Super Off Peak rtn validity Gatwick to Peterborough

[steve2525]

Returning from Gatwick mid-week in May with a Super Off Peak return (with rail card) and intending to use Thameslink to avoid LU. Ticket has restriction 1L with:-

• London St Pancras International after 04:29 and before 10:29 and after 15:15 and before 18:59;

But NRE say ticket valid on the 17:19 from Gatwick - is that correct?
Why isn’t the 17:24 also valid from Gatwick which we could change onto the same train to Peterborough?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Returning from Gatwick mid-week in May with a Super Off Peak return (with rail card) and intending to use Thameslink to avoid LU. Ticket has restriction 1L with:-

• London St Pancras International after 04:29 and before 10:29 and after 15:15 and before 18:59;

But NRE say ticket valid on the 17:19 from Gatwick - is that correct?
Why isn’t the 17:24 also valid from Gatwick which we could change onto the same train to Peterborough?
View attachment 61915

This is to do with the way the restrictions are applied by journey planners. The text you see and the electronic version of it are not necessarily the same. The electronic version (scroll right down to the bottom) effectively tells the computer that "you cannot allow an itinerary which involves boarding a train at St Pancras between X and X". As you are boarding the train at St Pancras in the one case but not in the other (merely calling at St Pancras), one itinerary is permitted and the other isn't. If you forced a change to the Peterborough service at Farringdon it'd be permitted though, since there is no electronic restriction for Farringdon.

Because of the wording of the restriction code's human text ("not valid for trains timed to depart/arrive" as opposed to other restrictions that say things like "not valid for boarding...") you must rely on an itinerary generated by the likes of NRE or your chosen booking engine if you wish to validly take the trains shown.

 

[yorkie]

Yes that's right; the train in question is valid to board at Gatwick but not St Pancras, using that particular ticket.

I recommend that you obtain an itinerary at the time of booking, so that you have evidence of validity, just in case anyone questions it (which is unlikely, but it's a good idea to be safe).

 

[steve2525]

Many thanks both, will take a print out.