 would probably be quicker than 1/2, though this may depend on which part of the train you arrive on and whether you use the bridge or underpass and where exactly on the platforms the respective readers are located. Perhaps someone who is more familiar with CLJ than I can advise!

(I've asked MikeWh to check the above post for accuracy, so I'm sure he'll correct me if I've got anything wrong!)

 

[bb21]

Yes, pink readers now exist on Pfm 1/2.

Yellow readers are available at the bottom of the stairs to Pfm 17 in the subway so there is no need to exit the gatelines or go up to the platform itself if switching between two types of payments/tickets.

 

[tsr]

If using the subway, the readers on Platforms 1/2 or the gatelines will probably be quickest. If using the footbridge, head to Platform 17.

 

[Feathers44]

I've tended to use the gateline from the overbridge. The staff on duty at the time didn't bat an eyelid but I did feel the need to provide a running commentary on what we were doing (and why) for my son and the guy at the gate wasn't exactly far away at the time.

 

[Jetlagged]

My goodness. This is quite a forum with so much help in so little time.

Firstly, I am only a visitor to London but always have an Oyster card handy to make any journeys while I am there. I make extensive use of public transport on these visits and always reach the cap.

Unless anyone knows of a cheaper way, it was my intention to use my Oyster Card for the entire journey from ECR. In addition to SUR I will also be visiting Hampton Court and Richmond before returning to ECR probably via Upper Norwood or possibly the West End.

From what I have read from your replies and elsewhere, possibly I do not have to 'check in' at Clapham Jnct. From the pink reader discussion on another site I understood that this was necessary to show that I had used that particular route rather than travel via Zone 1.

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

 

[yorkie]

Ah, you generally only need to touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end, and that is the case for East Croydon to Surbiton.

Exceptions exist where you have to leave (one part of) a station and re-enter another, these are known as "out of station interchanges". It does not apply in your case.

There are some journeys which are cheaper if you touch on a pink reader, these are journeys where the system assumes you go via a more expensive route (typically Zone 1) unless you demonstrate otherwise. Where it does apply the single fares finder will make it clear. This also does not apply to this journey.

 

[MikeWh]

From the pink reader discussion on another site I understood that this was necessary to show that I had used that particular route rather than travel via Zone 1.

It can be, but not in this case. At Clapham Junction the pink readers are pretty much exclusively to indicate usage of London Overground, hence why they are on platforms 1-2. Journeys from south to south west are priced by default via Clapham Junction as that is the obvious way to make them.

 

[themeone]

The reader on platform 17 is actually signposted from the overbridge now. I never spotted the one in the subway by the platform 17 stairs, but it's easy to miss things in that subway when it's busy, which is usually.

 

[transmanche]

From what I have read from your replies and elsewhere, possibly I do not have to 'check in' at Clapham Jnct. From the pink reader discussion on another site I understood that this was necessary to show that I had used that particular route rather than travel via Zone 1.

They way I work it is; if you walk past a pink reader, then tap your Oyster card - but there's no need to go out of your way to try and find one. Doing that should mean you're always charged the appropriate fare...

 

[Brucey]

They way I work it is; if you walk past a pink reader, then tap your Oyster card - but there's no need to go out of your way to try and find one. Doing that should mean you're always charged the appropriate fare...

There is an exception at Clapham Junction though. Southern services to Milton Keynes use P17, which has yellow readers. Whereas LOROL services depart from P1/2 which has pink readers.

You could be travelling onto Wembley Central (for example), on Southern and won't pass these readers.

I don't know why the P17 readers aren't replaced with pink ones. They act as yellow readers if you aren't touched in anyway (with Oyster - not sure what happens on a contactless payment card).

 

[transmanche]

There is an exception at Clapham Junction though. Southern services to Milton Keynes use P17, which has yellow readers. Whereas LOROL services depart from P1/2 which has pink readers.

You could be travelling onto Wembley Central (for example), on Southern and won't pass these readers.

Is that an issue though? If, for example, you travelled from Selhurst to Wembley Central, the default route is changing at Clapham Junction onto the WLL. If you chose to go via Zone 1 instead, then you'd pass through gatelines at Victoria/Vauxhall/etc and Euston and the system would know to charge you the higher fare. But as the route via Clapham Junction is the default, you'll be charged the lower fare without needing to touch a pink reader.

 

[Kite159]

So you can tap out of the Oyster network using the yellow readers at the bottom of the stairs of P17 and remain on the station (with nothing really stopping le fare dodger from tapping out and then boarding another service without a valid ticket)?

 

[transmanche]

So you can tap out of the Oyster network using the yellow readers at the bottom of the stairs of P17 and remain on the station (with nothing really stopping le fare dodger from tapping out and then boarding another service without a valid ticket)?

No different from walking up to the gateline, tapping out there, and not going through the gate, but going back to the platform "and then boarding another service without a valid ticket"...

 

[Kite159]

No different from walking up to the gateline, tapping out there, and not going through the gate, but going back to the platform "and then boarding another service without a valid ticket"...

Apart from the gateline the STM security person might bag an eyelid

 

[transmanche]

Apart from the gateline the STM security person might bag an eyelid

And what, precisely, are they going to do?

The same situation applies at Highbury & Islington, Wimbledon, Old Street, Moorgate...

 

[Kite159]

And what, precisely, are they going to do?

The same situation applies at Highbury & Islington, Wimbledon, Old Street, Moorgate...

Knowing STM security - nothing (as some of them can be quite useless)

 

[Jetlagged]

Thanks again for all your input. Who would ever have thought that paying the right fare would be so complicated. I'm just grateful that I don't have to battle with that every day.