Refused zero-fare overdistance excess

[AlterEgo]

You can't excess a season for overdistance or off route reasons. You must purchase a single or return ticket for the portion of the journey not covered by your season.

 

[87 027]

By that logic, should a ticket from Kidbrooke to Eltham (£2.30) be valid to travel to New Cross, because Kidbrooke to New Cross is also £2.30?

Yes. And indeed would be if you used Oyster PAYG rather than a paper point-to-point ticket!

 

[b0b]

But they're in opposite directions!

you're questioning an illogical part of the UK rail ticketing system?

 

[John @ home]

(I've checked a copy of the ATOC fares manual, Farnborough North and Farnborough Main are considered to be the same destination)

I agree that tickets from Guildford to either Farnborough North or Farnborough Main are issued to Farnborough Stations.

I had no idea that a zero-fare excess existed. Does that mean that if I want to excess my annual season ticket (Guildford-Farnborough North, route "any permitted") to travel Guildford to Farnborough Main via Woking (same price) I have to ask for one of these?

No, that wouldn't work. Guildford - Farnborough Stations has two sets of fares: Route Any Permitted and Route Woking. The prices are not the same.

National Fares Manual NFM 10 CD

Guildford - Farnborough Stations annual season tickets

Route Any Permitted
First Class £1476.00
Standard £984.00

Route Woking
First Class £2688.00
Standard £1580.00

Permitted Routes Guildford - Farnborough Stations are shown on map MW only. That map shows a single red line joining Guildford with Farnborough Group, meaning that travel is permitted by any route which does not pass through any other Routeing Point, and does not double back (pass through a station more than once). In practice, this allows travel via Ash only. Guildford - Farnborough via Woking is not a Permitted Route.

But there are fares for Guildford - Farnborough via Woking, so my view is that NRCoC 13(e) allows the holder of a Guildford - Farnborough Stations Route Any Permitted ticket to travel via Woking on payment of the appropriate excess fare.

 

[87 027]

But they're in opposite directions!

Since the Southeastern Metro fare structure is zonal anyway then why not do away with named stations on the tickets and just have tickets that are valid for the zones travelled through?

It frustrates me that I have a paper train-only season ticket valid to 'London Terminals' but has no dual availability option so although I live mid way between two stations on different lines I have to choose one or the other! I did at least get it to the outer boundary of the zone I'm in since it is valid at the intermediate stations (I know this has been the subject of recent different threads)

 

[adc82140]

No, that wouldn't work. Guildford - Farnborough Stations has two sets of fares: Route Any Permitted and Route Woking. The prices are not the same.

What I can't fathom though, and nor can SWT by their lack of response to my emails, is how much excess I need to pay. As you have shown the NFM does indeed show that the route Woking ticket is more expensive as a season ticket, but the day return is exactly the same price on both routes (£4.80 undiscounted off-peak). The CIS announcements at Guildford positively encourage joining Woking bound trains and changing for Farnborough.

Permitted Routes Guildford - Farnborough Stations are shown on map MW only. That map shows a single red line joining Guildford with Farnborough Group, meaning that travel is permitted by any route which does not pass through any other Routeing Point, and does not double back (pass through a station more than once). In practice, this allows travel via Ash only. Guildford - Farnborough via Woking is not a Permitted Route.

But there are fares for Guildford - Farnborough via Woking, so my view is that NRCoC 13(e) allows the holder of a Guildford - Farnborough Stations Route Any Permitted ticket to travel via Woking on payment of the appropriate excess fare.