reasonable route / london terminals?

[ehopkinson]

I have a season ticket from Weston-super-Mare to 'London Terminals', split at Didcot Parkway... so essentially it's just the Didcot to London bit that matters for this query.

Normally I just go straight into Paddington, but on Friday I actually need to get to Richmond. So I'm wondering.... can I use the season ticket I already have or will I need a separate ticket? I'm thinking, change at Reading and get a train to Waterloo, so I'm still heading for a 'London Terminal', but then I just happen to be getting off at Richmond? Is that allowed?

Any advice appreciated

 

[Romilly]

That seems fine.

If you use the season ticket calculator on the National Rail Enquiries website for Didcot to London Paddington, it tells you the prices of Didcot to London Terminals season tickets, and also tells you which London Terminals you can go to with your season ticket. London Waterloo is in the list.

Alternatively, an anytime day return from Didcot to London is £60. If you use a journey planner on one of the ticket selling websites, and ask for Didcot to London via Richmond, the same £60 ticket is offered for a journey from Didcot to Waterloo via Richmond and changing at Reading.

And, of course, a season ticket is valid for journeys over any part of any of the origin to destination routes for which the ticket is valid, i.e. it's fine for Didcot to Reading, or Didcot to Ealing Broadway, or Didcot to Richmond.

 

[Hadders]

I'm not sure if it would be quicker time wise but you could go to Paddington, take the Bakerloo line to Waterloo (you'd have to pay for this as it wouldn't be covered by your season ticket) and then take a train from Waterloo to Richmond.

 

[LexyBoy]

Yes, that's absolutely fine. You're allowed to start or end your journey at any intermediate station on a season ticket, and the route to Waterloo is permitted. You can in fact get as far as London Bridge, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, Cannon St (change at Waterloo-Waterloo East), or Victoria (change at Clapham Junct).

I travel fairly regularly Reading-Richmond and I can say that there's little difference time-wise between the options of:
- Direct train Reading-Richmond
- Stopper to Ealing, then 65 bus to Richmond
- Fast to Paddington, then tube to Richmond or train from Waterloo.

However since you'd already be on a Paddington-bound train, you might find a bit of a time saving to go there first if there's a long wait for the Waterloo train at Reading. You'll need to pay for the Tube though as Hadders says.

 

[ehopkinson]

Excellent, thanks very much